Basic Knowledge of Heart Failure Symptoms
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The symptoms of heart failure generally fall into three categories despite whether heart failure is caused by dilated cardiomyopathy (cardiomyopathy is heart muscle disease), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or diastolic dysfunction.
1) Symptoms due to pulmonary congestion:
Pulmonary (or lung) congestion is a situation when the heart is fails to fill with blood, the pressures increases inside the heart and the blood builds up or “backs up” into the lungs. The symptoms of pulmonary congestion include shortness of breath, most often during exertion or while lying down.
With progress of heart failure, these symptoms gradually get intensified leading to physical incapacity. “Acute pulmonary edema,” or sudden, severe episodes of shortness of breath may also occur which demand immediate medical emergencies. Much worse, changes in blood hormones occur in many patients with heart failure.
These changes cause salt and water retention in the kidneys. Consequently, swelling (or edema) occurs in the legs, and in more pulmonary congestion. Pulmonary congestion symptoms are common in all three types of heart failure.
2) Symptoms due to poor cardiac pumping action:
In relatively later course of dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle has become extremely weak and the symptoms caused by decreased cardiac output or poor cardiac pumping are seen.These symptoms are uncommon in Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diastolic heart failure as those conditions have well-preserved cardiac pumping action.
The weakened heart muscle can no longer pump enough blood adequately supply the demand of body’s organs. Extreme fatigue and muscle wasting are most prominent symptoms due to poor pumping.
Sometimes, the poor blood flow to organs like the brain, liver, kidneys, and intestines can reduce their function, leading to a myriad of other symptoms including lethargy, abdominal distention, extreme edema (swelling) and numerous gastrointestinal symptoms.
3) Symptoms due to cardiac arrhythmias:
All the three types of heart failure are linked with heart rhythm disturbances. The atrial fibrillation is most common. The chances of atrial fibrillation are more with the gradual worsening of the heart. Ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation is due to very rapid and disorganized heart rhythms originating in the ventricles.
This leads to sudden deaths in patients with heart failure, specifically in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, and some forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Ventricular arrhythmia is common and almost one out of three patients with dilated cardiomyopathy experiences suddenly death.
Therefore, due to this reason, patients with significant dilated cardiomyopathy should be considered for implantable defibrillators.
1) Symptoms due to pulmonary congestion:
Pulmonary (or lung) congestion is a situation when the heart is fails to fill with blood, the pressures increases inside the heart and the blood builds up or “backs up” into the lungs. The symptoms of pulmonary congestion include shortness of breath, most often during exertion or while lying down.
With progress of heart failure, these symptoms gradually get intensified leading to physical incapacity. “Acute pulmonary edema,” or sudden, severe episodes of shortness of breath may also occur which demand immediate medical emergencies. Much worse, changes in blood hormones occur in many patients with heart failure.
These changes cause salt and water retention in the kidneys. Consequently, swelling (or edema) occurs in the legs, and in more pulmonary congestion. Pulmonary congestion symptoms are common in all three types of heart failure.
2) Symptoms due to poor cardiac pumping action:
In relatively later course of dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle has become extremely weak and the symptoms caused by decreased cardiac output or poor cardiac pumping are seen.These symptoms are uncommon in Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diastolic heart failure as those conditions have well-preserved cardiac pumping action.
The weakened heart muscle can no longer pump enough blood adequately supply the demand of body’s organs. Extreme fatigue and muscle wasting are most prominent symptoms due to poor pumping.
Sometimes, the poor blood flow to organs like the brain, liver, kidneys, and intestines can reduce their function, leading to a myriad of other symptoms including lethargy, abdominal distention, extreme edema (swelling) and numerous gastrointestinal symptoms.
3) Symptoms due to cardiac arrhythmias:
All the three types of heart failure are linked with heart rhythm disturbances. The atrial fibrillation is most common. The chances of atrial fibrillation are more with the gradual worsening of the heart. Ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation is due to very rapid and disorganized heart rhythms originating in the ventricles.
This leads to sudden deaths in patients with heart failure, specifically in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, and some forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Ventricular arrhythmia is common and almost one out of three patients with dilated cardiomyopathy experiences suddenly death.
Therefore, due to this reason, patients with significant dilated cardiomyopathy should be considered for implantable defibrillators.
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