Can heart failure be cured?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by MSc Cao Thanh Tam - Cardiologist, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Heart failure is a consequence of many cardiovascular diseases, reducing the heart's ability to pump blood, leading to insufficient oxygen demand for the body. Although heart failure is the last stage of cardiovascular diseases, there are some cases that can be completely cured if detected early and treated properly.

1. Is heart failure curable?

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not work efficiently, not providing enough oxygen to the organs in the body.
Depending on the cause of the disease and the stage of heart failure, the disease can be completely cured or not. If the cause of heart failure is due to stenosis of the heart valve, if treated with early valve replacement, the patient can recover completely or in congenital heart disease if it is operated early...
Cases of heart failure due to chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, myocarditis ... the disease will be difficult to completely recover when there is a change in heart structure.
Cases detected late or due to chronic disease causes not completely cured but can still be controlled for many years, significantly reducing heart failure symptoms if the patient adheres to treatment and makes changes suitable lifestyle.

2. What to do to control heart failure?

2.1 Diet Eat green vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meat, poultry, eggs, red meats, soy products and vegetable oils. Do not eat salty foods, animal fats, refined or processed foods. A low-sodium diet reduces the burden on the heart, helping to slow the progression of heart failure. Quit alcohol, stimulant drinks such as tea, coffee. Quit smoking: The substances in tobacco cause vasoconstriction and increase the risk of atherosclerosis, which increases the burden on the heart. 2.2 Lifestyle Exercise Regular exercise routine will help increase blood circulation and prevent blood clots. Depending on the stage of the disease and health condition, you can choose moderate exercises such as walking, meditating, cycling... Patients with heart failure in the end stage should exercise gently, spend a lot of time to relax. Rest without overexertion. Avoid stress: Stress can increase the burden on the heart, increase heart rate, increase blood pressure and accelerate the progression of heart failure. Things to avoid when exercising: Avoid activities that cause symptoms such as: shortness of breath; dizziness, lightheadedness; chest pain; nausea; cold sweats...if these signs occur, stop exercising immediately, do not exercise when hungry or immediately after a meal, do not do strenuous exercises. 2.3 Drug treatment Diuretics to reduce excess fluid stagnation in the body, reduce edema, reduce preload. Cardiac drugs have the effect of increasing the contractility of the heart muscle, reducing the heart rate, reducing the conduction of cardiac impulses and increasing the excitability of the heart muscle Vasodilators: Helps dilate blood vessels, reduce blood pressure thereby reducing the pressure on the heart. Anticoagulants: Because heart failure causes blood stasis, it is easy to form blood clots, using anticoagulants helps limit the formation of blood clots causing blood vessel blockage 2.4 Interventional and surgical treatment Cardiovascular When heart failure worsens, failure to respond to drug therapy is heart transplant surgery as the last step in heart failure treatment.
Some cases of arrhythmias that require a pacemaker need to be put in place to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and relieve symptoms of heart failure.

3. Symptoms to watch out for

Patients with heart failure need to pay attention to dangerous symptoms, when they appear, they need to go to a medical facility for timely treatment:
Weight gain over 1-1.5 kg/day or over 2.5kg/week Sudden onset of shortness of breath, having to sit up to breathe unrelated to exercise or exertion Severely increased leg swelling Severe dry cough or coughing up blood Fatigue increases or occurs more often. If heart failure is detected early, there are some cases that can be completely cured. When there are symptoms of heart failure such as shortness of breath, dry cough, edema, fatigue, you should go to a medical facility to check and detect the disease. Early treatment helps to bring high efficiency.
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