4 types of heart failure and their symptoms

Heart failure occurs when the heart fails to pump out enough blood to the body. When this occurs, blood frequently backs up and fluid may build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath. When someone suffers from heart failure, their heart faces difficulty in circulating enough blood to support other organs of the body. Such a condition can occur if a person has untreated coronary artery disease, excessive blood pressure, arrhythmias, or any other severe disorder. While these are the most common symptoms, many people may have cardiac muscle stiffness and hardening, which prevents or limits blood flow to the heart.

Here are 4 types of heart failure:

The symptoms of acute heart failure appear suddenly but fade gradually. The condition can develop after a heart attack. It could also be caused by a malfunction in the heart valves, which regulate blood flow in the heart.

Symptoms of chronic heart failure continue to appear and do not improve over time. Most heart failure situations are chronic. Heart failure can damage either the right or left side of your heart, or both.

Dr. P K Hazra, Interventional Cardiologist, AMRI, Kolkata says, “The most prevalent type of heart failure is left-sided heart failure. The heart's left ventricle lies on the bottom left side. This region circulates oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. When the left ventricle fails to pump efficiently, it causes left-sided heart failure. This stops your body from receiving adequate amounts of oxygen-rich blood. Instead, blood backs up into your lungs, causing shortness of breath and fluid buildup.”

The right ventricle of the heart is responsible for pumping blood to your lungs to collect oxygen. Right-sided heart failure happens when the right side of your heart is unable to function properly. It is usually caused by a left-sided cardiac arrest. The accumulation of blood in the lungs produced by left-sided heart failure strains the right ventricle. This can put strain on the right side of the heart, causing it to fail. Other problems, such as lung illness or valve disease, can also induce right-sided heart failure.

Several risk factors can contribute to the development of heart failure.
High blood pressure
Consuming tobacco products, cocaine, or alcohol
Diabetes
Obesity
Eating foods high in salt and fat
Having Coronary Artery Disease
Aging
Symptoms of life sided and right sided heart failure:

Symptoms of left-sided heart failure

Imagine that you are trying to breathe through a wet sponge. That is what it can be like to breathe when you have left-sided heart failure. This is because the left ventricle of your heart is not pumping enough blood to your body, and the extra blood backs up into your lungs. This can cause a number of symptoms, including:

Shortness of breath
Cough
Wheezing
Fatigue and weakness
Swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet
Rapid or irregular heartbeat

Symptoms of right-sided heart failure

Right-sided heart failure occurs when the right ventricle of your heart is too weak to pump blood effectively to your lungs. This can cause blood to back up into other parts of your body, such as your legs, feet, abdomen, and liver. This can lead to a number of symptoms, including:

Swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet
Abdominal swelling
Shortness of breath
Fatigue and weakness
Reduced appetite and weight loss
Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

If you experience any of the symptoms of left-sided or right-sided heart failure, it is important to see a doctor right away. Early diagnosis and treatment can help to improve your quality of life and prolong your life expectancy.

Changes in lifestyle: Adopting a diet that is healthy for the heart is essential to preventing heart failure. This involves eating a low-sodium diet, limiting fluid consumption, exercising regularly within the recommended limits, quitting smoking, and learning to manage stress.

Medication: Several medications are available to help prevent heart failure. These medications help in the removal of excess fluid from the body, lowering symptoms such as swelling and breathlessness. These drugs relax blood arteries and relieve the heart's tension. They significantly reduce the workload on the heart by lowering the heart rate.

Device therapies: Implantable devices can be considered in severe heart failure cases:
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD): An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a medical device that can detect life-threatening arrhythmias. When such a heart rhythm is detected, the device delivers a shock to the heart to reset its rhythm.

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT): An implantable pacemaker-like device is used in this treatment. This device works to make the lower chambers of the heart contract in sync which helps these chambers pump and relax together. This in turn helps pump out the blood more effectively and may help improve heart function.

Also Read: Air pollution: Watch for these signs for respiratory symptoms