Understand the causes and conditions leading to HF Most people who develop heart failure have (or had) another heart condition first. The most common conditions that can lead to heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and previous heart attack.
Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure. The disease results from the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. The deposits narrow the arteries. This reduces blood flow and can lead to heart attack.
Actually, heart failure, sometimes called HF, means that the heart isn't pumping as well as it should. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure that requires timely medical attention, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.
These are called risk factors. About half of all Americans (47%) have at least 1 of 3 key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Some risk factors for heart disease cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history.
A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure. Your doctor can also use this test to find out why you have heart failure, and then monitor your condition going forward every three to six months.
However, life expectancy for a person with CHF has substantially improved over time. A person's age at diagnosis may impact prognosis. The authors report that the 5-year survival rate for people under 65 years of age was around 79%, while the rate was about 50% for those 75 and over.
Can heart failure improve with exercise? It's important to remember that exercise will not improve your ejection fraction (the percentage of blood your heart can push forward with each pump). However, it can help to improve the strength and efficiency of the rest of your body.
Symptoms can develop quickly (acute heart failure) or gradually over weeks or months (chronic heart failure).
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others.
Stress can cause a heart attack, sudden cardiac death, heart failure, or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) in persons who may not even know they have heart disease.
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.
Walking helps congestive heart failure patients in several ways: Reduces heart attack risk, including cutting the risk of having a second heart attack. Strengthens their hearts and improves lung function. Long term, aerobic activity improves your heart's ability to pump blood to your lungs and throughout your body.
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.
Since the symptoms of heart disease can range from mild to severe and from common to atypical, heart disease is often misdiagnosed as another health condition. Other diagnoses include anxiety, anemia, and kidney and lung diseases. Heart disease is most commonly mistaken as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Generally, heart failure starts on the left side – specifically, the left ventricle, your heart's main pumping chamber. Heart failure often occurs after another condition has weakend the heart. Any of the below conditions can weaken the heart and cause heart failure: Coronary artery disease and heart attack.
As you get older, you are more likely to have heart failure — it's the leading cause of hospitalization for people over age 65. But men and women under 65 also are at risk for developing heart failure.
About 82% of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men to die from them within a few weeks.