Congestive Heart Disease

Congestive heart disease, commonly known as congestive heart failure, is a very grave medical condition. In this condition, the heart’s function is seriously affected and it is unable to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood to the body’s other organs.

Congestive heart disease can result due to many resons  such as narrowing of arteries, which supply blood to the heart, myocardial infarction or scar tissue resulting from past heart attack, infection of the heart muscles or the heart valves, infection, heart muscle defect, etc.

In congenital heart disease, the heart does not stop functioning but it performs its functions less efficiently. Hence, the whole body suffers due to inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrition.

Congestive heart failure usually affects people who are above 50 years of age. It is the most frequent cause for people with heart disease to get hospitalized. In the US alone, approximately 5 million people suffer from heart attack and nearly 550,000 new patients are diagnosed every year. And since the number of aged people continues to go up every year, people diagnosed with this heart condition will continue to increase.

Unfortunately, nearly half of the people who suffer from congestive heart failure succumb to death within 5 years after being diagnosed with the disease. But due to advances in research, life of those afflicted with congestive heart failure is being comparatively improved.

Congestive heart failure does not develop in a single day. It develops slowly over some years. But if a person suffers from a heart attack, or a disease of the heart muscle then he or she will develop the congestive heart failure fast.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a dangerous disease because it produces negative effects on your other important body parts too. CHF leads to diminished kidney functions, which result in water retention in the body. Excess fluid may collect in the liver, which can impair its ability to expel the toxins from the body. CHF also gives rise to pulmonary edema and edema of the feet and ankles. The intestine may lose its efficiency to absorb nutrients as well as medicines.

If congestive heart failure condition is left untreated, it will affect all the body organs sooner or later. Hence, preventive measures should be taken early in life by following a healthy diet and regular exercise regime and if you are diagnosed with congestive heart failure, you must be treated properly.