Denton County Living Well Magazine May/June 2017 | Page 17

What you need
to know
about CHF:
By Tanveer A. Qureshi, MD
I
t’s estimated that 5 million Americans have Congestive
Heart Failure (CHF), a chronic and often undiagnosed
medical condition in which the heart becomes weak and
unable to pump blood effectively throughout the body.
Although the words “heart failure” sounds alarming, it
does not mean your heart has stopped beating or is about
to. It means your heart is unable to pump blood the way
it should, to deliver oxygen-rich blood to your body or re-
move waste from it. By not being able to effectively remove
waste from the body, fluids build up in the lungs and other
body tissues (including the abdomen, feet, ankles and legs).
CHF is often chronic, which means it can be managed and
treated, but not cured. Day-to-day activities such as walk-
ing, climbing a flight of stairs or grocery shopping can be
difficult because you can, among other things, get short of
breath and feel tired.
There are several different causes of CHF. Some risk factors
are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, irregu-
lar heartbeat, heart valve disease, congenital heart defects
(defects you are born with), heart muscle disorder, previous
heart attack(s), diabetes, alcohol and drug abuse.
A patient may go years without visible symptoms of CHF,
and the symptoms typically worsen as you age. As the heart
weakens, it pumps less blood. CHF develops slowly as you
age because the heart itself tries to counteract its weakness
by enlarging itself and pumping faster, attempting to keep
the same amount of blood moving through the heart. How-
ever, this is only temporary. The heart eventually tires and
cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s requirement.
Some symptoms of CHF include shortness of breath, feeling
weak and/or tired, fatigue, swelling of the ankles, feet or
legs, dizzy spells that can lead to decreased attention span
and memory loss, frequent urination at night, an irregular
or fast pulse, and weight gain from excessive fluid.
To see why your heart has weakened, a physician will per-
form an examination, ask questions and possibly do some
tests. The physician is looking for signs and symptoms of
CHF as well as any underlying condition that may have
caused your heart to weaken. The physician will use a
stethoscope to listen for an irregular or quick heartbeat, and
will listen to your chest for sounds of fluid around your lungs
or the distinct sounds of a faulty heart valve. Your physician
may order a chest x-ray to see if your heart is enlarged and
detect any fluid around the lungs. An EKG (electrocardio-
gram) can be used to check for irregular heartbeats or prior
heart attack. Echocardiography (sonography of the heart)
can see the structure and movement of your heart. Other
tests such as stress tests, holter monitor, nuclear scans and
cardiac cath can be used as well.
Your physician uses the information learned to develop
a treatment plan. The treatment for CHF depends on the
cause and severity of your condition. It’s best treated when
the cause of your CHF is identified. The treatment plan is
designed to relieve some of your symptoms and may in-
clude medications to help your heart work better, rest peri-
ods during the day, dietary changes to reduce the amount
of sodium you ingest, physical activity as pre scribed by
your doctor, lifestyle changes such as limiting how much
alcohol you drink, quitting smoking, controlling your high
blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels, and weigh-
ing yourself daily to watch for fluid buildup.
Almost 5 million people in the United States have CHF and
approximately 500,000 people are diagnosed with CHF
annually. This is because people are living longer. As baby
boomers age, CHF rates will increase. CHF is the number
one cause for hospital admission in the United States for
people age 65 and older. The best treatment for CHF is
prevention but it’s equally important for those who suffer
from CHF to know they have options. People with CHF can
lead happy, productive lives. It’s important for those suffer-
ing with CHF to include their families and friends, build a
support network, make the lifestyle and dietary changes
they need to, and frankly become active participants with
their physicians in the management of their health. If you’re
suffering from some of the signs and symptoms of CHF and
have not been to a doctor recently, please call your primary
care physician and set up an appointment.
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2017
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