Congestive heart failure is a disease in which the pumping power of the heart is hampered. Congestive heart failure causes slow perfusion of blood in the organs and increased pressure in the heart, causing weakness of the heart muscles. Diseases that cause damage to the heart muscle can result in congestive heart failure. But the good news is that it can be managed with treatments. Heart muscles become weak when coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle do not work properly. Heart attack or myocardial infarction is accompanied by severe chest pain and tear in the heart muscle. This damages the muscle, causing congestive heart failure.
Often drugs, alcohol, and infections cause cardiomyopathy, leading to damage to the heart muscles, and hence, congestive heart failure. Some other diseases like kidney disease, thyroid disease, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, or diabetes also cause congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure often presents without any obvious signs and symptoms. Depending on the severity of congestion the signs and symptoms may appear or disappear.
A physician looks for signs of lung congestion by examining with a stethoscope. Difficulty in breathing while lying down is a common sign of this condition; other signs are dry cough and wheezing. Congestive heart failure is never accompanied by chest pain. Chest pain in these patients should call for an emergency treatment as it may be an underlying symptom of heart attack. Pulmonary embolism can also cause chest pain demanding emergency treatment. Another important sign is retention of water in the legs, ankles, or abdomen. Fast heartbeats are a sign of congestive heart failure as the heart tries to pump blood to distant organs. Doctors diagnose this disease based on the signs and advise some tests like echocardiogram and chest X-ray. Lifestyle modifications and treatment are equally important to control this disease.
Early treatment on observing the signs makes the condition easy to control. Emergency management is indicated if chest pain, severe breathlessness, or fainting is experienced. The treatment also targets at controlling blood pressure, lipid disturbances, and relieving the congestion. Vasodilators and diuretics are the main treatments provided for this disease.
The goal of treatment is to improve the quality of life of the patient. The treatments differ based on the stage of the disease, which ranges from stage A to stage D. It is always better to prevent the disease than go for its treatment. Exercise and strict diet control to manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels along with treatment are the keys for getting good results.
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