There’s a new symptom that indicates worsening heart failure in people with advanced cases of the condition — and it’s as simple as bending over to tie your shoes.
Heart failure means the heart is too weak to efficiently pump blood, which causes fluid to build up in the body.
Traditional symptoms include shortness of breath that occurs with exertion or lying down. But doctors have often wondered whether such an occurrence while bending over could be indicative as well.
Researchers enrolled 102 patients who had been admitted for cardiac testing. They measured how well each patient’s heart pumped, then repeated the procedure with 65 patients they had asked to sit in a chair for two minutes and then bend over for one.
Patients who became short of breath had excess fluid in their bodies, which elevated their blood pressure. When they bent over, the blood pressure became even higher, the researchers found.
They dubbed this new symptom “bendopnea.”
The researchers say that this symptom should not be used to diagnose heart failure in general, but in patients with advanced heart failure, it could mean their condition was worsening and they should call a doctor.
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure.
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