Heart failure, also referred to as congestive heart failure,
occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump blood
around the body effectively. As a result, there is relative
stagnation and backward pooling of blood in vital organs
and vessels.
One of the early symptoms of heart failure is shortness
of breath, especially during exercise. As the patient’s
condition worsens, congestion in the lungs and breathing
difficulties develop. Some patients may also notice a
“wet” sound when they are breathing. This
is caused by the build-up of fluid in the air sacs of
the lungs. At the same time, the accumulation of fluid
in organs such as the liver and intestines will cause
the patient to experience abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
Distension of the veins in the neck may also occur due
to the pooling of blood in these vessels.
At a more severe stage of heart failure, the patient’s
kidneys may begin to fail due to inadequate blood supply.
This results in further accumulation of water and waste
products in the body, thus aggravating the swelling (oedema)
of the body. In particular, fluid is likely to build up
in the patient’s legs and ankles due to the effect
of gravity. Such fluid will be reabsorbed into the bloodstream
when the patient lies down, flooding his lungs and aggravating
his breathlessness. The patient may even need to lie propped
up or stand simply to breathe.
Damage to the heart valves (for instance,
due to rheumatic fever or other infections);
Cardiomyopathy (a disease of the
heart muscle which causes it to become progressively
weaker and gradually lose its ability to pump blood
effectively).
