Warn the 2 earliest signs of heart failure

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Heart failure is a medical condition in which the heart muscle is unable to supply blood according to the body's needs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 5 million people are newly diagnosed with heart failure each year worldwide. In Vietnam, there are no statistics in the community, but according to hospital statistics, up to 60% of inpatients in cardiovascular departments have heart failure of varying degrees.
Below Professor Pham Gia Khai at the Advisory Council at the Cardiovascular Center - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital will point out the two earliest signs of heart failure.
The prognosis of patients with heart failure is poor when the patient has many clinical manifestations or the symptoms present gradually increase. Heart failure leaves serious consequences for the health of the patient.
Prof. Pham Gia Khai said that heart failure is the main disease in the elderly. Because when people age, the metabolic functions do not work, do not synthesize well, leading to many catabolism, so it is difficult to avoid aging diseases of the circulation, but recently many young people also have heart failure. .
If not treated promptly, heart failure will cause life-threatening complications: myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular collapse.

1. Shortness of breath, ankle swelling signs of heart failure

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not supply enough blood to the body's needs in all physiological situations. Heart failure is often the result of local or systemic diseases affecting the heart. Having damage to the heart or having a cardiac arrest does not mean heart failure.

2. Heart failure is divided by grade:

When dyspnea grade I: The manifestation is moderate exertion, not shortness of breath. Grade II dyspnea: With moderate exertion, breathing becomes difficult. Grade III dyspnea: Normal light activity makes breathing difficult. Grade IV Dyspnea: Shortness of breath that occurs with any activity, no matter how mild. Regarding the physiology of heart failure, Prof. Khai explained that because the heart muscle has a reduced ability to contract, when there is a lot of blood flowing to the ventricles, the ventricles are not able to squeeze all of them, resulting in a decrease in cardiac output. The result is an increase in end-diastolic pressure in the ventricles.
Another case is due to stiff ventricular muscle, poor relaxation of the ventricles, reduced blood return to the ventricles, and decreased end-diastolic volume of the ventricles.
In addition, when the heart beats faster due to sympathetic nerve activity to ensure cardiac output necessary for metabolism, tachycardia will increase oxygen demand, aggravate myocardial ischemia, strengthen sympathomimetic also increases the likelihood of fatal arrhythmias.

Consequences of heart failure are circulatory stagnation causing edema in the interstitial and interstitial tissues, right heart failure may cause ankle edema due to the influence of gravity when the patient stands, may have hepatomegaly, distended neck veins. , ascites.
According to GS Khai, in heart failure, there is left heart failure and right heart failure. Right heart failure is the failure of right atrium and right ventricle, but mainly right ventricular dysfunction. Examples are seen in diseases such as: chronic cardiopulmonary disease, congenital heart with blood flow through the left to right foramen, Ebstein's disease, right ventricular myocardial infarction, primary pulmonary hypertension, orifice stenosis tricuspid valve...
Left heart failure is left atrial and ventricular dysfunction, but mainly left ventricular dysfunction. Symptoms of heart failure cause edema in the lungs, poor ventilation, stiffened lungs, reduced gas exchange: Causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing when sitting and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.
In total heart failure such as cardiomyopathy due to poor cardiac output and tissue perfusion, the patient is cyanotic, cold extremities, dizziness, possibly fainting.
Left heart failure can lead to further right heart failure, because just increasing pulmonary artery pressure, slightly increasing pulmonary resistance also causes the right ventricle to increase its capacity to push blood away, leading to overload and failure. heart.
When suffering from acute heart failure, the patient needs to ensure a clear airway, gas exchange, and circulation. The prognosis of heart failure depends on the treatment strategy, the etiology of heart failure and the time of initiation of treatment, and the physiological status of the young or old patient.
GS Khai emphasized, if there are signs of shortness of breath accompanied by ankle swelling, it is necessary to go to the doctor immediately to be diagnosed as soon as possible.
Heart failure examination package at Vinmec International General Hospital is an effective measure to help you and your loved ones detect the risk of disease early, so that doctors can advise on a suitable treatment plan for your condition. health to protect a healthy heart.

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