Heart failure is a condition wherein an abnormality of the heart limits its ability to pump sufficient blood. Doctors prescribe medications to help the heart function and meet the body's needs. When this proves successful, the heart failure is deemed compensated. However, when something occurs that upsets the delicate balance between the heart's compensated level of function and the body's needs, a sudden increase in heart-related symptoms occurs. This is called acute decompensated heart failure. The symptoms of acute decompensation reflect sluggish blood flow due to the impaired pumping ability of the heart.
Resting Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath frequently proves a symptom of acute decompensated heart failure. When the heart's pumping capacity decreases, blood can back up in the blood vessels that supply the lungs. The backup causes fluid leakage into the air sacs hindering the ability of the lungs to bring oxygen to the bloodstream. This condition is called pulmonary edema, which causes shortness of breath and cough. In a 2003 article published in "The American Journal of Medicine," Dr. G. Schiff and colleagues found that 98 percent of study participants admitted to the hospital with decompensated heart failure reported shortness of breath as a symptom.
Shortness of Breath on Exertion
In people with mild heart failure without symptoms, the sudden development of shortness of breath with exertion may indicate acute decompensation. In Dr. Schiff's study of hospital admissions for decompensated heart failure, missing and skipping medications were significant contributing factors to the sudden onset of decompensation. For those who have heart failure, it becomes especially important to take all medications their doctors prescribe according to schedule.
Shortness of Breath While Lying Down
New onset shortness of breath while lying down may be a symptom of acute decompensated heart failure. In some people with heart failure, blood does not back up in the lungs while the body is upright because gravity promotes pooling of blood in the lower body. However, when a person lies down, the blood in the lower body no longer pools there causing an increase in the heart's workload. This increase may cause a blood backup in the lungs and pulmonary edema. Dr. Erika Feller of the University of Maryland Division of Cardiology noted in a online presentation on the management of acute decompensated heart failure that nighttime shortness of breath and shortness of breath while lying down present two common symptoms of this condition.
Dizziness and Fainting
When the body remains in an upright position, pumping blood to the brain requires significant force because the heart must work against gravity. For an acutely decompensating heart, this task may not be manageable. Hence, insufficient blood flow to the brain causing new onset dizziness or fainting may be a symptom of acute decompensated heart failure.
Abdominal Bloating and Weight Gain
Just as blood can back up and cause fluid leakage into the lungs, a similar condition can occur in the abdomen. Fluid leakage into the abdomen causes bloating and rapid weight gain. Sudden weight gain with abdominal distention may indicate acute decompensated heart failure, advises the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
References
- American Family Physician: Reducing Hospitalization for Decompensated Heart Failure
- "The American Journal of Medicine"; Decompensated Heart Failure-- Symptoms, Patterns of Onset, and Contributing Factors; G.D. Schiff, et al; June 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Managing Decompensated Acute Heart Failure
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart Failure
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Heart Failure, Symptoms
