2024-04-20 16:29:18
After entering the 6th decade of life, the body slows down. If you used to climb up two flights of stairs at once, now it’s hard not to suffocate. Of course, natural aging contributes to this, but fatigue and shortness of breath can be signals that the heart is not working as well as it should.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle’s ability to relax or contract — to fill with blood or push it out of the heart — becomes impaired. This disrupts the delivery of oxygen around the body.
Most often, the damage occurs as a result of coronary artery disease or after a myocardial infarction. However, faulty heart valves, long-term high blood pressure or genetic diseases can also be to blame.
What betrays heart failure?
A rare disease has one specific symptom that would make you suspect it. Most often, a combination of several symptoms helps to clarify the diagnosis. The Heart Failure Society of America has created a handy tool that helps you remember the acronym FACES (English faces).
F (English fatigue). The heart does not push out enough oxygenated blood, so the body lacks energy. This leads to a general feeling of fatigue.
A (English activity limitation – activity limitations). People with heart failure are often unable to engage in normal activities because they tire easily and become short of breath.
C (English congestion – clogging). Fluid build-up in the lungs can cause coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
E (English edema or ankle swelling – edema or ankle swelling). When the heart doesn’t have enough pumping power, fluid can accumulate in the ankles, legs, thighs, and abdomen. Excess fluid can also cause sudden weight gain for no apparent reason.
S (angl. shortness of breath – dusulys). Fluid in the lungs makes it harder for carbon dioxide in the blood to be converted to fresh oxygen. It may also be more difficult to breathe while lying down.
In addition, an innovation that has been applied in Lithuania since the beginning of last year is that family doctors can prescribe a blood test for free, which is needed to diagnose heart failure.
The natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) test helps to clarify whether a person who has sought medical help because of shortness of breath does not have heart failure, but it can also be prescribed in case of other disease symptoms and risk factors.
“During the NT-proBNP test, the amount of natriuretic peptides in the blood is determined. These active substances are released when the heart muscle is overworked and weakened. If they are found in the blood, it indicates that a person has heart failure,” – lrytas.lt said the head of the Heart Failure Working Group of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology, doctor cardiologist prof. Dr. Diana Žaliaduonytė.
So, if you notice any of the symptoms associated with the acronym FACES, see your family doctor who will assess your condition and whether you are at risk.
2024-04-20 16:29:18