All You Need to Know About Congestive Heart Failure

Heart MattersMarch 1, 2022

6.2 million adult Americans have congestive heart failure, per the CDC.

Congestive Heart Failure is somewhat of an archaic medical term today. As you dig deeper into the term, things become obscure and confusing. One of the fundamental reasons is that the term shares an acute similarity with common heart failure. According to California-based cardiologist Dana Weisshaar, Congestive Heart Failure is “not a different heart ailment” from normal heart failure. However, what differentiates Congestive Heart Failure is the congestion of vital body parts like the lungs, heart, and stomach.

Intermountain Healthcare / According to cardiologists, 90% of heart patients, have symptoms of congestion.

Given this “tiny” difference, cardiologists across the globe do not actively use the term. Rather, they call it simply Heart Failure – regardless of the congestion symptoms. Nevertheless, keeping the terms aside, it is pertinent to have an understanding of the functionalities of your body organs, especially the heart.

Essentially, heart failure refers to a disease where your heart – the central organ of your body – does not function properly as it should. This could be a lack of blood supply, fragile pumping of oxygen, or misalignment of vital body organs. Consequently, the patient feels short breath, asthma, restlessness, and body fragility.

What are the Common Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure?

Armin / Pexels / Armin / Pexels Bluish skin, due to the lack of oxygen, is the commonest symptom of congestive heart failure.

Given the similarity of congestive heart failure with general heart failure, the symptoms are also somewhat similar. However, here are some common symptoms of a typical congestive heart failure:

Short breath
Abnormal heartbeat rate
Fatigue, body restlessness, and fragility
Chest pain
Loss of appetite and bluish lips

Although all these signs are akin to normal heart failure, symptoms like bluish lips and extreme tiredness are the symptoms that are most common in congestive heart failure patients.

What Causes Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure is a byproduct of one’s daily routine, argue CDC professionals. What that means is that heart failure does not occur overnight. Rather, it gradually develops from your daily consumption, exercise routine, diet, and overall lifestyle.

According to the CDC, the following are three common causes of congestive heart failure:

Uneven Blood Pressure

SHVETS / Pexels / According to the CDC, chronically high blood pressure can be a direct cause of congestive heart failure.

When your heart misfunctions, it pushes the either too low or too high an amount of blood to the vital organs of the body. This “force” of the heart causes uneven blood pressure. In turn, this may result in congestive heart failure.

Artery Infection

What this means is that the arteries that allow the blood to flow through your body’s organs become congested. By doing so, they restrict blood from flowing through your lungs and other vital body organs. Consequently, your heart becomes narrow, which may cause congestive heart failure.

Abnormal Heart Beat

An abnormal heartbeat refers to a state of your heart where it beats either too high or too low in an uneven rhythm. If this abnormal heartbeat is not countered in the earlier stages, it may cause congestive heart failure.