The NYHA scale is a simple tool for classifying patients with heart failure based on the severity of their symptoms and how they affect the degree of restriction of daily activity.It was introduced by the New York Heart Association, and its origins date back to 1902.
The NYHAscale, which allows you to assess the severity of heart failure, is easy to use, which makes it widely used by clinicians around the world.
It should be remembered, however, that the NYHA scale dates back to a time when medicine did not have disease severity measures such as echocardiography.
Its limitations result from the fact that it is based on subjective symptoms reported by the patient. The value of the NYHA scale is therefore based on a carefully collected medical history.
Despite this, the classification of the severity of symptoms allows, inter alia, monitor and evaluate disease progression. It also has its place in heart failure treatment algorithms.
Heart failure is a group of clinical symptoms resulting from impairment of the heart's pump function. Due to structural damage or functional disorders, the heart is unable to efficiently deliver blood to the tissues.
Heart failure can be classified according to various criteria. We distinguish between acute and chronic heart failure (the NYHA scale is used here). The latter, in turn, may present as systolic heart failure (with reduced ejection fraction), diastolic (with preserved ejection fraction) or heart failure with moderately reduced ejection fraction.
The basic symptoms of heart failure include :
- shortness of breath (exertion, but also at rest - worsening mainly in the supine position)
- cough
- decreased exercise tolerance
- dizziness
- fainting
- palpitations
- puffiness
The NYHA scale consists of 4 grades
- Class I - unlimited; regular physical activity does not cause fatigue, shortness of breath or a feeling of heart palpitations
- Class II - there is a slight limitation; normal physical activity may cause fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations; symptoms do not occur at rest
- Class III - considerably limited; smallerthan before, physical activity causes discomfort; they are not at rest
- Class IV - symptoms of heart failure occur at rest; any physical activity causes ailments