Before you read this article, make
sure you have read my previous article that contains descriptions of Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a
syndrome, not a disease, that can be brought about by several causes. CHF is a
weakening of the heart brought on by an underlying heart or blood vessel
problem, often a combination of several different problems, including the
following:
Weakened heart muscle, Damaged heart
valves, Blocked blood vessels supplying the heart muscle (coronary arteries);
leading to a heart attack, Toxic exposures; like alcohol or cocaine, Infections,
High blood pressure that results in thickening of the heart muscle (left
ventricular hypertrophy), Pericardial disease; such as pericardial effusion (a
large collection of fluid around the heart in the space between the heart
muscle and the thick layer of pericardium surrounding the heart) and/or a
thickened pericardium, which does not allow the heart to fill properly, Congenital
heart diseases, Prolonged; serious arrhythmias.
An early symptom of congestive heart failure is fatigue. While fatigue is a sensitive indicator of possible underlying congestive heart failure, it is obviously a nonspecific symptom that may be caused by many other conditions. The person's ability to exercise may also diminish. Patients may not even sense this decrease and they may subconsciously reduce their activities to accommodate this limitation.
As the body becomes overloaded with fluid from congestive heart failure, swelling (edema) of the ankles and legs or abdomen may be noticed. This can be referred to as "right sided heart failure" as failure of the right sided heart chambers to pump venous blood to the lungs to acquire oxygen results in buildup of this fluid in gravity-dependent areas such as in the legs.
The most common cause of congestive
heart failure is longstanding failure of the left heart, which may lead to
secondary failure of the right heart. Right-sided heart failure can also be
caused by severe lung disease (referred to as "cor pulmonale"), or by
intrinsic disease of the right heart muscle (less common)
In addition, fluid may accumulate in
the lungs, thereby causing shortness of breath, particularly during exercise
and when lying flat. In some instances, patients are awakened at night, gasping
for air.
Some may be unable to sleep unless
sitting upright.
The extra fluid in the body may cause
increased urination, particularly at night.
Accumulation of fluid in the liver and
intestines may cause nausea, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite.
No comments:
Post a Comment