The heart is the vital organ of our body that pumps blood and O2 to other organs to work efficiently. However, if it stops doing so, heart failure happens. It is a serious condition but doesn’t lead to death. Even in such circumstances, the heart doesn’t stop beating, and heart specialists in Mohali and any other city can treat this health issue.
During this condition, the blood and fluids go back to the lungs, and several vital body organs don’t receive oxygenated blood, which affects their functionality.
Weak heart muscles are the key reason for heart failure. Because of this heart becomes incapable of pumping normally. There is a term called EF (ejection factor) that tells us how the heart is squeezing. If EF is between 55%-70%, the heart works properly. However, if the EF is reduced from the given limit, it indicates the heart isn’t squeezing well, and the body is not getting enough blood. At the same time, the EF above normal can also be a sign of heart failure. Generally, the ejection factor is measured with an electrocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine scan of the heart.
Heart Failure In India-:
According to heart specialists in the best hospitals, India is the home of around 40% of the world’s heart failure patients. Heart disease is the major cause of death in India. And it is not something that can be treated with a few bucks; heart failure treatment is so expensive that its treatment can put a hole in your pocket. But a healthy lifestyle and regular medications can avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
Signs Of Heart Failure-:
Detecting early signs of heart failure can help to take the right treatment before things become more complicated. If not taken care of on time, heart failure can affect the kidney’s job of extracting waste from the body. Here are the key symptoms of heart failure-:
Breath Shortness While Sleeping & Doing Daily Activities
If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, there will be times when you may experience difficulty breathing while doing daily activities such as walking, running, or sitting down. You may also experience this while exercising or just resting in bed. This is caused by reduced lung capacity and an increased workload on your heart muscle, which is unable to pump enough blood around your body fast enough.
Abnormal Weight Gain
When you have heart failure, you might notice that you’re gaining weight even though you’re eating the same amount of food as before. This could be due to fluid retention or other symptoms associated with heart failure. This weight gain can often begin in the hands, ankles, and legs. It’s important to check yourself regularly for these symptoms as they can be signs of heart failure.
Feeling Fatigued & Tired
Weight gain is common among people with congestive heart failure, but tiredness is not always related to the condition itself (it may also be caused by other illnesses). But if you’re feeling tired all the time, even after exercising and resting, it could be a sign of heart failure.
Causes Of Heart Failure
According to a heart specialist at a top hospital following are the key causes of heart failure:
High BP
High blood pressure is one of the main contributors to heart failure, according to a study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2012. Elevated blood pressure can lead to other health problems such as strokes, kidney disease, and even death if left untreated.
Diabetes
Diabetes is also known as an underlying cause of heart failure, according to a study published in The American Journal of Medicine in 2011. This condition occurs when the body does not properly regulate glucose levels or when it cannot produce enough insulin — a hormone that helps regulate sugar levels — due to a poor diet or lack of physical activity over time.
Weight Gain
Excess weight puts extra strain on your heart; it can cause it to enlarge and weaken over time, making it more likely to fail in the future.
CAD – Coronary Artery Disease
This is a condition in which there is an obstruction of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. This can occur due to atherosclerosis or plaque build-up inside your arteries. The damage may be caused by high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, or diabetes. CAD increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
Apart from this, unhealthy habits like smoking, using tobacco, and illegal drugs can lead to heart failure.
Treatments For Heart Failure
Heart specialists of a renowned Hospital in Mohali use one of the following options to treat heart failure:
Medication
Heart failure medications reduce your body’s demand for oxygen (hypoxia). They also help restore your heart’s ability to pump blood more effectively.
Coronary Angioplasty Or Bypass
In addition to treating the symptoms of heart failure through medications such as beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, your doctor may recommend coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery if you have both severe heart failure and an enlarged left main coronary artery (LMA).
Heart Transplant
A heart transplant is a type of surgery that replaces your damaged or diseased heart with a healthy donor organ (a transplant). The donor’s heart comes from a person who has died from a disease other than heart failure.
Heart Valve Replacement
Heart valve replacement surgery involves replacing one or more of your defective heart valves with new ones from another person. This can help improve your blood flow and reduce symptoms of heart failure.
CRT
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) uses a pacemaker-like device to help control abnormal rhythms that affect how well your heart pumps blood throughout your body. CRT may be used alone or combined with other procedures for treating certain types of arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation (AFib), ventricular tachycardia (VT), and flutter/fibrillation (FF).
The Bottom Line-:
This was all about heart failure. Indeed, it’s a life-threatening condition but can be recovered with the help of qualified heart specialists.
