• Your health
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Heart failure
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Respiratory diseases
• Osteoporosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriasis

Heart failure

Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump blood efficiently through the body. Heart failure should not be confused with cardiac arrest (when the heart suddenly stops beating and there is no circulation of blood) or heart attack / myocardial infarction (interruption of blood supply to the heart, causing damage to the heart tissue).

Heart failure is a progressive condition where the pumping power of the heart decreases over time. The condition is the cumulative consequence of all the insults to the heart over the person’s life.

Heart failure is caused by many conditions including a heart attack, coronary artery disease (obstruction in the arteries leading to reduced blood flow to the heart), cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle from infections, alcohol or drug abuse), hypertension, diabetes, obesity, valve disease, kidney disease or heart defects present at birth.

The signs and symptoms of heart failure vary depending on the severity of the condition. The symptoms could be constant or could come and go and are related to the changes in the heart and body. Symptoms could include -

• Persistent coughing or wheezing because of lung congestion
• Fluid retention or swelling in the feet, ankles, legs or abdomen
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite, nausea
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats

Heart failure can be managed with a combination of lifestyle modifications, medication and surgery, and needs the patient, family and doctor to work together to determine the best course of treatment.

Back to top