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Treatment:
Although heart failure is a serious condition that progressively gets worse over time, certain cases can be reversed with treatment. The goals of the treatment are to:
- Relieve symptoms and improve quality of life
- Slow disease progression
Treatment options depends on the type, cause, symptoms and severity of the heart failure. Usually, more than one therapy is used. These options include:
Treating the Underlying Causes : A number of conditions can contribute to heart failure. Treatment of these other factors may range from surgery or angioplasty to open clogged blood vessels in patients with coronary artery disease to medications prescribed to control high blood pressure, diabetes etc.
Lifestyle Changes : people with heart failure can improve their condition by:
Getting enough rest to avoid stressing the heart ,Eat a healthy diet that is low in sodium and fat ,don't smoke and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke ,keep track of symptoms and report any changes and have regular checkups to monitor the condition
Medications
A number of medications are prescribed for heart failure, and most patients will take more than one drug. Medications may be prescribed to:
- Dilate blood vessels.
- Strengthen the hearts pumping action
- Reducw water and sodium in the body to lessen the hearts workload.
Surgery
Surgical options to treat underlying causes of heart failure include:
- Coronary artery bypass graft or angioplasty to prevent and treat heart failure caused by blocked arteries.
- Implantation of pacemakers and other devices such as artificial heart valves.
- Repairing congenital heart defects.
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Heart Failure:
The most common cause of heart failure is coronary artery disease. In coronary artery disease, the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked. When blood flow to an area of the heart is completely blocked, the person has a heart attack. Some heart attacks go unrecognized. The heart muscle suffers damage when its blood supply is reduced or blocked. If the damage affects the heart's ability to pump blood, heart failure Cardiomyopathy is a general term for disease of the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathy may be caused by coronary artery disease and various other heart problems. Sometimes the cause of cardiomyopathy cannot be found but it can weaken the heart thus leading to heart failure. High blood pressure is another common cause of heart failure. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood. After a while, the heart cannot keep up and the symptoms of heart failure develop. Defects of the heart valves, congenital heart diseases, alcoholism, and drug abuse cause damage to the heart that can all lead to heart failure.
Signs and Symptoms
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