Heart failure does not mean your heart has failed or stopped. It is when your heart does not work as well as it should.
Heart failure is when your heart does not pump well enough to supply enough blood circulation for the body’s needs. The human heart is a muscular pump which circulates blood out of the heart to every organ of the body. Without an adequate blood circulation, our organs will deteriorate and malfunction.
In the early stages of heart failure, you may not experience any symptoms. When the condition is more advanced, the following symptoms can happen.
Symptoms |
What you feel |
| Shortness of breath (Dyspnea) | Breathlessness during activity, at rest or during sleep |
| Persistent cough or wheezing | Prolonged cough or wheeze which may be dry or produce little white phlegm |
| Fluid accumulation | Swelling of the lower limbs or abdomen, or unexplained weight gain |
| Tiredness or fatigue | Constant lack of energy with difficulty performing daily activities |
| Lack of appetite. Nausea | Sensation of full or bloated stomach |
| Increased heart rate | Sensation of heart pounding or racing |
| Irregular heart rhythm | Sensation of skipped heart beats or occasional hard pounding beats |
Heart failure often results from conditions which result in damage to the heart. The following is a list of common causes of heart failure.
Causes |
Description |
| Coronary artery disease | Plaque deposits in the coronary arteries result in reduced blood flow to heart muscles, causing the pumping action of the heart to weaken. After a heart attack, parts of the heart muscles are permanently damaged. Dead heart muscle weakens the ability of the heart to pump blood. |
| High blood pressure (Hypertension) | When pressure in blood vessels is high, the heart has to work harder to maintain blood circulation. This eventually weakens the heart. |
| Valvular heart disease | When heart valves do not open or close properly, the heart muscle may need to work harder to pump blood, eventually weakening the heart. |
| Heart muscle disease (Cardiomyopathy) or inflammation (Myocarditis) | Weakened heart muscles can result from viral infections, inherited disorder, drug or alcohol abuse, or for unknown reasons. |
| Congenital heart disease | When defective heart chambers or blood vessels are present at birth, the healthy parts of the heart work harder to compensate, eventually resulting in a weak heart. |
Your doctor will need to perform several tests to diagnose heart failure. Common tests include:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Chest X-ray
- Echocardiogram (Cardiac Ultrasound)
- Stress-testing
- Cardiac catheterisation (may include coronary angiogram)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Blood test for NTproBNP
