Heart Failure
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure, which is also known as congestive heart failure, is when the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood the way it should because it is too stiff or weak.
As a result, the blood can get backed up and cause fluid to enter the lungs, causing shortness of breath.
Heart failure is a chronic condition and can get worse over time without proper treatment. There are different types of heart failure, and alsodifferent stages.Talk with your doctor to understand what type of heart failure you have and how severe it is.
Early intervention is crucial! Regular visits to the doctor can prevent pre-heart failure from developing into serious illness.
In This Article:
What Causes Heart Failure?
Heart failure can be caused by heart conditions that cause damage to the heart muscle, such as:
- Coronary artery disease(when cholesterol and fatty deposits build up in the arteries, causing them to become too narrow)
- A previousheart attack
- Chronic hypertension (also known as high blood pressure)
- Abnormal heart valves caused by disease or genetics
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart muscle disease or inflammation caused by infection, drug or alcohol use, or other factors
Other conditions like diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea can also increase the risk of developing heart failure.
Finally, lungdisease—like COPD—can increase the risk of developing heart failure. This is because when the lungs don’t work properly, it forces the heart to work harder to get oxygen to the rest of the body.
Diagnosing Heart Failure
Diagnosis of heart failure usually begins with a history and physical exam. Your provider will talk to you about your medical issues and lifestyle and then examine you for signs of fluid build-up or heart disease.
As a next step, your doctor may order special testing to look at your heart function and blood flow.This could include an echocardiogram (echo) or electrocardiogram (EKG).
Sometimes further testing is needed to pinpoint the cause of heart failure.
Treating Heart Failure
Treatment for heart failure depends on the stage and cause of the disease, but they fall into three broad categories:
- Lifestyle changes. These include exercise, getting enough sleep, quitting smoking, and eating a low-sodium diet.
- Medications. Some medications help you get rid of extra water. Others lower blood pressure and some strengthen your heart.
- Interventions. Your doctor may need to do a procedure or intervention to treat the cause of your heart failure.
Of course, the most important treatment is prevention! Heart failure cannot be cured, but it can be managed.
How Heart Failure Affects COPD
COPD and heart failure aren’t necessarily directly connected, but they can influence each other. For example, COPD can increase the risk of developing heart failure because it forces the heart to work harder to get oxygen to the rest of the body.
Heart failure also causes shortness of breath and weakness, which can make COPD worse.
What You Can Do Today
It’s never too late to practice healthy lifestyle habits to keep your heart healthy and prevent heart failure.
- Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about your heart health. Speak to him/her about any family history of heart failure
- Limit your salt and alcohol intake
- Consider ways to reduce stress
- Identifysleep concerns
- Get moving! Exercise keeps your heart strong, and Wellinkshas plenty of resources to get you moving safely
- Take medications as prescribedto keep related conditions under control