Heart Failure

Heart Failure is a serious condition in which your heart fails to pump blood sufficient enough to meet your body’s oxygen needs. It is also called as congestive cardiac failure, right side heart failure, left side heart failure or cor pulmonale. Heart Failure occurs when the heart cannot relax properly to fill in enough blood (right-sided heart failure) or cannot contract properly to pump out enough oxygen-rich blood (left-sided heart failure) or due to a combination of both problems (congestive heart failure).

Right-sided heart failure is a result of high blood pressure in pulmonary arteries (arteries taking blood from heart to lung) is called cor pulmonale.

Heart failure occurs due to conditions that either damage or tire the heart or cardiac muscles.

The three common causes of heart failure are :

• coronary heart disease (CHD) (blockage in heart blood vessels, angina or heart attack)
• hypertension or high blood pressure (140/90 mmHg or above or 130/80 or above if you have chronic kidney disease or diabetes)
• diabetes or high blood sugar

Other Causes:

• Cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease.
• Heart valve disease or valvular heart disease.
• Arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats.
• Congenital heart defects (birth defect).

Conditions which damage heart muscle:

• Cancer treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy)
• Thyroid disorders
• Alcohol or illegal drug abuse
• Cigarette smoking
• HIV/AIDS
• Taking too much vitamin E
• Obstructive sleep apnea (sleep disorder)
• Viral infections