by Kristie Janeway Jernigan BS MHA

Created on: June 11, 2009

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a serious concern for many people in the United States. The disease itself develops over time and the quality of life for a patient with CHF can be drastically reduced. Many people associate CHF with being a disease of elder age. However, the elderly population is not the only ones to suffer with this chronic illness. CHF affects many different ages of people in the United States including children and young adults. The causes of CHF are multidimensional and the disease can be difficult to manage for some patients. Providing patients with through education about the disease, medications and medical help are useful tools in combating this disease.

According to The American Heart Association (2009) the causes of CHF vary and can involve "clogged arteries which doesn't let enough blood flow to the heart, past heart attack that has done damage to the heart muscle, heart defects present since birth, high blood pressure, heart valve disease, diseases of the heart muscle and infection of the heart and/or heart valves."

When a person is diagnosed with CHF it simply means that the heart is not pumping enough blood throughout the body. The blood itself can back up in a person's veins. This can lead to swelling of the feet, ankles or legs. There may also be an increase of fluid in the lungs and this can cause the person to have difficulty breathing. Some patients that are not getting enough oxygen suffer from cyanosis (turning blue in lips, fingernails and toes). In essence, the body is not getting the oxygen and nutrients that it needs to survive. Many times the patient finds that exercise is difficult. Some even complain that a short walk to the mailbox wears them out.

Living with CHF can be difficult to manage if the patient does not take care of themselves. Adhering to a low salt, low fat heart healthy diet is very important. You can actually control some of the symptoms of CHF by doing this simple task. You also want to try and keep your cholesterol level down. There may be medications that your physician will prescribe to help with reducing the cholesterol levels and with reducing the fluid retention in the body. Your physician may even put you on Oxygen to help improve your Oxygen Saturation in the body. Also, keeping a good mental outlook and preventing depression can greatly improve your health. Depression itself can worsen the symptoms of CHF. Therefore if you feel that you are severely depressed you should immediately discuss this with your physician.

Although CHF is a serious illness it can successfully be managed with some effort from the patient and good managing from your physician. If you are having difficulty with any of the symptoms described above then you should immediately go see your physician to get checked out. CHF needs to be caught early so that damage to the heart can be reduced. It is not a curable condition but the symptoms can be treated which allows the patient to lead a full life.

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