Doctors usually treat heart failure with a combination of medications. Depending on your symptoms, you might take one or more medications, including: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These drugs relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and decrease the strain on the heart.
Heart failure is a long-term condition that tends to get gradually worse over time. It cannot usually be cured, but the symptoms can often be controlled for many years.
Most people with heart failure are treated with medication. Often you'll need to take 2 or 3 different medicines. Some of the main medicines for heart failure include: ACE inhibitors.
Cardiomyopathy can lead to serious complications, including: Heart failure. The heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Untreated, heart failure can be life-threatening.
Most people with end-stage heart failure have a life expectancy of less than 1 year. 4. The leading causes of heart failure are diseases that damage the heart, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Patients with congestive heart failure have a high incidence of sudden cardiac death that is attributed to ventricular arrhythmias. The mortality rate in a group of patients with class III and IV heart failure is about 40% per year, and half of the deaths are sudden.
As a result, people with heart failure often feel weak (especially in their arms and legs), tired and have difficulty performing ordinary activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
If your heart weakens too much, it will be unable to pump blood properly to the organs and tissues throughout your body. Cardiomyopathy can be caused by coronary artery disease, a heart attack, or some other underlying health condition. In some cases, it can be genetic, which means you inherited it from your parents.
You may have trouble breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swollen legs, neck veins that stick out, and sounds from fluid built up in your lungs. Your doctor will check for these and other signs of heart failure. A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure.
Adults age 65 and older are more likely than younger people to suffer from cardiovascular disease, which is problems with the heart, blood vessels, or both. Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels that may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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.
Fatigue and Activity Changes
The easiest way to know that heart failure is getting worse is you're able to do less and less. People start pacing themselves. They stop doing hobbies that involve any physical activity. They used to go fishing, but not anymore.
The progress of heart failure is unpredictable and different for each person. In many cases, the symptoms remain at a stable level for quite some time (months or years) before becoming worse. In some cases the severity and symptoms become gradually worse over time.
Heart failure happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in your body. Heart failure is a serious condition, but it does not mean that the heart has stopped beating. Although it can be a severe disease, heart failure is not a death sentence, and treatment is now better than ever.
Result. A total of 263 heart failure patients (mean age: 51.08 ± 19.24 years) were included. The mean length of hospital stay was 17.29 ± 7.27 days.
When the heart is weak, it is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Conditions like diabetes, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure damage or cause the heart to overwork, which can lead to heart failure.
All of the lifestyle factors that increase your risk of heart attack and stroke – smoking, being overweight, eating foods high in fat and cholesterol and physical inactivity – can also contribute to heart failure.
Blood Tests
Your doctor may recommend a blood test to check for B-type natriuretic peptide, a protein that the heart secretes to keep blood pressure stable. These levels increase with heart failure.
Troponin blood test - troponin is a protein which is released into the blood stream when the heart muscle is damaged. The troponin level provides a quick and accurate measure of any heart muscle damage. It's used to help in the assessment following suspected heart attack.
BNP (B-type natriuretic peptides) tests – these show the level of a hormone in your blood which if elevated can be a sign of heart failure.
Heart health benefits
Coffee is full of health benefits. According to the American College of Cardiology, drinking two to three cups of coffee per day is associated with maintaining a healthy heart.
Plain old water might be the best thing to drink for overall health, and that includes your heart. Simply put, when you're dehydrated, you body doesn't function well.