Common symptoms of heart failure include breathlessness, fatigue, swollen legs and a fast heartbeat. Heart failure can't be cured, but there are things you can do to help you improve your quality of life. You can manage your heart failure with lifestyle changes, medicines and sometimes surgery.
Heart failure symptoms may include: Shortness of breath with activity or when lying down. Fatigue and weakness. Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet.
You may not notice initial symptoms of a weak heart. But if you are feeling more fatigued than usual, unusual aches and pains, are lightheaded, or have chest pain, seek immediate medical attention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Anxiety, Sweating, and Nausea
But they could also be early signs for heart trouble. If these heart symptoms are followed by shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, pain, a feeling of fullness, or aching in your chest (that might radiate to the back, shoulders, arm, neck, or throat), get to an emergency room immediately.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG reflects what's happening in different areas of the heart and helps identify any problems with the rhythm or rate of your heart. The ECG is painless and takes around 5-10 minutes to perform.
Symptom-free (asymptomatic) heart failure: There are no symptoms, but certain tests can detect that the heart isn't performing as well as it should. Mild heart failure: More strenuous physical exercise like climbing stairs or walking uphill causes symptoms like exhaustion or shortness of breath.
Stage I is considered “pre-heart failure.” High-risk individuals include patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and coronary artery disease. A family history of alcohol abuse, rheumatic fever, cardiotoxic drug therapy, or cardiomyopathy can increase your risk.
Warning signs that occur a month beforehand could be chest discomfort, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Heart failure can happen at any age. It happens to both men and women, but men often develop it at a younger age than women. Your chance of developing heart failure increases if: You're 65 years old or older.
Tests for heart failure
Tests you may have to diagnose heart failure include: blood tests – to check whether there's anything in your blood that might indicate heart failure or another illness. an electrocardiogram (ECG) – this records the electrical activity of your heart to check for problems.
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Most often, heart failure is caused by another medical condition that damages your heart. This includes coronary heart disease, heart inflammation, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, or an irregular heartbeat. Heart failure may not cause symptoms right away.
You can check for heart disease at home by measuring your pulse rate and your blood pressure if you have a blood pressure monitor. You can also monitor yourself for symptoms of heart disease, such as: Chest pain, pressure, discomfort, or tightness. Being short of breath.
Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless. Rarely, heart palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious heart condition, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), that might require treatment.
In general, about half of all people diagnosed with congestive heart failure will survive 5 years. About 30% will survive for 10 years. In patients who receive a heart transplant, about 21% of patients are alive 20 years later.
Increasing age, female gender, diabetes mellitus (DM), lower hemoglobin, and dilated left atrium were strong predictors of incident HF.
Although heart failure is a serious condition that progressively gets worse over time, certain cases can be reversed with treatment. Even when the heart muscle is impaired, there are a number of treatments that can relieve symptoms and stop or slow the gradual worsening of the condition.
People 65 years or older have a higher risk of heart failure. Older adults are also more likely to have other health conditions that cause heart failure. Family history of heart failure makes your risk of heart failure higher. Genetics may also play a role.
Feeling better – exercise improves your body's efficiency over time, which helps to reduce heart failure symptoms. Less hospital visits – studies on exercise in heart failure patients show that a regular exercise program reduces hospitalizations and clinical events.
Symptoms of heart failure
breathlessness after activity or at rest. feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise exhausting. feeling lightheaded or fainting. swollen ankles and legs.
If you wake up feeling not refreshed, you have daytime sleepiness or if you need to curtail your daytime activity because of lack of energy, these could be signs your heart failure isn't being managed as well as it could be, Dr. Freeman says.