Cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death in Spain and in the world. Among them, a special place occupies the heart failure, a common and very lethal condition that is the leading cause of hospitalization among those over 65 years of age. In total, it is estimated that it affects about 2% of the population.
What is heart failure and why does it occur?
As detailed by the prestigious American Mayo Clinic, heart failure occurs when the heart is not capable of pump blood as efficiently how i should do it. When this happens, the blood often backs up and fluid can build up in the lungs (pulmonary edema), causing breathing difficulties.
Las causes are variedbut they include some very common cardiovascular problems in adults, such as high blood pressure or narrowing of the coronary arteries.
On the other hand, they are known risk factor’s disease such as diabetes, use of certain diabetes medications, alcohol and tobacco use, sleep apnea, or obesity.
What are your symptoms
Heart failure can present constant (chronic) or suddenly (acute). Either way, your symptoms include shortness of breath (especially during physical activity), fatigue and weakness, swelling in the legs, fast or irregular heartbeat (tachycardia), coughing or wheezing, swelling in the belly area, rapid weight gain, nausea, lack of appetite, difficulty concentrating, and chest pain.
how is it treated
Heart failure requires treatment and monitoring forever. On the one hand, it will be necessary to attend to the underlying cause, which in certain cases can reverse the failure (which does not exempt the need for surveillance). On the other hand, it may be necessary to administer medications to treat the condition or even perform certain surgical procedures to improve the pumping capacity of the heart.
References
Mayo Clinic. Heart failure. Consulted online at https://www.mayoclinic.org/es-es/diseases-conditions/heart-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373142 on 03/29/2023.