Table of contents:
- Acute heart failure, when heart failure occurs suddenly
- Symptoms of acute heart failure that need to be watched out for
- Various causes of acute heart failure
- 1. Myocarditis
- 2. Severe arrhythmia
- 3. Heart attack
Heart failure is a heart health problem that can lead to death. Heart failure can occur slowly, known as chronic heart failure, or occur suddenly, known as acute heart failure. The following is a complete description of acute and chronic heart failure.
Acute heart failure, when heart failure occurs suddenly
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is unable to pump blood as it does under normal conditions. The causes of heart failure can vary, from narrowing of the arteries or coronary heart disease to hypertension.
If not treated immediately, these conditions can cause the heart muscle to weaken or even turn stiff so that it cannot pump properly. Heart failure is a dangerous condition, because not all conditions that cause heart failure can be cured.
Usually, the use of heart medications can only help relieve the symptoms of heart disease and help the patient to last longer. However, when there is damage to the heart organ, the condition is usually irreversible.
Symptoms of acute heart failure that need to be watched out for
One of the most common acute heart symptoms is shortness of breath. Other symptoms of this condition are not much different from the symptoms of chronic heart failure, including:
- So tired that you feel weak.
- Abnormal heartbeat.
- The ability to exercise is drastically reduced.
- Coughing and sneezing bleeding.
- The urge to urinate at night increases dramatically.
- Swelling of the abdominal area.
- Weight gain due to fluid retention.
- Decreased appetite.
- Can't concentrate.
If your heart failure is caused by a heart attack, a symptom that may appear is chest pain. In addition, there are also symptoms such as swelling of the legs which tend to appear more frequently in people with acute heart failure than in chronic heart failure.
Unfortunately, these symptoms often go unnoticed, especially in elderly patients. This is because elderly patients have various health problems, so that the symptoms of heart failure are considered as symptoms of other health conditions.
So, if you feel the symptoms mentioned above and don't know what causes them, it's better to have your health condition checked by a doctor. The reason is, a study published in The American Journal of Medicine states that often people who are hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute heart failure are up to 13 hours late in realizing symptoms.
Of course it can slow down the treatment process and can have fatal consequences for your health. Faster check your condition to the doctor, of course the better. This will help you get the right treatment for your condition.
Various causes of acute heart failure
Acute heart failure usually occurs when another health condition has caused damage to the heart. This damage can take the form of a weakening of the heart or making the heart stiff. There are several conditions that can cause heart failure, for example:
1. Myocarditis
One of the causes of acute heart failure is myocarditis. This condition is inflammation that occurs in the heart muscle. Usually, myocarditis is caused by viruses, including COVID-19, and can cause left-sided heart failure, both systolic and diastolic heart failure.
2. Severe arrhythmia
An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) can also be one of the causes of this condition. Especially if your heart rate tends to be fast, then in severe conditions, it can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure.
3. Heart attack
It could be said that the cause of heart failure is coronary heart disease. Why? One of these heart diseases is the main cause of heart attacks. Meanwhile, if a heart attack is not treated promptly, it can lead to heart failure.
Some of the other causes of acute heart failure are allergic reactions, blood clots in the lungs, the use of certain drugs, and other diseases that affect the whole body.
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