Congestive Heart Failure

Ayurvedic Treatment Of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

What is Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic progressive condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood as well as it should. You have four heart chambers. The upper half of your heart has two atria, and the lower half of your heart has two ventricles. The ventricles pump blood to your body’s organs and tissues, and the atria receive blood from your body as it circulates back from the rest of your body. Coronary artery disease or high blood pressure are the common causes of heart failure.

Congestive heart failure is more common in people who are 65 years old or older African Americans, people who are overweight, and people who have had a heart attack. Men have a higher rate of heart failure than women.

Types of Heart Failure

Most common type of CHF is Left-Sided CHF. There are two kinds of left-sided heart failure:

1. Systolic Heart Failure: It occurs when left ventricle loses its ability to contract normally. This reduces the level of force available to push blood into circulation. Without this force, the heart can’t pump properly.
2. Diastolic Failure, or diastolic dysfunction: It happens when The left ventricle loses its ability to relax normally and less blood enters the heart during normal filling.
3. Right-sided CHF:This type of Heart failure occurs when the right ventricle has difficulty pumping blood to your lungs. Blood backs up in your blood vessels, which causes fluid retention in your lower extremities, abdomen, and other vital organs.

Causes Of Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure is caused by many conditions that damage the heart muscle, including:

1. Hypertension: It is the main reason of Congestive Heart Failure. When your blood pressure is higher than normal, it may lead to CHF. Hypertension has many different causes. Among them is the narrowing of your arteries, which makes it harder for your blood to flow through them.
2. Coronary Artery Disease: Coronary Artery Disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart, become narrow by Cholesterol and other types of fatty substances. Narrower coronary arteries decreased blood flow to the heart muscle.
3. Cardiomyopathy: Damage to the heart muscle from causes other than artery or blood flow problems, such as from infections or alcohol or drug abuse.
4. Valve conditions: Heart valves regulate blood flow through your heart by opening and closing the chambers. Valves that don’t open and close correctly may force your ventricles to work harder to pump blood. This can be a result of a heart infection or defect.
5. Other conditions: Other heart-related diseases like thyroid disease, kidney disease, diabetes can increase of CHF Too.

Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Failure

Heart failure can be ongoing (chronic), or your condition may start suddenly (acute).

Heart failure signs and symptoms may include:

Symptoms you may notice first	Symptoms that indicate your condition has worsened	Symptoms that indicate a severe heart condition
fatigue	irregular heartbeat	chest pain that radiates through the upper body
swelling in your ankles, feet, and legs	a cough that develops from congested lungs	rapid breathing
weight gain	wheezing	skin that appears blue, which is due to lack of oxygen in your lungs
increased need to urinate, especially at night	shortness of breath, which may indicate pulmonary edema	fainting

Risk Factors of Congestive Heart Failure

Certain factors make it more likely than you will develop heart failure:

1. Age: You have a greater risk if you are 65 or older. The heart weakens with age, and many patients have also endured diseases that lead to heart failure.
2. African-Americans: Heart failure is more common in African-Americans, as is the early onset of symptoms.
3. Diabetes: Having diabetes increases your risk of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.
4. Alcohol use: Drinking too much alcohol can weaken heart muscle and lead to heart failure.
5. Obesity: People who are obese have a higher risk of developing heart failure.
6. Weight: Too much weight strains the heart and also contributes to heart disease and diabetes, two heart failure causes.
7. Heart attack: A previous heart attack increases your risk.
8. Gender: Men are more likely to experience heart failure than women.