Chronic heart failure means

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 18, 2024
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Chronic heart failure refers to a condition where the heart is unable to effectively pump blood throughout the body to meet the needs of vital organs, leading to a series of clinical symptoms caused by venous congestion and arterial ischemia. Symptoms include post-activity palpitations, orthopnea, swelling of the lower limbs, and enlarged liver. This condition causes great distress to patients and requires long-term use of effective medications to alleviate chronic heart failure. Patients with chronic heart failure need to ensure adequate rest, avoid overexertion, adhere to a low-salt diet, and limit the intake of spicy and greasy foods to prevent exacerbation of heart failure.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Causes of acute heart failure

Acute heart failure refers to the acute onset of heart failure or an exacerbated clinical syndrome, which can present as either newly developed acute or acute decompensation of chronic heart failure. Clinically, it is commonly divided into two main categories. One category is acute left heart failure, often caused by acute decompensation of chronic heart failure, or by acute coronary syndrome, hypertensive emergencies, acute cardiac valvular dysfunction, severe myocarditis, serious arrhythmias, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. The other category is acute right heart failure, which can be caused by right ventricular infarction, acute large pulmonary embolism, and right-sided valvular heart disease.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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The basic etiology of chronic heart failure

Chronic heart failure is one of the most common complications of various organic heart diseases, and there are many causes of chronic heart failure. The main reason is due to primary diseases that have not been effectively treated. Long-term myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, excessive fatigue, emotional excitement, overeating, too full, constipation, and other reasons increase the cardiac burden, leading to chronic heart failure. People with organic heart disease must treat the primary disease under the guidance of a doctor. At the same time, pay attention to rest, avoid emotional excitement, eat easily digestible food, maintain a low-salt, low-fat diet, and ensure smooth bowel movements to prevent increasing the cardiac burden and causing heart failure.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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"Heart failure"

Heart failure is one of the most common complications of various organic heart diseases. It occurs when the heart's contractile force or diastolic function is impaired, preventing blood from being delivered to vital organs and throughout the body, leading to clinical symptoms caused by venous congestion and arterial ischemia, called heart failure. Diseases that can cause heart failure include coronary heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, and viral myocarditis. Patients with heart failure need to use effective medications to treat the diseases causing heart failure while minimizing the burden on the heart. They should adhere to a low-fat and low-salt diet, ensure sufficient rest, maintain regular bowel movements to prevent the acceleration of heart failure. (Specific medications should be administered under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Liu Ying
Cardiology
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Causes of chronic heart failure

Chronic heart failure is the terminal manifestation and leading cause of death in cardiovascular diseases. Although there has been significant progress in the treatment of heart failure in China, the number of deaths from heart failure continues to rise. Coronary artery disease and hypertension have become the main causes of chronic heart failure. Rheumatic heart disease and valvular heart disease are also causes of chronic heart failure. Valvular heart diseases, such as mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, pulmonary valve diseases, and tricuspid valve diseases, can all lead to heart failure. Additionally, chronic pulmonary heart disease and high-altitude heart disease also have certain regional prevalences in China.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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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.