If you or those around you have shortness of breath with swelling of the ankle.
If ankle swelling with shortness of breath is a concern for you.
We recommend that you read more.
Doctors say that one of the probable causes for shortness of breath and ankle swelling is heart failure. Heart failure is a serious medical disorder that needs immediate treatment and appropriate and timely treatment.
If you want to get enough information about this article in simple language, read the following article.
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Introduction
Doctors say that heart failure is actually the inability of your heart to pump enough blood to the body at the right pressure. Without adequate blood flow, it is certain that the individual cells of your body will function poorly.
Heart failure is a serious illness and actually causes a series of signs and symptoms that warn that your heart is failing to pump blood.
Prevent and control conditions that can cause heart failure, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and Coronary artery disease, and can prevent heart failure.
What is meant by heart failure?
Heart failure, according to doctors, means a decrease in the heart’s ability to pump blood.
In fact, you should know that heart failure should not be considered as a heart attack and cardiac arrest. Although people with heart failure often cite a history of heart attack, but heart failure should not be equated with a heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Heart failure is often referred to as congestive heart failure. Congestion refers to the buildup of fluid in the body. For example, fluid buildup can lead to swelling of the ankle, Accumulation of fluid in the body of a person with heart failure is caused by the heart due to reduced blood pumping power.
Conditions such as narrowing of the coronary arteries of the heart and high blood pressure gradually weakens the heart, and causes heart failure and the inability of the heart to pump blood to the whole body.
Conditions that lead to heart failure cannot usually return to normal, in other words, a failed heart cannot return to normal and healthy.
But with timely diagnosis and the start of prompt, timely and correct treatment, the manifestations and symptoms of heart failure can be improved.
In fact, heart failure is a serious disease that needs to be treated. With timely treatment, a person’s chances of long-term recovery and fewer complications increase. Therefore, a person who has both shortness of breath and ankle swelling should see a doctor as soon as possible so that a diagnosis can be made and treatment can begin as soon as possible.
What are the manifestations and signs of heart failure?
Different people with heart failure have many different symptoms and manifestations due to the severity of the heart’s inability to pump blood. Some people with heart failure have few manifestations.
The following are the most common manifestations, signs and symptoms of heart failure at your service.
These side effects and manifestations are as follows:
- Fatigue
- General weakness
- Shortness of breath
It should be noted that most people with heart failure, especially when walking and climbing stairs or doing physical activity, will suffer from shortness of breath.
- Swelling or edema in the legs and ankles
- Rapid heart rate
- Arrhythmia
- Or irregular heartbeat
- Swelling or Ascites
- Sudden weight gain due to fluid retention
- Decreased appetite
- nausea
- Increased need to wake up to urinate during nighttime sleep
- Chronic cough
- Chronic chest tightness
- Chest pain
Usually, people who develop heart failure following a heart attack complain of chest pain at the beginning of the disorder.
What causes heart failure?
Heart failure has different causes, usually there are other diseases that cause heart failure. The most common cause of heart failure is coronary artery disease.
This disease is a disorder that causes narrowing of the arteries, which causes less blood and oxygen to reach the heart. Here are the causes of heart failure:
- The first, most important and most common cause is coronary artery disease. In these people, the blood supply to the heart muscle is disturbed and a heart attack occurs.
- Cardiomyopathy is a disorder of the heart muscle that causes the heart to weaken and weaken. Cardiomyopathies are caused by infections, alcohol abuse, and poisoning by certain medications.
- Heart attack
- Congenital heart diseases and disorders
- Heart valve disease
- Cardiac arrhythmias and and irregular heart rhythms
- High blood pressure:
The heart of people with high blood pressure has to work harder than usual to overcome the resistance of the aortic artery and push the blood out of the heart and spread throughout the body. Over time, this extra work will weaken the heart and cause the heart to fail.
- Diabetes mellitus
- Severe anemias
- Thyroid disorders
- Chemotherapy and drugs used in chemotherapy
- Drug abuse
- Abuse of alcohol
Who gets heart failure more than others?
The risk factors for heart failure are as follows:
- People with high blood pressure
- Diabetics
- Anemic people
- People who have had a stroke or heart attack, or people with coronary artery disease in general.
- People with congenital heart defects (CHDs)
- People with thyroid disorders
Also, people who habitually have certain behaviors and habits have a higher risk of heart failure, including these bad habits, eating high-fat foods, being overweight and smoking, as well as alcohol and drug use.
What are the side effects of heart failure?
Complications of heart failure include:
Complication A) A heart attack can be caused by a failed heart that has not received proper treatment.
Complication 2) kidney damage or kidney failure.
Heart failure, if left untreated, can lead to congestive heart failure and cause fluid to build up in different parts of the body, which can be a potentially life-threatening condition for the sufferer.
Diagnosis
To diagnose heart failure, the doctor uses the following diagnostic aids after taking a history and clinical examination according to the patient’s condition.
- blood test
- urine test
- X-ray of the chest
- ECG or echocardiography
In fact, echocardiography is the most effective way to diagnose heart failure
In the field of physical examination in a person suspected of heart failure It should be said that the doctor tries to examine and detect the physical symptoms following heart failure with different examinations and tests, for example, swelling of the legs, irregular heartbeat and swollen arteries in the neck are all items that should be observed by your doctor.
treatment
Treatment of heart failure depends on the severity of the injury and in the early stages, heart failure is controlled and treated with drugs, thus controlling the symptoms and manifestations of the person and preventing the progression of the disease. Medications are prescribed for the following purposes:
- Increases the heart’s ability to pump blood
- Reduce the risk of blood clots
- Decreased heart rate
- Increased potassium levels in the blood and Decreased blood cholesterol levels
In addition to medications, there may be people who need surgery for heart failure, including coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). People with heart failure may need to have an artificial pacemaker implanted to help regulate and control heart rhythms, these devices are small tools that are placed in the chest and in the end if all the treatments have been done for a person and the person has not responded appropriately to them, heart transplantation will be the last line of treatment in a premature person with heart failure.
How to prevent heart failure?
If you choose a healthy lifestyle, you can also prevent heart failure, and if you have heart failure, you can prevent it from progressing and be more successful in treating it.
- Weight Loss
and
- Regular exercise
will significantly reduce your risk of heart failure, as well as lowering sodium and alcohol intake, quitting smoking, getting enough quality sleep, and avoiding high-fat foods and snacks.