Congestive Heart Failure And Its Prevention
A chronic condition of the heart hindering its ability to pump blood properly is known as congestive heart failure (CHF). Over time, fluids collect in your lungs and extremities, and then in other organs as well, leading to multiple organ failure. There is a disbalance between the body’s demand for oxygenated blood and the heart’s capacity to supply it.
Congestive heart failure affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. A cardiologist in Lahore helped us understand this heart disease better by listing characterizing features, causes, and prevention tips. Let’s have a detailed look:
Causes Of CHF
Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of CHF. This is precipitated by increased cholesterol in the blood, as well as hypertension, a sedentary lifestyle with poor diet, smoking, obesity, and stress.
Congenital heart issues present at birth may aggravate and lead to CHF as time passes. The use of alcohol is another causative agent. Kidney disease when complicated leads to heart failure.
Signs And Symptoms
Shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, chronic fatigue, and swollen extremities are some of the symptoms consistent with heart failure. Symptoms may come and go and may vary in severity from time to time. This does not mean that at times your symptoms are mild, you stop medication and believe that you are cured. This is not the case. Other signs include dry cough, weight gain, loss of appetite, and bloating. CHF gets worse over time and the symptoms can get much worse.
Preventive Tips
If you have heart failure, there is a lot that can be done to manage the condition. There are also many preventive tips that can help you keep yourself safe from contracting the disease as well. Lifestyle modifications and adequate dietary intake is the key to leading a healthy life with or without this disease. Here are some of the tips:
Regular exercise
Your overall health as well as that of your heart is dependent on the type of life you lead. A sedentary lifestyle will lead to long-term problems that are difficult to get rid of. An active routine with light to moderate exercise from the start supports overall cardiovascular health in wonderful ways. This combined with a few bouts of intense workouts a week and you’re almost disease-free.
It is important to stay as active as possible. Regular physical exercises not only relieve you of everyday symptoms of the disease, but they also slow their progress.
Monitor your weight
Monitoring and managing an ideal weight is critical in slowing down the disease. Even if a small amount of weight is increasing every few days, it means fluid buildup in the body is increasing. You need to be vary of that. Eat a balanced diet and avoid fatty foods and excessive liquid intake. You may get prescribed some diuretic or “water tablets” to drain extra fluid and water from the body in the form of urine. Losing a few pounds will work wonders for you if you want to prevent heart failure.
Eating healthy
Too much salt in your diet is harmful as it increases your blood pressure and retains water in the body. This is unacceptable when you have congestive heart failure or if you want to prevent yourself from contracting it.
Lean towards intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy omega-3 fats such as those found in salmon, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans, high-fiber whole grains, and lean meats. Avoid red meats, baked goods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and refined sugar. It is also necessary to drink in moderation.
Quit smoking
Smoking is a direct contributor to congestive heart failure. Tobacco in cigarettes is known to damage arteries and narrow them. Carbon monoxide found in the smoke replaces oxygen in the blood, leading to lesser oxygenation. Cessation of smoking is critical to have a positive impact on overall health as well as the heart’s.
Listen to your body
It is important to listen to your body and monitor it for any symptoms that might lead to serious health consequences. If you already have heart failure, ensure that you are familiar with even slight changes that your body undergoes. Weigh yourself daily and look for any swelling, especially in the legs and extremities. Keeping track of blood pressure is also needed. You can also get your blood work done at Iqra Medical Complex in Lahore to get some clues about your heart health.
Sleep well
Another important thing most workaholic people do not put much focus on is a good night’s sleep. Rest is critical. Sleep reduces the workload of the heart as well as the heart rate. Avoid caffeine at odd hours and wear loose-fitting to ensure adequate blood circulation at night.
Conclusion
Living with congestive heart failure is no easy feat. it is better to prevent from getting it or manage it well if you have it, instead of letting the disease progress that much. Following simple tips and taking the appropriate medicine can do you much good in the long run.