Understanding Congestive Heart Failure

Answer 1

Congestive heart failure is a medical illness defined as the heart's inability to provide and pump sufficient blood throughout the body's circulation. This is a medical illness that affects millions of people that causes a significant reduction in quality and length of life, as well as representing a disproportionate burden on health care costs. Congestive heart failure itself can cause a multitude of symptoms that may make one's life miserable without treatment. Though there are many modalities to treat congestive heart failure, the best way is prevention.

To better understand congestive heart failure, knowing what causes it and how it affects the body is key. Congestive heart failure can be caused by many problems or conditions. The most common precipitants of congestive heart failure are myocardial ischemia (or heart attacks), smoking and high blood pressure. Other causes include Diabetes, obesity, alcohol abuse and valvular heart disease. When such an attack occurs to the heart, the heart's capability to pump blood diminishes. As a result, blood pools up both in the heart and in other places where blood can be stored, including the lungs and the feet. The resulting symptoms include increased breathing, difficulty breathing, swelling in the legs and arms, abnormal heart sounds and a reduced ability to work or perform any exertion. The latter symptom is due to inadequate blood circulation and reduced ability to bring oxygen into the lungs and blood circulation, causing less oxygen to be brought to the rest of the body during any sort of activity.

The diagnosis of congestive heart failure is typically determined through a suspicious patient history of heart failure, physical exam, imaging and lab studies. Some physical signs that may suggest heart failure include crackles on breathing, swelling in the feet, distended neck veins, abnormal heart sounds and shortness of breath upon walking. Lab studies that may suggest congestive heart failure include high levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). An electrocardiogram (EKG) may also suggestive heart failure. An echocardiogram, which is basically an ultrasound of the heart, is typically diagnostic of heart failure.

There are many drug treatments to alleviate the symptoms of heart failure, but it can only truly be reversed if the underlying cause is removed or if it caught quickly enough. Unfortunately, many times it cannot be reversed and can only be managed. Preventing this medical illness includes cessation of habits that can cause this, which typically include smoking, excessive alcohol, or a treatable medical condition. Healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise, eating foods that do not have excessive salt or fat and reduction of stress are key for prevention of this heart illness.