What are the early warning signs of heart failure?
The most striking signs are dyspnea (shortness of breath, especially with exercise) and water retention which are seen with edema, i.e. swelling of the ankles. There is also an increase in abdominal girth: those affected notice that they find it increasingly difficult to fasten their skirts, pants or belts, or due to sudden weight gain.
Hypertension, the most common cause of heart failure
The most frequent is long-standing or inadequately controlled arterial hypertension. It can also appear after acute cardiac complications such as myocardial infarction or chronic situations such as malfunction or wear and tear of the heart valves. There are many other less frequent causes, such as cardiomyopathies or toxic substances such as excessive alcohol. Diabetes is also a major contributor.
Frequent pathology in the elderly
Undoubtedly, heart failure is a frequent pathology in the elderly, in which the high frequency of hypertension, the progressively greater rigidity of the left ventricle (known as diastolic dysfunction) which alters its filling and contributes to fluid retention and the appearance of an increasingly frequent rhythm disorder such as atrial fibrillation, worsen the picture.
Prevention of heart failure is based on that of hypertension: frequent blood pressure measurement, low salt diet, weight control, avoidance of alcohol and taking prescribed medication.
Another aspect is how to prevent the person with stable chronic heart failure from presenting flare-ups (“decompensations”). The main causes of these episodes are: taking anti-inflammatory drugs, excess salt, abandonment of medication and intercurrent infections.
How is it treated?
The right lifestyle is essential. To treat water retention, diuretics are used, which are dosed according to the degree. To control the underlying process and prevent its progression in cardiology there are two groups of fundamental drugs: inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis and beta-blockers. There are other complementary drugs for specific cases.