Causes of heart failure and risk factors & bull; hello healthy

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart loses its ability to pump blood. This occurs because the stress that arises from various health conditions results in the heart being forced to work too hard until it is damaged. What are the health conditions that can cause heart failure and risk factors that can increase the likelihood of heart failure?

Conditions that can cause heart failure

There are various health conditions that have the potential to cause heart failure. If you have heart failure, you may have one or more of the conditions listed below.

1. Coronary heart disease (CHD)

One of the heart diseases that has a large enough potential as a cause of heart failure is coronary heart disease (CHD). Apart from being the main cause of heart attacks, this condition is also the most common cause of heart failure.

CHD occurs due to a buildup of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the arteries. The buildup causes the blood vessels to block, so that blood flow to the heart becomes obstructed.

This can cause pain in the chest or often referred to as angina. However, if the blood flow is completely blocked, patients who experience CHD can end up having a heart attack.

This heart disease can also cause patients to experience high blood pressure, which is also a risk factor for heart failure if left untreated.

2. Heart attack

Another cause of heart failure is myocardial infarction or what is commonly referred to as a heart attack. This condition occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood is blocked in the arteries, so it can't reach the heart.

When the heart does not receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs, the tissue in the heart muscle is damaged. The tissue in the damaged heart cannot work properly, thus weakening or reducing the heart's ability to pump blood.

If you don't get a heart attack, this condition can get worse and can lead to heart failure.

3.High blood pressure (hypertension)

One of the complications of hypertension is heart failure. Therefore, this condition can be a cause of heart failure. If the blood pressure in the blood vessels is too high, the heart has to pump blood harder than normal to maintain blood circulation in the body.

This condition makes the heart have to "sacrifice" and if done repeatedly, the size of the heart chambers will enlarge and the heart will weaken. As the heart weakens, its ability to pump blood weakens too.

Blood pressure is considered high if it has exceeded 130/80 mmHg. If you are unsure about the condition of your blood pressure, check with your doctor. The goal, to find out whether your blood pressure is high or vice versa.

4. Heart valve problems

Valve problems with your heart can also be a cause of heart failure. For example, when the heart valve is abnormal. Normal heart valves will open and close with your heartbeat. However, under certain conditions, the valve cannot be closed or opened completely.

In fact, the heart valve serves to ensure that the blood flowing through the heart will flow in the right direction. In addition, the valve is also useful to prevent blood from flowing back in the opposite direction.

Usually, this condition is caused by infection or has become a congenital condition. When the valves can't work normally, the heart muscle has to work harder to pump blood both into and out of the heart. This depends on which valve is damaged.

When the heart muscle works too hard, over time the heart muscle will weaken. This condition can be a cause of heart failure.

5. Cardiomyopathy

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), cardiomyopathy is one of the causes of heart failure. Cardiomyopathy is damage to the heart muscle and can occur for many reasons. For example, infections, excessive alcohol use, drug use, or drugs used for chemotherapy.

However, it does not rule out that cardiomyopathy is a condition that is hereditary in the family. With a problem with the heart muscle, it becomes increasingly difficult for the heart to pump blood out to the rest of the body. This condition can be the cause of heart failure.

6. Congenital heart disease

Heart health problems can also arise at birth. This condition, known as congenital heart disease, is a health problem that can prevent the heart from pumping oxygen-rich blood around the body.

These heart problems usually occur in the heart muscle, or in the valves that regulate blood flow from the chambers of the heart and blood vessels in the heart. In fact, this condition can vary, ranging from those that do not require treatment because they are mild to serious and require treatment because they can endanger the life of the baby.

This abnormality or abnormality in the heart causes the part of the heart that is not damaged to have to work harder to pump blood. This condition is one of the possible causes of heart failure.

7. Myocarditis

One of the complications of myocarditis is heart failure. No wonder this condition can also be a cause of heart failure. Myocarditis itself is inflammation that occurs in the heart muscle. Often times, this condition occurs due to viruses, including the COVID-19 virus.

If the myocarditis is getting worse, this condition can cause damage to the heart muscle, so that the heart cannot pump blood effectively. Therefore, this condition can cause left heart failure, both systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure.

To treat heart failure due to myocarditis can not only be with heart failure medication alone, but the doctor may suggest installationventricullar assist devicesor heart transplant surgery.

8.Arhythmia (heart rhythm disorders)

Arrhythmias or heart rhythm disturbances can also be one of the causes of heart failure. The reason is, when you experience this condition, your heart may beat very fast, so the heart is forced to work harder.

However, not only when the heart is beating too hard, but when the heart is beating too slowly, this condition can lead to heart failure.

9. Diabetes

Heart failure can also be caused by diabetes. The higher the level of blood sugar circulating in the bloodstream, the more likely it is to damage the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

In fact, blood sugar levels that are too high can also directly damage the heart muscle. In addition, the damage that occurs to the arteries also makes them more susceptible to cholesterol build-up that forms plaque in the arteries.

These plaques can cause the arteries to narrow and block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. This condition can cause a heart attack. In fact, heart attack is also another cause of heart failure.

The reason is, when a heart attack occurs, blood flow to the heart is blocked and forces the heart muscle to work harder. On the other hand, diabetics or people with blood sugar levels that are too high are prone to other health problems such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. Both of these conditions are also causes of heart failure.

10. Thyroid disorders

Thyroid disorders are divided into two, namely hypothyroidism or the condition of the body when there is a lack of thyroid hormone and hyperthyroidism, which is when the body has excess thyroid hormone. Both of these conditions can cause heart failure. Why?

Hypothyroidism can have an impact on the condition of the heart and circulatory system. Lack of thyroid hormone in the body can reduce the heart rate to below average. In addition, this condition also causes the arteries to become stiffer, which causes blood pressure to increase to help the blood continue to have a good circulation in the body.

This condition can also increase cholesterol levels in the blood, which can potentially narrow the arteries. In fact, when the arteries narrow, you can experience coronary heart disease or a heart attack. Both are among the causes of heart failure.

Meanwhile, hyperthyroidism causes the heart to beat faster and has the potential to trigger other health conditions, such as arrhythmias. One type of arrhythmia that may occur isatrial fibrillation, which is a condition that can cause a chaotic rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart.

When experiencing hyperthyroidism, patients can also develop high blood pressure. As mentioned earlier, high blood pressure is also a cause of heart failure. So it can be concluded that both when the body is deficient in or has an excess of thyroid hormones, these conditions increase your potential for heart failure.

11. Cancer treatment

Cancer may not necessarily be the cause of heart failure, but cancer treatment may be one of them. Cancer treatment in question is chemotherapy and radiation. The use of some chemotherapy drugs has an adverse effect on the heart, for example poisoning the heart.

Meanwhile, radiation applied to the heart area can also damage the heart muscle and surrounding arteries. So, when undergoing chemotherapy, it doesn't hurt to ask the doctor to do an examination using an echocardiogram to see if there is damage to the heart or arteries.

Apart from the causes of heart failure, also pay attention to the risk factors

In addition to the various conditions that can cause heart failure, you also need to recognize the various risk factors for this condition. Even if you don't have a disease that can cause heart failure, you may have one of the following risk factors for heart failure.

1. The advancing age

A risk factor for heart failure that cannot be modified or changed is age. Yes, the risk of experiencing heart failure will indeed increase with age. Generally, at the age of 65 years and over, the risk of experiencing heart failure is even greater.

However, it does not mean that this condition cannot be experienced when the patient is still relatively young. Basically, if you don't take care of your heart health, you can experience heart failure at any age.

2. Male gender

Another risk factor for heart failure is gender, in which men have a higher risk of developing heart failure than women. Even so, that doesn't mean women can't experience heart failure.

In addition, women are more likely to experience diastolic heart failure if they do experience the condition.

3. There are families who have heart problems

Another irreversible risk factor for heart failure is a family history. If a close family member has had cardiomyopathy or damage to the heart muscle, the risk of developing heart failure increases.

4. History of high blood pressure

Not only is it a cause of heart failure, this condition can also be a risk factor for your heart failure. The reason is, when you have hypertension, your heart works harder to pump blood. So, over time the heart will weaken and cause heart failure.

This means that if hypertension treatment is not done immediately, gradually, hypertension, which was initially only a risk factor, turns into a cause of heart failure.

5. Excess weight or obesity

The risk factor for subsequent heart failure is obesity or excess body weight. Obesity has often been linked to various heart health problems. In addition, obesity is also closely related to high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar levels, and high blood pressure. In fact, these three health conditions include the causes and risk factors for heart failure.

Not to mention that obesity can also lead to heart attacks, which is another cause of heart failure. Obesity has a greater potential to cause heart failure if it is experienced by women.

Therefore, there's nothing wrong with adopting a healthy lifestyle such as a heart-healthy diet and doing heart-healthy exercise. The goal is to maintain an ideal body weight so as not to be obese and reduce risk factors for heart failure.

6. Unhealthy lifestyle

A risk factor for heart failure that should not escape your attention is your lifestyle. These factors include those you can modify. This means that, with hard skills, you can change this condition so that the risk factors also decrease.

What constitutes an unhealthy lifestyle? For example, smoking is an unhealthy lifestyle choice. Not only that, smoking also increases the risk of experiencing various heart health problems, one of which is a heart attack.

Apart from smoking, eating foods rich in saturated fat and trans fat also has the potential to increase the risk of heart failure. Likewise the habit of being lazy and rarely exercising. Not to mention, the habit of consuming alcohol can increase blood pressure and the risk of heart attack.