Clinical manifestations of chronic heart failure
Chronic heart failure primarily includes left heart failure, right heart failure, and total heart failure. Clinically, left heart failure is the most common. The clinical manifestations of left heart failure primarily involve pulmonary congestion and reduced cardiac output, which can present as varying degrees of dyspnea, such as exertional dyspnea, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Patients may experience coughing, expectoration, pink frothy sputum, fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, palpitations, and more. Right heart failure primarily manifests as gastrointestinal and liver congestion, causing abdominal distension, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and more. Total heart failure naturally includes the clinical manifestations of both left and right heart failure.