Many people are first alerted to worsening heart failure when they notice a weight gain of more than two or three pounds in a 24-hour period or more than five pounds in a week. This weight gain may be due to retaining fluids since the heart is not functioning properly.
Edema. Edema is the quintessential symptom and sign of heart failure. Swelling of the feet and ankles, abdominal fullness due to swelling and distention of the liver, abdominal distention from ascites, scrotal swelling, and anasarca are different manifestations of fluid retention.
Heart failure symptoms may include: Shortness of breath with activity or when lying down. Fatigue and weakness. Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
It can happen suddenly or it can progress slowly over months or years. The most common causes of heart failure are: a heart attack - this can cause long-term damage to your heart, affecting how your heart can pump blood.
The symptoms of end-stage congestive heart failure include dyspnea, chronic cough or wheezing, edema, nausea or lack of appetite, a high heart rate, and confusion or impaired thinking.
Carefully auscultate heart and lung sounds to identify the patient in trouble, says Somes. "Jugular venous distention, fine rales that do not clear with a deep breath or cough, or extra heart sounds should send up red flags," she says.
Heart failure can suddenly get worse due to: Ischemia (lack of blood flow to the heart muscle) Eating high-salt foods. Heart attack.
Blood pressure is known to be an independent predictor of outcome in HF, although systolic blood pressure has generally been the focus.
In the final stages of heart failure, people feel breathless both during activity and at rest. Persistent coughing or wheezing. This may produce white or pink mucus. The cough may be worse at night or when lying down.
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.
Unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as an unhealthy diet, smoking, using cocaine or other illegal drugs, heavy alcohol use, and lack of physical activity, increase your risk of heart failure. Heart or blood vessel conditions, serious lung disease, or infections such as HIV or SARS-CoV-2 raise your risk.
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.
Often, your body sends signs that your heart needs care—symptoms you should not ignore. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, loss of consciousness, and dizziness. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, make an appointment to see your doctor.
Stage 2 of Congestive Heart Failure
Stage two of congestive heart failure will produce symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations after you participate in physical activity.
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.
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.
In Stage 3, patients experience symptoms that limit their everyday activities. These can include shortness of breath, fluid in the lower extremities, chest pain, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and fatigue.
Patients are considered to be in the terminal end stage of heart disease when they have a life expectancy of six months or less.
Stage II: You don't have heart failure symptoms at rest, but some symptoms slightly limit your physical activity. Symptoms include fatigue and shortness of breath. Stage III: Heart failure symptoms noticeably limit your physical activity (but you still are asymptomatic at rest).
When the right side loses pumping power, blood backs up in the body's veins. This usually causes swelling or congestion in the legs and ankles as well as swelling within the abdomen, such as the GI tract and liver (causing ascites).