Chronic Heart Failure: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

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Chronic heart failure (CHF) continues to be the only cardiovascular illness with an increasing hospitalization burden and a continuing drain on health expenditure. The prevalence of CHF rises with age, with diastolic heart failure being the most common in the elderly. Heart failure is when the heart muscle fails to pump blood adequately. When this occurs, blood frequently backs up, and fluid can accumulate in the lungs, causing shortness of breath. Some cardiac disorders gradually weaken or stiffen the heart, making it unable to fill and pump blood effectively.

Heart failure can occur on one or both sides of the heart:

When you have right-sided heart failure, your heart is too fragile to pump enough blood to the lungs to acquire enough oxygen.
When you have left-sided heart failure, your heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to your body. It occurs when the left side of your heart either:
Too weak to pump enough blood.
Too thick or rigid to relax and fill enough with blood.

Left-sided heart failure is more prevalent than right-sided heart failure.

Types Of Heart Failure

Systolic dysfunction (or systolic heart failure) occurs when the heart muscle does not contract forcefully enough, resulting in less oxygen-rich blood circulating throughout the body.
Diastolic dysfunction (or diastolic heart failure) occurs when the heart contracts regularly, but the ventricles do not relax or are stiff, resulting in less blood entering the heart during normal filling.

What Causes Heart Failure?

Several conditions that damage the heart muscle induce heart failure, including:

Coronary artery disease (CAD): A cardiovascular condition of the arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen, reducing blood flow to the heart muscle. The heart lacks oxygen and nutrients when arteries become clogged or severely narrowed.

Heart attack: A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery becomes suddenly blocked, preventing blood flow to the heart muscle. A heart attack affects the heart muscle, resulting in a scarred area that no longer functions properly.

Cardiomyopathy: Cardiac muscle damage caused by an artery or blood flow abnormalities and other reasons such as infections or alcohol or drug addiction.

Other Conditions: Heart failure can be caused by conditions such as high blood pressure, valve disease, thyroid illness, kidney disease, diabetes, or congenital disabilities in the heart. Furthermore, heart failure can occur when numerous diseases or conditions coexist.

Heart Failure Symptoms

The symptoms may be mild to severe. The symptoms can include,

Shortness of breath
Coughing or wheezing
Swelling in hands, legs, ankles, and abdomen
Rapid weight gain
Dizziness, fatigue, and weakness
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Persistent cough or wheezing
Nausea and lack of appetite
Chest pain

How Is Heart Failure Treated?

Heart failure patients now have more therapeutic options than ever before. The initial measures include strict control over your medications and lifestyle and constant monitoring. If the situation worsens, specialists specializing in heart failure treatment can provide more advanced treatment choices. The goals of treating heart failure are to keep it from worsening (reducing the risk of mortality and hospitalization), to alleviate symptoms, and to improve quality of life. Some of the treatment options include,

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors open constricted blood arteries, increasing blood flow. If you are unable to tolerate ACE inhibitors, vasodilators are another possibility. Benazepril, captopril, and enalapril are examples.
Beta-blockers reduce the work the heart needs to do, which can lower blood pressure and slow a rapid heart rhythm. This can be accomplished using atenolol and bisoprolol.
Diuretics, can reduce the amount of fluid in your body. Your body may retain more fluid than it should due to CHF.
Other classes include ARNIs (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) such as sacubitril/valsartan.

Your doctor will decide the treatment options based on the stage of heart failure and other factors.

Arney 50mg tablet contains the active constituent Sacubitril and Valsartan. Sacubitril is an orally active Neutral Endopeptidase inhibitor. After administration, the esterase enzymes convert Sacubitril into its active form Sacubitrilat. It prevents the degradation of neuropeptides from the heart and brain, induces sodium excretion in the urine, and dilates blood vessels. Valsartan inhibits the action of angiotensin AT1 on its receptors. It produces dilation of arteries, decreases aldosterone secretion, and increases sodium and water excretion in urine. Arney 50mg tablet is indicated to reduce the risk of death due to heart failure and minimize the chances of hospitalization in patients with chronic heart failure or low ejection fraction.