Heart Failure Health Article

Prognosis

Most patients with mild or moderate heart failure can be successfully treated with dietary and exercise programs and the right medications. Many people are able to participate in normal daily activities and lead relatively active lives.

Patients with severe heart failure may eventually have to consider heart transplantation. Approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure live for five years with the condition. Women with heart failure usually live longer than men with heart failure.

Prevention

Heart failure is usually caused by the effects of some type of heart disease. The best way to try to prevent heart failure is to eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise, but many causes of heart failure cannot be prevented. People with risk factors for coronary disease (such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels) should work closely with their physician to reduce their likelihood of heart attack and heart failure.

Heart failure sometimes can be avoided by identifying and treating any conditions that might lead to heart disease. These include high blood pressure, alcoholism, and coronary artery disease. Regular blood pressure checks and obtaining immediate medical care for symptoms of coronary artery disease, such as chest pain, will help to get these conditions found and treated early, before they can damage the heart muscle.

Finally, diagnosing and treating heart failure before the heart becomes severely damaged can improve the prognosis. With proper treatment, many patients may continue to lead active lives for a number of years.

BOOKS

Bellenir, Karen, and Peter D. Dresser, eds. Cardiovascular Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1995.

Texas Heart Institute. Heart Owner's Handbook. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1996.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Heart Association. 7320 Greenville Ave. Dallas, TX 75231. (214) 373-6300. <http://www.americanheart.org>.

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. PO Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105. (301) 251-1222. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov>.

Texas Heart Institute. Heart Information Service. PO Box 20345, Houston, TX 77225-0345. <http://www.tmc.edu/thi>.

Toni Rizzo

KEY TERMS

Angioplasty—A technique for treating blocked coronary arteries by inserting a catheter with a tiny balloon at the tip into the artery and inflating it.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor—A drug that relaxes blood vessel walls and lowers blood pressure.

Arrhythmias—Abnormal heartbeat.

Atherosclerosis—Buildup of a fatty substance called a plaque inside blood vessels.

Calcium channel blocker—A drug that relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.

Cardiac catheterization—A diagnostic test for evaluating heart disease; a catheter is inserted into an artery and passed into the heart.

Cardiomyopathy—Disease of the heart muscle.

Catheter—A thin, hollow tube.

Congenital heart defects—Abnormal formation of structures of the heart or of its major blood vessels present at birth.

Congestive heart failure—A condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to supply the body's tissues with sufficient oxygen and nutrients; back up of blood in vessels and the lungs causes build up of fluid (congestion) in the tissues.

Coronary arteries—Arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

Coronary artery bypass—Surgical procedure to reroute blood around a blocked coronary artery.

Coronary artery disease—Narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries by atherosclerosis.

Digitalis—A drug that helps the heart muscle to have stronger pumping action.

Diuretic—A type of drug that helps the kidneys eliminate excess salt and water.

Edema—Swelling caused by fluid buildup in tissues.

Ejection fraction—A measure of the portion of blood that is pumped out of a filled ventricle.

Heart valves—Valves that regulate blood flow into and out of the heart chambers.

Hypertension—High blood pressure.

Hypertrophic—Enlarged.

Idiopathic cardiomyopathy—Cardiomyopathy without a known cause.

Pulmonary edema—Buildup of fluid in the tissue of the lungs.

Vasodilator—Any drug that relaxes blood vessel walls.

Ventricles—The two lower chambers of the heart.