Symptoms, Causes & Treatments of Heart Failure

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Symptoms, Causes Treatments of Heart Failure
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What is Heart Failure?

• In medical terms heart failure is defined as the
  condition when heart is unable to pump enough
  blood required for normal body functions.
• Human body needs sufficient amount of oxygen
  which is supplied by heart through blood. Heart
  failure is a serious condition and needs
  immediate medical care.

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What are the Symptoms?

• Difficulty in breathing particularly on exertion
  such as climbing stairs, walking and doing
  housework.
• Legs, ankles and abdomen get swollen due to the
  accumulation of water
•  
• A lethargic and weak feeling
•  

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• Difficulty in sleeping
• A feeling of breathlessness when lying down
  (lungs get congested on lying down because of the
  back damming effect). This condition is medically
  termed as pulmonary edema. This condition is
  inevitable since the patient can get collapsed
  anytime.

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What are the Causes of Heart Failure?

• The major causes of this ailment includes
• CHD or coronary heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes

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Coronary Heart Disease

• It is a condition in which a wax like substance
  known as plaque is developed inside the coronary
  arteries. These are the arteries which supply
  oxygen-rich blood to the cardiac muscles.
• Due to this substance the arteries becomes
  narrower which results into improper blood flow
  to the heart muscles. In such a condition there
  is a high possibility of blood clots formation
  inside the arteries. This can partially or
  completely block the blood flow.

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• CHD can result into chronic chest pain or
  discomfort also known as angina, a heart damage,
  a heart attack, or even death.

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High Blood Pressure

• When the force of blood is applied against the
  walls of the arteries, such a condition is termed
  as high blood pressure.
• If the force rises and stays longer it can affect
  your heart by weakening it. It can also lead to
  plaque buildup.

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Diabetes

• It is an ailment in which glucose level in blood
  increases.
• Food breaks down into glucose which is carried by
  the blood to the cells.
• A hormone called insulin is used by the cells to
  turn glucose into energy.
• If a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, body
  cells are unable to produce sufficient amount of
  insulin.

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• High blood sugar levels can weaken and damage the
  cardiac muscles and the blood vessels around the
  heart which can ultimately result into heart
  failure.

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Treatments

• List of the Heart Failure Treatments
• Medication is the first line of treatment for
  heart failure. The drugs include the following
• Diuretics (frusemide, spironolactone, metolazone)
  
• Beta blockers (bisoprolol, carvedilol,
  metoprolol, nebivolol)

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• ACE inhibitors (captopril, enalapril, ramipril,
  peridopril)
• Angiotensin receptor blockers (candesartan,
  valsartan, losartan, irbesartan)
• Digoxin
• Nitrates

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• Cardiac dysrhythmia or arrhythmias is a condition
  which leads to abnormal heart activity i.e. heart
  beats are either too fast or too slow. This can
  be cured through pacemaker implantation and
  ablation.
• Correction of valve disease or congenital defects
  through surgery are also be performed before the
  condition gets serious.

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• If medication or other means fail to improve the
  condition, left ventricular assist devices and /
  or heart transplantation is opted.
• For patients in cardiogenic shock, ECMO
  (extracorporeal membrane oxygenator) therapy is
  given to stabilize the condition temporarily.

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About Doctor

• Dr Ruth Kam
• Cardiologist
• MBBS (Singapore)
• MRCP (Int Med) (UK)
• M Med (Int Med) (Singapore),
• FAMS (Cardiology), FRCP (Edin)

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Contact info

• Address Ruth Kam Heart and Arrhythmia Clinic,
  290 Orchard Road, 14-10 Paragon, Singapore
  238859
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• 24Hrs Answering Service 65 6535 8833
• Email rk_at_arrhytmia.com.sg
• Website http//www.arrhythmia.com.sg

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Operating Hours

• We are open
• Mon Fri 830 am to 530 pm
• Sat 830 am to 1 pm