Heart Failure
The leading causes of heart failure are diseases that damage the heart. These include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- What Is Heart Failure?
- What Causes Heart Failure?
- Who Is At Risk for Heart Failure?
- How Is Heart Failure Diagnosed?
- How Is Heart Failure Treated?
- How Can Heart Failure Be Prevented?
- Living With Heart Failure
- Key points
Please link to any part of our Web site
You can also assist our association by becoming a sponsoring member of our non-profit association "Cardiolabel". Minimum amount 1 USD ( Bank transfer fees ). More informatio klik on support us
Our Heart
- Aneurysm
- Angina Pectoris
- Angiography
- Angioplasty
- Arrhythmia
- Atherosclerosis
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Cardiac CT
- Cardiac MRI
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Heart disease Risk Factors
- Heart Valve Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- How Badly Are Your Arteries Hardening With Aging?
- Pacemaker
CONTACT
Who Is At Risk for Heart Failure?
About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, and it results in about 300,000 deaths each year. The number of people who have heart failure is growing. Each year, another 550,000 people are diagnosed for the first time. Heart failure is more common in:
- People who are 65 or older. Aging can weaken the heart muscle. Older people also may have had a disease for many years that causes heart failure. Heart failure is the #1 reason for hospital visits in this age group.
- African Americans. African Americans are more likely than people of other races to have heart failure and to suffer from more severe forms of it. They’re also more likely than other groups to have symptoms at a younger age, get worse faster, have more hospital visits due to heart failure, and die from heart failure.
- People who are overweight or obese. Excess weight puts a greater strain on the heart. It also can lead to type II diabetes, which adds to the risk of heart failure.
Men have a higher rate of heart failure than women. But in actual numbers, more women have the condition. This is because many more women than men live into their seventies and eighties when it’s common.
Children with congenital heart defects also can develop heart failure. Children are born with these defects when the heart, heart valves, and/or blood vessels near the heart don’t form correctly. This can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure.
Children don’t have the same symptoms or get the same treatment for heart failure as adults. This article focuses on heart failure in adults.
"Thanks for supporting the fight against heart disease"
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure?
The most common signs and symptoms of heart failure are:
- • Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- • Fatigue (tiredness)
- • Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen, and, rarely, the veins in your neck
All of these symptoms are due to the buildup of fluid in your body. When symptoms start, you may feel tired and short of breath after routine physical effort—like climbing stairs.
As the heart grows weaker, symptoms get worse. You may begin to feel tired and short of breath after getting dressed or walking across the room. Some people have shortness of breath while lying flat.
Fluid buildup from heart failure also causes weight gain, frequent urination, and a cough that's worse at night and when you're lying down. This cough may be a sign of a condition called acute pulmonary edema. This is when too much fluid is in your lungs. This severe condition requires emergency treatment.
Heart Failure Signs and Symptoms
The illustration shows the major signs and symptoms of heart failure.