1. Failure Not Always Fatal
Some might say the term heart failure is a misnomer. After all, your heart won't unexpectedly stop beating and cause your sudden death. Instead, heart failure is a progressive health condition. The disorder weakens your heart muscle and cardiovascular system and fills your lungs with fluid. It forces your heart muscle to pump harder so your blood continues flowing. Often heart failure results from high blood pressure or irregular heart valves.
2. Identify the Culprit
A variety of factors cause heart failure. Coronary artery disease (CAD) blocks your arteries, restricts the flow of blood and keeps oxygen from getting to your heart. High blood pressure (hypertension) makes your heart work harder because its valves are not working properly. Cardiomyopathy produces a diseased heart muscle due to an infection, genetics or toxins, such as alcohol or lead. Other factors that contribute to heart failure include lifestyle, poor nutrition, heredity, obesity, excessive sodium intake, diabetes, anemia, heart murmur, an enlarged heart or substance abuse.
3. Watch for Telltale Signs
Heart failure comes with a host of telltale signs. Fluid retention is the most common. Generally, fluid accumulates in the lungs and causes your legs or ankles to swell. Too much fluid in your body also results in weight fluctuation. On average, sufferers gain 2 lbs. for every 1 qt. of fluid retained. Excess fluid also causes shortness of breath, an uncomfortable feeling in your chest and arms (angina), exhaustion or weakness, dizziness or a change in eating habits. Swelling caused by retaining fluids does not always indicate heart failure, so consult your doctor if you exhibit any of these signs.
4. Put Your Heart to the Test
Diagnosing heart failure requires a physical examination, a health history review and a series of diagnostic tests. An echocardiogram creates an image of your pumping heart and calculates blood flow. An electrocardiogram (EKG) tracks your heart's rhythm, detects any muscle enlargement and verifies signs of a previous heart attack. Cardiac catheterization measures heart pressures and indicates blocked or narrow areas. An enlarged heart or fluid surrounding your lungs show up in chest X-rays. Radioactive tracers outline your heart's chambers and evaluate the flow of blood to various areas. Stress tests, especially those conducted on a treadmill, use these tracers to determine heart failure. These tests use an EKG to monitor your heart's activity during cardiovascular activity.
5. Say Sayonara to Salt
Read the labels on prepared, processed and canned foods for salt content. Schedule regular checkups with your physician. Take all medications as directed, such as water pills (diuretics), ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, vasodilators, anticoagulants and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Ask about possible side effects and drug interactions. Sometimes the doctor will suggest surgery, such as angioplasty, stenting, coronary artery bypass, valve repair or replacement and transplantation. Strengthen your heart muscles through exercise or other cardiovascular activities only after checking with your doctor.
