Many people usually learn about heart failure only when they are hospitalized in an intensive care unit due to a heart attack. Meanwhile, the fact that the heart is not necessarily all right is evidenced by various symptoms that usually appear much earlier. It is worth knowing them, because this knowledge may save your life one day.
Heart failure is an increasingly common problem. The latest data, presented at the conference as part of the Heart Failure Week, say thatis diagnosed every year by nearly 200,000. new cases, and about 60,000 die from heart failure. patients . Many deaths are preventable, but in order to do so, it is important that heart failure is diagnosed early and treated effectively.
While the diagnosis and treatment of this disease will only be carried out by a doctor,each of us can pay attention to the fact that his heart - perhaps - needs support.
Because although there is no single symptom that would unequivocally indicate heart failure, there are a number of seemingly trivial ailments that may indicate it. Some of them appear more often (and these are referred to as the typical symptoms of heart failure), while others appear less frequently or are characteristic only for certain groups of patients.
Which of them should get your close attention?Physical exercise tolerance impairment- described as a feeling of lack of strength, shortness of breath, fatigue. We usually attribute them to a sedentary lifestyle, we associate them with a lack of condition - especially now, after a period of social isolation, during which many people had very few opportunities to take care of it.
A quick run to the bus, the need to climb to the third floor or ride a bike up the hill - if you experience problems with this type of activity and are accompanied by shortness of breath, you may suspect that your heart is not as efficient as it should be. The situations whereexercise tolerance deteriorates very quickly , over weeks or even days, are particularly disturbing.
Edema- according to experts, this is quite a typical symptom of heart failure. In this case, water accumulates in specific places - usually around the ankles and lower legs, sometimes also in the abdominal cavity.(so-called ascites).
You can notice them, but in the case of overweight or obese people it is quite difficult - in such cases, you can refer to your body weight. You should be worried about the situation when you are quickly gaining kilos despite the fact that you are not overeating.
Irregular heartbeat.Heart failure may be confirmed by its faster work - when the resting pulse (measured on the wrist) is around 80/90 per minute, sometimes even above 100 / minute. Properly, while resting, your heart rate should be around 60-70 beats per minute, with an identical interval between each beat.
Less appetite.This symptom is typical for older people - it is caused by blood stagnation in the digestive tract, especially in the intestines and liver.
Frequent urination at night- lying down improves blood supply to the kidneys, which then produces more urine.
Feeling out of breath in the supine position . The breathlessness that occurs when you lie down on your back and goes away when you sit up or stand up. They may be accompanied by a cough - dry or with a little phlegm.
Bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes, the so-called cyanosis- it is easiest to observe them on the lips and fingertips.
Each of these symptoms is a reason for urgent consultation with a doctor who will assess the clinical condition and recommend tests (including blood counts and imaging tests), thanks to which it will be possible to assess both the advancement of the disease and the cause, which caused it.