Posted By Jenis Shah

Symptoms of Heart Failure

Symptoms of heart failure depend upon which part of heart is failing i.e. Right vs left and wether heart is failing rapidly over hours or days (acute heart failure) or its failing slowly over weeks and months (chronic heart failure).  

In general patients with heart failure experience following symptoms

 

Breathing difficulty/ Shortness of breath (SOB) on exertion - initially patients experience breathing difficulty on exertion, or while walking long distance or while climbing stairs, but as heart failure progresses patients start having breathlessness while doing routine activity like going to office, while doing their routine jobs, while cooking, cleaning etc. 

Shortness of breath on minimum exertion - As heart becomes further weak breathlessness appears on personal activity like taking bathe or changing clothes. 

Breathless at rest - In the final stage patient can not do any activity comfortably. With one or two steps, while getting from bed or chair, also breathlessness appears and finally patient becomes breathless even while sitting or sleeping. 

Breathless or coughing on lying down - In advance stage patients become breathless or start coughing while lying down (orthopnea) and feel better while sitting, they use 2-3 extra pillows to keep them up while sleeping. This an important but advance symptom of heart failure. 

Swelling over feet/legs - Heart failure patients develop swelling over their feet/legs due to extra water in their body which heart is not able to pump. Swelling can be minimal to gross. 

Weight gain - rapid weight gain is a sign of worsening heart failure 

 

Swelling over abdomen - This is also because of extra water in the body and it is largely due to right heart failure 

Tiredness - patients with chronic heart failure get easily tired/fatigue while doing their routine work

Weight loss - in chronic heart failure due to intestinal and liver congestion patients have poor appetite and poor absorption of food resulting in weight loss. Remember in acute heart failure there is rapid weight gain where as in chronic heart failure there is gradual weight loss which may be associated with swelling over feet

Palpitation/irregular heart beat - in patients with weak heart there are high chances of irregular heart beats or abnormal heart rhythm which mostly causes worsening of heart failure and aggravation of symptoms

Giddiness / sudden loss of consciousness - Patient with weak hear have higher chances of developing abnormal heart rhythm which may giddiness, lightheadedness, transient loss of consciousness and even cardia arrest (death). 

Poor appetite - patients with heart failure have low appetite because of chronic disease, liver congestion and intestinal congestion.

 

So now when you know what are symptoms of heart failure, I expect you to recognise these symptoms early in you or in your near and dear ones and take a cardiologist’s guidance regarding treatment and management :)