Symptoms of Heart failure
Symptoms of Heart failure
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Heart failure includes the 22
symptoms listed below:
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Heart failure:
Heart failure: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Heart failure:
Heart failure Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Heart failure:
Research More About Heart failure
Do I have Heart failure?
Heart failure: Medical Mistakes
Heart failure: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Heart failure:
Wrongly Diagnosed with Heart failure?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Heart failure includes:
See the full list of 10
alternative diagnoses for Heart failure
Heart failure: Research Doctors & Specialists
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More information about symptoms of Heart failure and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Heart failure
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Heart failure
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Heart failure.
Medical Books Excerpts
- Cardiomegaly
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Patient Surveys for Heart failure
Symptoms of Heart failure: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Heart failure.
Heart failure:
Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Left-sided: dyspnea, orthopnea, crackles, wheezing, hypoxia, respiratory acidosis, cough, cyanosis, palpitations, arrhythmias, elevated blood pressure, pulsus alternans; right-sided: dependent peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, jugular vein distention, ascites, weight gain, arrhythmias, hepatojugular reflux, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, fatigue, dizziness, syncope, weakness
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Heart failure:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Heart failure is usually classified by the site of failure (left-sided, right-sided, or both). It may also be classified as systolic or diastolic. These classifications represent different clinical aspects of heart failure, not distinct diseases.
Left-sided heart failure primarily produces pulmonary signs and symptoms; right-sided heart failure primarily produces systemic signs and symptoms. However, heart failure often affects both sides of the heart.
Left-sided heart failure
Clinical signs of left-sided heart failure include dyspnea, orthopnea, crackles, possibly wheezing, hypoxia, respiratory acidosis, cough, cyanosis or pallor, palpitations, arrhythmias, elevated blood pressure, and pulsus alternans. Symptoms are due to decreased left ventricular output, which results in fluid accumulation in the lungs.
Right-sided heart failure
Clinical signs of right-sided heart failure include dependent peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, jugular vein distention, ascites, slow weight gain, arrhythmias, hepatojugular reflex, abdominal distention, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and syncope. Right-sided heart failure is often caused by disorders that increase vascular resistance (such as pulmonary embolism or stenosis, or hypertension).
Systolic failure
Systolic failure occurs when the heart’s ability to contract effectively decreases. This causes a decrease in the cardiac output and the ejection fraction. Clinical signs of systolic dysfunction include an S3 gallop, normal or low blood pressure, and an ejection fraction of less than 40%.
Diastolic failure
Diastolic failure occurs when the heart has a problem relaxing. The heart can’t properly fill with blood because the muscle has become stiff and noncompliant. Clinical signs of diastolic failure include an S4, elevated blood pressure, and a normal or near normal ejection fraction.
Complications
Complications of heart failure typically include pulmonary edema, venostasis with a predisposition to thromboembolism (associated primarily with prolonged bed rest), cerebral insufficiency, and renal insufficiency with severe electrolyte imbalance. (See Pulmonary edema: How to intervene.)
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Heart failure:
A number of symptoms are
associated with heart failure, but none is specific for the condition. Perhaps
the best known symptom is shortness of breath
("dyspnea") . In heart failure, this may result from excess fluid in the
lungs. The breathing difficulties may occur at rest or during exercise. In some
cases, congestion may be severe enough to prevent or interrupt sleep.
Fatigue or easy tiring is another common symptom. As the heart's pumping
capacity decreases, muscles and other tissues receive less oxygen and nutrition,
which are carried in the blood. Without proper "fuel," the body cannot perform
as much work, which translates into fatigue.
Fluid accumulation, or edema, may cause swelling of the feet, ankles, legs,
and occasionally, the abdomen. Excess fluid retained by the body may result in
weight gain, which sometimes occurs fairly quickly.
Persistent coughing is another common sign, especially coughing that
regularly produces mucus or pink, blood-tinged sputum. Some people develop raspy
breathing or wheezing.
Because heart failure usually develops slowly, the symptoms may not appear
until the condition has progressed over years. The heart hides the underlying
problem by making adjustments that delay--but do not prevent--the eventual loss
in pumping capacity. The heart adjusts, or compensates, in three ways to cope
with and hide the effects of heart failure:
- Enlargement ("dilatation"), which allows more blood into the heart;
- Thickening of muscle fibers ("hypertrophy") to strengthen the heart
muscle, which allows the heart to contract more forcefully and pump more
blood; and
- More frequent contraction, which increases circulation.
By making
these adjustments, or compensating, the heart can temporarily make up for losses
in pumping ability, sometimes for years. However, compensation has its limits.
Eventually, the heart cannot offset the lost ability to pump blood, and the
signs of heart failure appear.
(Source: excerpt from
NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)
Heart failure as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Heart failure, it is also important to consider Heart failure as a possible cause of other medical conditions.
The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Heart failure may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Heart failure as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Heart failure as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Heart failure.
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Heart failure:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Heart failure.
This signs and symptoms information for Heart failure has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Heart failure signs or Heart failure symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Heart failure may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Heart failure symptoms.
Nearly 60 million Americans are diagnosed with heart disease every year and it's the leading cause of death in both men and women. But...
Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, but it can be prevented. One way is to control your cholesterol levels. Find out how.
We've all experienced stress at one time or another. Your heart rate goes up, your blood pressure rises, and every part of your body tenses up....
Heart disease kills 32 percent of women each year, meaning that more women than men die from heart disease. Tune in to learn the facts about women...
See full list of 24 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Heart failure
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