F e a t u r e
I
Diagnosis:
HEART FAILURE
How you can take control
It beats roughly 100,000 times, sending about 6 quarts
of blood on more than 4,300 round trips through the
body. In the process, it provides life-sustaining oxygen
and nutrients to trillions of living cells.
✦
That’s what
the heart does every day—all without ever taking a break.
It’s impressive to hear—and maybe a little frightening, too, if you’ve
been diagnosed with heart failure. After all, heart failure sounds like
the heart has stopped doing its job.
Actually, that’s not the case. Heart failure is a condition in which
the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. The American Heart
Association (AHA) reports that it affects nearly 6 million U.S. resi-
dents—and it’s serious.
For most people, though, it’s also highly manageable. With a doctor’s
help and a commitment to following a treatment plan, you can take
charge of heart failure and have a good quality of life.
PROBLEMS AT THE PUMP
Normally, blood is pumped through the
right side of your heart to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen. It then
goes back to the left side of the heart, where it’s pumped out to the rest
of your body. Heart failure may affect either the right or the left side of
the heart—or both.
In left-sided heart failure—the type that usually develops first—the
heart has trouble moving blood to the body, which causes the blood to
back up. Right-sided heart failure may follow later. It often occurs when
increased pressure from accumulating fluid caused by left-sided heart
failure is essentially transferred back through the lungs to the heart’s
right side. That side of the heart is then damaged as a result.
You might have also heard the term congestive heart failure. When
blood backs up, it can cause congestion in the body’s tissues. This can
lead to swelling in the feet, legs and other areas of the body, as well as
weight gain. When fluid accumulates in the lungs, it can cause shortness
of breath and coughing, especially when lying down.
Other possible heart failure symptoms include irregular heartbeat,
wheezing, fatigue and confusion.
COMMON CAUSES
Many different diseases or conditions can trigger
heart failure. The most common causes include:
Coronary artery disease.
This is a buildup of plaque in the heart’s
arteries. It can raise blood pressure, restrict blood flow and lead to a
heart-damaging heart attack.
High blood pressure.
When blood pressure is too high, the heart has
to work harder than normal to circulate blood. Over time, this weakens
the organ.
4
( 8 5 5 ) 3 6 0 - G A M C
H Q
•
F A L L 2 0 1 4
