Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the muscles in the heart fail to pump out enough blood to help maintain normal functioning of the body. Due to this insufficient supply of blood, your body develops a blood and fluid buildup over some time. Usually, the fluid buildup takes place in the lungs and causes swelling over the body. As a result, your body gets deprived of the essential functioning element oxygen, causing shortness of breath and several complications in various organ systems.
Heart failure is a deadly disease that can affect people all over the world. It affects the ability of your heart to pump blood to the body. This can lead to various problems due to the insufficiency of oxygen and blood flow to the body. Timely treatment with medication can help you to prevent the fatality rate in heart failure patients.
Symptoms of Heart failure
Patients with heart failure may have the following symptoms, which are given below:
- Breathing problem: Individuals may experience a shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing
- Coughing and wheezing: Patients may have a cough and wheezing due to breathing difficulty
- Fainting or dizziness: Patients may experience tiredness or dizziness due to insufficient blood flow.
- Swelling: Individuals may have swelling in the ankle or leg and tummy
- Heart palpitations: Patients may feel a fluttering, racing, or pounding in the chest.
- Chest pain: Individuals have chest pain or discomfort in the upper part of the body.
- Loss of appetite: Individuals may lose appetite during heart failure.
Tips to Reduce Hospitalization Risk in Heart Failure Patients
- Medications like Azmarda 100mg Tablet contain two active ingredients, Sacubitril and Valsartan, which are cardiovascular agents and belong to a group of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi). It is used in the treatment of long-term heart failure in adults. It can be used as a combination with other medications to reduce the risk of hospitalization in people with certain types of heart failure.
- The major cause of medication nonadherence is missing the dose; using a pill organizer that contains various slots for every time of the day, indicating various colors, helps the patients easily identify and ensure the timely consumption of medicines.
- Regular physical activity like brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, playing tennis, and jumping rope can help reduce the risk of heart failure.
- You are advised to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and a restricted quantity of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and low sugar. Have foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, trout), flaxseeds, and walnuts.
- It is advised to maintain a healthy body weight to reduce the risk of obesity-related heart failure.
- Smoking can cause severe damage to the arteries of the blood. There is a high risk of heart attack and chest pain (angina pectoris) in people who smoke compared to the person who doesn't smoke. Excessive alcohol intake is unhealthy to the heart and can lead to heart failure.
- Stress plays a major role in increasing the risk of heart attack by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. Practice stress-reducing techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or other relaxation methods can help to reduce the stress and risk of heart failure.
- Conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels can increase the risk of heart failure in patients. These conditions are recommended to be controlled or managed to maintain a healthy heart.
- It is advised to receive all the recommended vaccinations, like annual flu and pneumococcal vaccines, at a correct interval to reduce the risk of various infections as they can increase the risk of hospitalization.
- Regular check-up plans with your doctor can help monitor blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and overall heart health.
Conclusion
Heart failure is a crucial condition that needs to be treated before it leads to serious health complications like death. It is recommended that you engage with your doctor to get tailored medicine for heart failure and improve your quality of life.
