What are the symptoms of congestive heart failure CHF ?
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The term congestive is used because lung congestion causes some of the main symptoms of heart failure. Congestive heart failure or CHF is a condition in which the heart’s function as a pump to deliver oxygen rich blood to the body is inadequate to meet the body’s needs. Generally classified as systolic or diastolic heart failure and becomes progressively more common with increasing age.
Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, abdomen, leg and ankle swelling, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, increased urination, nausea, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite, which occurs with exertion as the disease progresses. Other symptoms include a wheezing or hacking cough and shortness of breath during sleep, called orthopnea. Congestive heart failure information including; causes, types, symptoms, and treatment.
The heart can contract normally but is stiff, or less compliant, when it is relaxing and filling with blood. Doctors can usually make a diagnosis of congestive heart failure based upon a physical exam and the symptoms alone.
However, you may not have any symptoms of heart failure, or the symptoms may be mild to severe. In the early stages of congestive heart failure, a person may have no symptoms. Symptoms are often gradual in their development, as the body has great capacity to compensate for early changes in many diseases. Some patients with heart failure have no symptoms.
When symptoms do develop, they may include shortness of breath on exertion and fatigue. And over time, the symptoms worsen and quality of life suffers.
Medications can improve the signs and symptoms of heart failure and lead to improved survival. Increasing shortness of breath can be tempered by the medications. Always carry a list of medications with you wherever you go.
Read More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Congestive Heart Failure.
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