by D. P. Noe

Created on: April 06, 2010   Last Updated: June 27, 2010

When the heart has been damaged or weakened by a previous heart attack or other causes like diabetes or high blood pressure, it becomes an inefficient pump.. The weakened heart starts to have difficulty keeping up with the demands of the body. Over time the heart enlarges as it tries to compensate to make itself a more efficient pump. The weakened heart becomes too weak to efficiently pump blood to all the organs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has suddenly stopped working, the term failure refers to the fact that the heart can no longer pump blood and oxygen efficiently to meet the demands of your body.

The most common symptom of heart failure is shortness of breath. In heart failure,also known as Congestive heart failure, fluid can back up into the lungs and cause shortness of breath with even minimal activity. Many of these individuals have difficulty lying flat, they often will sleep in a reclining chair or elevate their head with several pillows.

A failing heart has difficulty pumping blood to all of your organs. When the kidneys are not receiving enough blood because of a weakened heart muscle, the body starts to retain water and you will begin to swell. Swelling can occur in one area or different parts of the body. You will notice swelling in your feet and ankles, your legs and even your abdomen will start to fill with fluid and swell. You will gain weight because of the swelling, it has nothing to do with food even if you are eating less than usual.

Another major flag of heart failure is extreme fatigue, you just do not have the energy to do anything you enjoy doing. You may experience increasing difficulty with concentration or have frequent bouts of dizziness. It is not uncommon to wake up in the middle of the night feeling like you cannot breath. Many hospitals use a classification system to identify how severe your heart failure is. A simple example of how heart failure might be classified is:

CLASS 1

This is considered the mildest form of heart failure. You actually can do your normal activities of daily living and you will not experience shortness of breath or fatigue.

CLASS 2

You start to feel differently and everyday activities are making you feel fatigued and are experiencing some shortness of breath.

CLASS 3

This is the stage where any kind of activity makes you tired and you are experiencing noticeable shortness of breath.

CLASS 4

This is the severe stage where you are tired and short of breath even when you are resting

Heart failure is a serious disease and early treatment helps to prevent or slow down the progression to the later stages of heart failure. Heart failure patients need to be under close supervision of their physician and take all medications as prescribed. Some individuals will benefit by having a pacemaker implanted or a device known as an ICD ( implanted cardioverter defibrillator ), Close medical supervision can maintain a close to normal lifestyle and delay the onset of end stage heart failure.

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