Congestive heart disease is often confused with congestive heart failure (CHF), which can be caused by a variety of factors such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and infections. Symptoms include fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat. Diagnosis involves various tests, and treatment may include medication, surgery, or even a heart transplant. A heart-healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of CHF.
Congestive heart disease is a commonly misapplied term for the condition called congestive heart failure (CHF). When you see the initials CHD, this tends to refer to congenital heart disease or defects. Unlike heart disease which is acquired later in life, congenital heart defects are inherited and present at birth. What makes matters even more confusing is that people with CHD can have congestive heart failure.
It is important to understand that congestive heart failure does not mean that the heart is currently failing. Instead, it means the heart is working harder than it needs to, but still getting less than it should. The inability of the heart to adequately supply oxygen-rich blood to the organs and tissues of the body can cause numerous symptoms, and the causes of congestive heart failure can be extremely varied. Some causes include narrowing of the arteries, past heart attacks, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, an abnormally enlarged heart, and some infections.
Symptoms of heart failure can vary and are based on the severity of the underlying causative factors. People may feel persistent tiredness and notice water retention or swelling in the hands and feet. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, inability to exercise, and a cough that doesn’t go away and which may produce pink or slightly bloody mucus. Your heartbeat may feel weak or irregular in rhythm.
In some circumstances, congestive heart failure occurs suddenly and is called acute heart failure. Symptoms are similar but occur very quickly rather than over a long period of time and may be accompanied by chest pain. If you develop these symptoms within a few hours, you should contact 911 immediately.
If your doctor suspects congestive heart failure, you’ll likely need to run several tests to determine the cause. These can include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) and special sonograms of the heart called echocardiograms. You may also need cardiac catheterization, which examines the structures of the heart and arteries to determine blockages, narrowing, or sagging. Identifying the cause is important, as treating CHF depends on understanding and addressing the underlying conditions.
Because of the wide range of conditions that can lead to congestive heart failure, treatment is difficult to describe. People may require medications such as blood pressure medications, blood thinners, medications to make the heart work more efficiently, medications that help control the heart rhythm, or diuretics to reduce fluid retention. The causes may also require surgical treatment, which can range from placing stents to open up the arteries, to performing surgery to regulate the heart rhythm. Sometimes, especially when coronary heart disease is present, the surgery can be complex and involve correcting heart defects such as replacing valves. Under certain circumstances CHF may require a heart transplant.
While not much can be done to prevent many congenital heart defects or CHF acquired through a viral or bacterial infection, there may be many ways to reduce the risk of CHF caused by most forms of cardiovascular disease. Following a lifelong heart-healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise can reduce your risk of most forms of heart disease. If you have a family history of heart disease, you should tell your doctor about this so that treatments are given as needed and the potential for developing CHF is closely monitored.
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