Leading Heart Failure Treatment Hospitals In Mumbai
Heart failure does not necessarily mean that the heart has stopped or is about to stop working. Heart Failure also known as congestive heart failure is a condition when the heart does not pump enough blood around to meet the body’s need. Both the sides or just one side of the heart can be affected by this condition. Symptoms will depend on which side is affected and how severe the heart failure is – symptoms can be severe.
Common causes of heart failure are:
- Coronary artery disease & heart attack
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- Diabetes.
Heart failure can also be caused by:
- Heart valve problems
- Alcohol or recreational drugs
- An uncontrolled irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
- Congenital heart conditions
- A viral infection affecting the heart muscle
- Some cancer treatments.
Men above the age of 65 have a higher rate of heart failure than women.
Symptoms Of Heart Failure:
- Shortness of breath – when you are being active or at rest
- Swelling – of your feet, ankles, stomach and lower back areas
- Fatigue – feeling unusually tired or weak
Symptoms occur because the heart does not have enough strength to pump blood all the way round the body efficiently. This can cause fluid to pool in the feet and legs. If this fluid is left unmanaged, it can build and spread to your stomach area and sit beneath your lungs. This reduces their ability to expand and makes you short of breath.
Symptoms on the left side of the body:
- Breathlessness, panting (dyspnea) – this may happen at any time, but will be more noticeable or acute when the patient is active or lying down. Patients at night will often need to sit up in bed or have an urge to get some fresh air.
- Cough
- Frothy spit (with the cough)
Symptoms on the right side of the body:
- Swollen ankles
- Swollen legs
- Enlarged liver
- Enlarged stomach
Symptoms on both sides of the body:
- Dizziness and/or confusion – as levels of sodium and other substances in the blood change the patient is much more likely to experience confusion, and also dizziness.
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Loss of appetite – as the digestive system receives less blood the patient experiences problems with digestion and appetite.
