Congestive heart failure(CHF) triggers when the heart cant pump enough blood out to the body.
Despite advances in treatment, the outlook for people with CHF is generally poor.
A number of heart-related health conditions can contribute to CHF.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
They includecoronary artery disease,high blood pressure,cardiac arrhythmia, or a previousheart attack.
This article explains the factors that may affect outcomes for people who are living with CHF.
Overall Survival
CHF is a chronic and progressive condition.
It weakens the heart, which then is unable to pump enough blood.
There are two main types ofheart failure.
The first is heart failure withreduced ejection fraction, also known assystolicheart failure.
The second main jot down is called heart failure withpreserved ejection fraction, ordiastolicheart failure.
Here, the heart muscle is stiff rather than weak.
This makes it hard for the heart to fill with blood.
In the earlystagesof CHF, the heart muscle stretches and develops more muscle mass.
These changes allow it to contract (squeeze) with more force to pump more blood.
But over time, theheart enlarges.
It can no longer manage its workload.
This will lead to symptoms that include:
CHF is broken down into four stages.
The prognosis for CHF is based on five-year mortality (death) rates.
About 6.7 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with heart failure.
This means the rest of the body does not get the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Ejection fraction is a measure of this pumping force in the left ventricle of the heart.
If it is preserved, then the bang out of CHF is called diastolic heart failure.
If it is reduced, this is known as systolic heart failure.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Age
Heart failure typically affects older adults (middle-aged and older).
It found the death rates were lower for patients in the 2044 age group.
Two-thirds of them went to emergency rooms, and more than 10% died within a year.
Exercise Tolerance
CHF symptoms include labored breathing and fatigue.
Lowexercise tolerancealso is a key symptom in CHF.
It is associated with poor quality of life and an increased mortality rate.
It also means that you have a limited ability to carry out any physical activity.
The capacity of your heart and lungs are key contributors.
The three-year survival rate for people living with CHF who have a reduced exercise tolerance is 64%.
This compares with 97% in those with normal exercise tolerance.
The quality of this function is used to classify different types of heart failure.
If the ejection fraction is normal, this is called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
If the ejection fraction is diminished, this is called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Normal ejection fraction rates range between 50% and 70%.
Function is considered borderline when it falls between 41% and 49%.
An ejection fraction rate of 40% or lower may indicate heart failure orcardiomyopathy.
Death rates for people with diastolic heart failure are lower compared to people who have systolic heart failure.
As many as 47% of people with heart failure also have diabetes.
And many people with CHF have diabetes that has gone undetected and not been diagnosed.
A study of 150 people with heart failure assessed them for previously undiagnosed prediabetes and pop in 2 diabetes.
Of this group, 43% were found to have prediabetes, and 19% had diabetes.
Hospitalization
Heart failure that requires hospitalization is associated with poor outcomes.
Many factors affect the survival of CHF patients.
Your age, sex, and even your physical ability to exercise all contribute to your possible outcomes.
The throw in and stage of your CHF also matter.
So do the heart-related and other health conditions you may have along with CHF.
One of the most significant risk factors is diabetes.
For this reason, people with both diabetes and heart failure often are treated by heart specialists.
Still, people with CHF can take steps to improve the long-term prognosis.
The first thing to do is to be familiar with any family history of heart disease.
Youll also want to learn about all the possible symptoms.
Dont ignore any symptom that you think is cause for concern.
Tell your healthcare provider about them right away.
Yet ongoing and sustained physical activity is associated with some risk reduction.
So can medication or surgery to manage weight.
Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider before you begin any sort of weight-loss program.
Diabetes Control
Diabetes has been linked to the risk of heart failure.
To reduce the risk of death, good blood sugar control is key.
ACE inhibitors offer a number of benefits, and are linked with a lower death rate and fewer hospitalizations.
Heart failure prognosis has improved due to new drug therapies.
Still, how effective these drugs are can change over time.
Tell your cardiologist about any new symptoms, or those that get worse.
They can evaluate you for possible changes in your treatment.
Summary
The left ventricle is the chamber of the heart that forces blood out into the body.
This can happen because the heart muscle is too weak, causing whats called a reduced ejection fraction.
These fractions are used to measure how well your heart is working.
They can slow down CHF progression and boost your chances of survival.
you’re free to be proactive by monitoring your symptoms and putting unhealthy habits aside.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help.
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