What is the condition in which the heart does not pump blood as well as it should and blood and fluid back up into the lungs?

Your heart failure nurse might have been redeployed, making it hard to have in-person appointments or check-ups. 'The key thing is to look after yourself well, and always phone your GP or heart failure team if your symptoms change or worsen,' says BHF nurse Lucy Martin. 'In fact, call your GP or heart failure team if you have any concerns about your medication or care - they are there to help you.'

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

2. What causes heart failure?
Other causes of heart failure
3. How is heart failure diagnosed?
4. What are the treatments for heart failure?
5. Can I improve my heart failure naturally?
Mood and heart failure

Your GP is qualified to answer any questions you might have. Don’t worry about wasting their time – this is exactly what they’re there for.

The main symptoms of heart failure are:

Shortness of breath when you’re active or resting, because you’re not getting enough oxygen.
Swollen feet, ankles, stomach and around the lower back area, caused by fluid build up.
Feeling unusually tired or weak because there’s not enough blood and oxygen getting to your muscles.

You should see your GP immediately if you begin to experience any of these symptoms.

2. What causes heart failure?

There are lots of reasons why you may have heart failure. It can be sudden or it can happen slowly over months or years.

The most common causes of heart failure are:

a heart attack – which can cause long-term damage to your heart, affecting how well the heart can pump.
high blood pressure - putting strain on the heart, which over time can lead to heart failure.
cardiomyopathy - a disease of the heart muscle. There are different types which can either be inherited or caused by other things, such as viral infections or pregnancy.

Heart failure can also be caused by:

Other causes of heart failure

Pulmonary hypertension and heart failure

Heart failure can be caused by pulmonary hypertension (raised blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply your lungs). This condition can damage the right side of your heart, leading to heart failure. In some cases, the pulmonary hypertension itself is caused by an existing heart condition.

Find out more about pulmonary hypertension on NHS Choices and PHA UK.

Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis happens when abnormal proteins, called amyloid, build up in organs (such as your heart, kidneys and liver) and tissues. This affects how your organs work. If amyloidosis affects the heart it's called cardiac amyloidosis – or ‘stiff heart syndrome’ – and can lead to heart failure.

Read more about amyloidosis treatment.

Whether or not you have coronavirus symptoms, it's essential to dial 999 if you have symptoms that could be a heart attack, or if your heart symptoms get worse.

Don’t delay because you think hospitals are too busy – the NHS still has systems in place to treat people who need urgent heart treatment. If you delay, you are more likely to suffer serious heart damage and more likely to need intensive care and to spend longer in hospital.

You should dial 999 if you have possible heart attack symptoms or if you are having severe difficulty breathing, such as gasping for breath, choking, lips turning blue, or not being able to get words out. If you feel like you’re struggling to manage your condition at home, contact your doctor or NHS 111.

3. How is heart failure diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask about your medical history, symptoms and examine you. You may then be sent for tests such as:

Your doctor may talk about the ‘ejection fraction’ of your heart. This refers to the amount of blood that is squeezed out of your left ventricle every time your heart beats. It’s usually measured as a percentage – over 50% is considered normal. Your ejection fraction is measured from an echocardiogram.

Some people with heart failure can have a normal ejection fraction, so ejection fraction is used alongside other tests to diagnose heart failure.

Claire Berouche's life changed in ways she could never have imagined following a family afternoon at the cinema. Claire was given the shock news that she had suffered a heart attack and subsequently heart failure – which is irreversible. Hear her story and other real experiences from people living with heart and circulatory diseases.

Hear Claire's story

4. What are the treatments for heart failure?

There isn't a cure for heart failure but the treatments available can control symptoms leading many people to live full and active lives. Your doctor will usually tell you what stage of heart failure you're in. This is graded in class from 1 to 4. 1 is the less severe and 4 is the most. Knowing this will help your doctors choose the best treatment for your condition.

Treatments for heart failure can include:

5. Can I improve my heart failure naturally?

If your doctor prescribes you medication it’s important to take it. But making changes to your lifestyle is also going to have a big impact on improving your health.

Changes may include:

weighing yourself regularly – sudden weight gain may mean too much fluid is building up in your body
watching the amount of fluid you have each day
managing stress
controlling your blood pressure
stopping smoking
limiting how much alcohol you drink
keeping active – this can help improve your energy, stamina and fitness
keeping to a healthy weight, which will help to prevent your heart from working too hard.

Diet changes are also essential when managing your weight and keeping your heart healthy.

You could feel healthier by eating:

one or two portions of fruit or veg with every meal
sunflower oil, olive oil, nuts and avocados instead of saturated fat options like crisps and butter
one or two portions of beans or pulses everyday with a meal
your protein in the form of fish, eggs and lean meats
less salt and sugar.

Find out more about how you can manage your lifestyle and control your weight in our weight loss hub.

Mood and heart failure

It’s normal to feel low or sad from time to time. You may feel down about your symptoms and new limitations, or feel that you have a lack of control over your life.

Some people find it very difficult to live with the uncertainty of having heart failure. But learning about your condition and being involved in making decisions about your treatment will all help you to feel more in control and may help to relieve anxiety. It’s also important to discuss your worries with your family and close friends so they can support you.

If you've been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, the feeling of your chest constricting can be scary. With congestive heart failure, the heart’s capacity to pump blood cannot keep up with the body’s need. As the heart weakens, blood begins to back up and force liquid through the capillary walls. The term “congestive” refers to the resulting buildup of fluid in the ankles and feet, arms, lungs, and/or other organs.

Almost 6 million Americans have congestive heart failure. However, with the correct treatment, patients can recover to good health.

The most common cause of congestive heart failure is coronary artery disease. Risk factors for coronary artery disease include:

high levels of cholesterol and/or triglyceride in the blood
high blood pressure
poor diet
a sedentary lifestyle
diabetes
smoking
being overweight or obese
stress

In addition to coronary artery disease, several other conditions can damage the heart muscles, including inherited and genetic factors, some infections and autoimmune diseases and some treatments such as chemotherapy.

Most commonly, a patient may experience shortness of breath, fatigue, problems with the heart’s rhythm called arrhythmias, and edema—or fluid buildup—in the legs. Symptoms may be mild or severe and may not always be noticeable.

Patients will typically have an intake visit with a heart specialist and nurse or physician’s assistant. During this visit, a review of the patient’s prior records and his or her current health status is incorporated to establish a picture of where the patient is along the spectrum, and then a plan is established for prognosis and treatment.

The process often takes more than one meeting and involves both the patient’s local cardiologist or referring physician.

Doctors will assess the current health status of the patient to establish a baseline, and develop a long-term health plan with the goal of improving the patient’s health. This may involve the optimization of medicines and therapies, adding new medication, or possibly enrollment in a clinical trial.

Stabilizing and/or reversing a patient’s condition often involves long-term, collaborative follow-up with a referring cardiologist or physician.

In serious situations, advanced therapies, which include mechanical solutions, a heart transplant, or hospice, may be offered.

There are medicines and treatments that reverse many cases of heart failure, and in most cases, the outlook is generally very good.

Yale Medicine’s multidisciplinary team comprises heart failure cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, dedicated advanced-practice, registered nurses and nurse coordinators, dietitians, exercise physiologists, financial counselors, immunologists specializing in transplants, psychologists, and specialists in palliative care.

With a multidisciplinary approach, Yale Medicine physicians include the patient’s desires as well as input from the family to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that's right for them.