The Human heart is responsible for keeping the blood circulation in the body functional, and its failure can lead to the death of a person. Heart Failure is a menace that attacks a lot of people all over the world. Even though it can have fatal consequences the good thing is that with timely intervention and treatment it can be treated effectively.
The human heart can be conceived as a natural muscular pump that is responsible for blood circulation and any damage to its organs thwarts the flow. Heart failure is preceded by chronic fatigue and lack of energy to perform day-to-day work. The heart does not fail all of a sudden but its capabilities diminish gradually. Finally it can lead to a complete collapse and one will have a heart failure.
Causes of Heart Failure
Anything detrimental to the well being of heart can lead to heart failure in a person if he is exposed to the conditions for long. People who have suffered a past attack are more susceptible to this menace. People suffering from high blood pressure are also an endangered lot and high pressure might often lead to heart failure.
This is because elevated blood pressures can result in thickening of the muscular wall of the heart. When this happens the heart can not pump blood properly. If the valves of the heart are damaged a person can face an increased risk of heart failure. Some inherited heart malfunctions like cardiomyopathy and excess consumption of alcohol can also lead a person to heart failure.
Heart Failure Symptoms
The symptoms of Heart Failure depend on which side of the heart is affected. The failure can be of two types, systolic and diastolic.
The left part of the heart sends blood to the organs from the lungs and when it fails to perform, the result is clogging of the veins of the lungs. The most prevalent symptom is breath shortness and fatigue.
The right part of the heart returns the blood from the body tissues to the lungs in order to swap CO2 for oxygen. Therefore, if the right part of the heart gives way, the peripheral tissues become congested. The most prominent symptom is repeated nocturnal urination. Some people may suffer from the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen region and painful swelling of the liver.
Since the signs of Heart failure replicate those of other common physical problems, some examinations are required to corroborate the diagnosis. The most important test in this context is a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram. The chest X-ray reveals the enlargement of the heart. The electrocardiogram is implemented to identify any irregular functioning of the heart and the echocardiogram test reveals the working status of the heart valves.
Treatment of Heart Failure
The Congestive heart failure or heart failure is treated with restricting the activities that hamper the functioning of the myocardium or the heart muscles. A person suffering from malfunctioning heart muscles should stop smoking. Performing regular exercises also help to keep the heart tissues in shape. Alcohol consumption should be reduced even though moderate consumption of wine from time to time is said to be beneficial for such people.
A person suffering from cardiac failure should check his diet as well. He needs to adhere to a low calorie and low fat diet. The doctors also recommend eating oily fish and lots of vegetables and fruit. If the symptoms of heart failure stem from any particular cause, then that cause needs to be treated first. For instance, if the malfunctioning of the cardiac muscles is caused by high blood pressure in a victim, then the doctors should try to bring down the blood pressure first.
Certain types of medication have been found to be effective for treating patients with heart failure. The ACE inhibitors and diuretic tablets have showed some positive results in some patients. In recent times, the doctors to reduce chances of cardiac failure are using a special type of medicine called the Beat blockers. The ultimate treatment for heart failure is heart transplant; it becomes imperative when all other methods fail to work.
