Heart failure can be ongoing (chronic), or it may start suddenly (acute). Heart failure signs and symptoms may include: Shortness of breath with activity or when lying down. Fatigue and weakness.
Symptoms can develop quickly (acute heart failure) or gradually over weeks or months (chronic heart failure).
Coronary artery disease causes most cases (80%) of sudden cardiac death. In people who are younger, congenital (since birth) heart defects or genetic abnormalities in their heart's electrical system are often the cause. In people age 35 and older, the cause is more often related to coronary artery disease.
Common early symptoms of heart failure include: shortness of breath. difficulty exercising. fatigue and weakness.
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.
There may be times that your symptoms are mild or you may not have any symptoms at all. This doesn't mean you no longer have heart failure. Symptoms of heart failure can range from mild to severe and may come and go. Unfortunately, heart failure usually gets worse over time.
There's no cure for heart failure. Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and slow further damage. TheI exact plan depends on the stage and type of heart failure, underlying conditions and the individual patient.
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.
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.
Official answer. 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.
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 Failure: Quick Facts
2. About half of people who develop heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis. 3. Most people with end-stage heart failure have a life expectancy of less than 1 year.
Chronic heart failure is a long-term condition for which there's currently no cure. However, with medication, many people are able to maintain a reasonable quality of life.
In general, more than half of all people diagnosed with congestive heart failure will survive for 5 years. About 35% will survive for 10 years. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic, progressive condition that affects the heart's ability to pump blood around the body.
Rapid or Irregular Heartbeat The heart may speed up to compensate for its failing ability to adequately pump blood throughout the body. Patients may feel a fluttering in the heart (palpitations) or a heartbeat that seems irregular or out of rhythm. This often is described as a pounding or racing sensation in the chest.
As your heart works overtime, it can cause tiredness, shortness of breath and a feeling of being simply worn out. Such are the signs of fatigue, one of the most common symptoms of congestive heart failure.
Cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol is defined as having too much cholesterol—a waxy, fatty substance—in the blood. Having either high LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) or low HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol)—or both—is one of the best predictors of your risk of heart disease.
As the left side of the heart loses its ability to pump blood out to the body, blood backs up into the right side of the heart. The right side of the heart then has to work harder, compensating for the weakness in the left side.
Heart failure, which means your ticker can't pump as well as it should, can sometimes quickly get worse. In that case, it's called acute or sudden heart failure. To prevent it from happening to you, watch for the warning signs that your heart failure is getting worse.
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.
Blood tests are useful in screening for heart failure and to look for possible causes or triggers. High levels of BNP in your blood have been linked with heart failure and the test is useful in both diagnosis and management decisions.
The blood test alone at the 125 pg/ml cut-off correctly identified 94% of people with heart failure but led to 50% of people who did not have heart failure being referred for further investigation.
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. As with stage one, lifestyle changes and certain medication can help improve your quality of life.