Heart failure 

Introduction 

Heart failure is a serious condition but it does not mean your heart is about to stop working. It describes what happens when the heart is having trouble pumping enough blood around the body and usually occurs because the heart muscle has become too weak or stiff to work properly.

Heart failure affects about 900,000 people in the UK. It tends to affect older people, and the average age at diagnosis is 76. It is more common in men than women and can be caused by a number of other conditions, such as high blood pressure or a heart attack.

Symptoms of heart failure can happen quickly and this is known as acute heart failure. More often, the symptoms develop slowly over time, which is known as chronic heart failure.

Heart failure can be treated, allowing you to control the effects of the condition and continue to live a normal life.

Types of heart failure

There are two main types of heart failure and the symptoms and effects on your body will depend on which type you have.

  • heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD): when the part of the heart that pumps the blood around the body (left ventricle) doesn’t work as well as it should
  • heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF): when the heart has difficulty filling with blood

It is important that your healthcare team find out what type of heart failure you have, as it will affect what treatments you will be offered.

Last reviewed: 07/10/2010

Next review due: 07/10/2012

Comments

2 Comments

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Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

astraman2 said on 19 May 2011

I have just recently been diagnosed with heart failure at 66yrs. the Dr and Heart Failure nurse have been very good they explain everything they are intending to do eg change tablets or dosage. They constantly reassure me on all the the problems i'm experiencing concerning my HF that i think of them as friends the atmosphere is so relaxed at the clinic.

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syrasen said on 04 October 2010

Whenever our heart doesn't work properly then we started to think that we haven't as much energy as before, that we get tired very soon and out of breath more quickly. This is because the tissues aren’t getting enough oxygen and is due to excess fluid in the tissues..We may feel short of breath when they lie down because of fluid congesting the lungs. Shortness of breath when you exert yourself or when you lie down, Rapid or irregular heartbeat,Reduced ability to exercise,Sudden weight gain from fluid retention. Lack of appetite and nausea, chest pain are some of the symptoms of heart disease.
http://www.insideheart.com/

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