Risk Factors for CHF

Diseases that damage your heart also increase your risk of CHF. Some of these diseases and lifestyle choices include. These are the most common causes of congestive artery failure.

Coronary heart disease is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle.

Plaque narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle. The buildup of plaque also makes it more likely that blood clots will form in your arteries. Blood clots can partially or completely block blood flow. Coronary heart disease can lead to chest pain or discomfort called angina, a heart attack, and heart damage.

CHF occurs in coronary artery disease because once the arteries get clogged up, it makes the blood have to work harder to go through the muscle of the heart. After a while, the heart muscle will become stiff and it will not be able to sufficiently contract. Therefore, the person will develop CHF.

High blood pressure is the silent killer. There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who have high blood pressure. There are also millions who are not diagnosed. In fact, high blood pressure is the highest risk factor of all in contracting CHF.

This is because after years of uncontrolled high blood pressure, the heart muscle becomes very weak and it can no longer contract normally.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can weaken your heart and lead to plaque buildup.

Blood pressure is considered high if it stays at or above 130/90 mmHg over time. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.) If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher.

Unhealthy behaviors can also increase your risk of CHF, especially for people who have one of the diseases listed above. Diabetes is now an epidemic.

People with diabetes usually go on to have high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. The American diet is full of processed food. This is certainly not helpful to the heart.

One of the best ways to combat diabetes and to get your HbA1C down is to eat low carb or keto diet. Diabetes is also a leading predictor of kidney failure. Kidney failure predisposes you to CHFC.

We have all been told to avoid tobacco and tobacco products. Although there has been a significant decrease in the people who smoke, there are still too many people developing diseases directly from smoking. Smoking causes plaque in the arteries. If the blood cannot flow smoothly through the arteries, the heart muscle will be stiff. Again, CHF will develop.

Diet

The world has an obesity problem. I don’t even think it is related to overeating. The food now is so processed and toxic. This has created an epidemic of insulin resistance.

We know that insulin is the fat hormone. We have also had an epidemic of gall bladder removals. Gall bladder removal predisposes you to gain weight because you know have the enzymes to properly digest food in the proper amount.

Weight gain contributes to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a direct risk factor for CHF. It is imperative that people limit the number of bad fats, cholesterol, and excess sodium in their diet.

Lack of Exercise

Exercise is great! What can I say! Your whole body loves exercise. Your heart is a muscle which means it loves exercise. Exercise can help prevent CHF by doing the following:

Maintaining weight

Maintain blood glucose

Maintain blood pressure

Exercise helps the muscle and bones, and the heart is a muscle

Exercises improve brain health

Obesity

Obesity is the cause of many diseases and disorders including CHF. Obesity is related to diet and lack of exercise. Obesity can also prevent CHF from getting better because the excess weight causes a strain on the heart.

Signs and Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure

Common symptoms of heart failure include:

Stages of Congestive Heart Failure

The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) staging system is defined by the following four stages:

Stage A: High risk of heart failure, but no structural heart disease or symptoms of heart failure

Stage B: Structural heart disease, but no symptoms of heart failure

Stage C: Structural heart disease and symptoms of heart failure

Stage D: Refractory heart failure requiring specialized interventions

Classes of Congestive Heart Failure:

The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification defines four functional classes as:

Class I: HF does not cause limitations to physical activity; ordinary physical activity does not cause symptoms.

Class II: HF causes slight limitations to physical activity; the patients are comfortable at rest, but ordinary physical activity results in CHF symptoms.

Class III: HF causes marked limitations of physical activity; the patients are comfortable at rest, but less than ordinary activity causes symptoms of CHF.

Class IV: HF patients are unable to carry on any physical activity without HF symptoms or have symptoms when at rest.

(Resourced From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4961993/)

Treating Congestive Heart Failure

Early diagnosis and treatment can improve the quality and length of life for people who have heart failure. Treatment usually involves taking medications, reducing sodium in the diet, and getting daily physical activity.

People with heart failure also track their symptoms each day so that they can discuss these symptoms with their healthcare team.