Heart Failure

What happens when someone suffers from heart failure?

When the heart is not efficient enough to pump blood, it may have the following consequences:
The organs, above all the muscles, suffer from the low blood flow. They tire during effort; the lack of oxygen results in breathlessness.

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How can you recognize it? Heart failure is most often a disease which starts slowly and progresses very gradually. More details

Are there emergencies?

There may be emergency situations, but nearly always with someone who has a long history of heart failure; it can suddenly get worse, resulting in acute heart failure.

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The causes of heart failure

There are many causes of heart failure and their indications can be quite different.

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What examinations should be conducted?

Your doctor will of course start by examining you, looking for swollen ankles because of oedema, taking your pulse, sounding your heart and lungs. If he thinks that it may be a case of heart failure, he will ask for one or more examinations.

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Treating heart failure The treatment of heart failure has made significant progress over the last few years, to prevent it: - by very early treatment of the cardiovascular risk factors (particularly diabetes) and hypertension, - by using medicines able to prevent heart failure after an infarction, to improve the quality of life of patients. THE FACT REMAINS THAT HEART FAILURE IS A CAUSE OF FRAGILITY. THE PATIENT HAS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE TO PLAY TO PREVENT ITS AGGRAVATION. More details