Introduction
The symptoms of heart failure (weakness of the heart muscle or heart failure) differ depending on whether only the right, only the left or both halves of the heart are affected by the disease. If the muscles of the left ventricle are weak, the main symptoms are, for example, dyspnea and poor performance.
Typical symptoms of heart failure
The typical symptoms of heart failure include
- Exhaustion, reduced performance
- Weight gain without increased food intake
- Water in the legs (leg edema)
- Water in the abdomen (ascites)
- Respiratory distress (dyspnoea)
- Nocturnal urination (nocturia)
- Acceleration of the heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Pain in the left breast
- Coughing with a heart failure
A common symptom of chronic heart failure, i.e. one that persists over a long period of time, is the accumulation of water in the legs, also called leg edema. These occur when the blood accumulates in front of the heart if the heart is not able to pump sufficiently fast and strongly. This causes fluid to leak into the tissues, which is mainly noticeable in the legs due to gravity.
Affected persons therefore often complain of heavy legs and a pulling sensation, as the skin on the legs is stretched and stretched by the accumulation of fluid. The water in the legs is often accompanied by increased urination at night as the body tries to get rid of the fluid. In advanced heart failure, water can accumulate in the lungs.
This is also known as pulmonary edema and is caused by the increase in blood pressure that accompanies heart failure. At a certain point, the lungs can no longer withstand the pressure of the blood vessels and water accumulates. The water in the lungs usually manifests itself as pronounced shortness of breath, together with a rattling sound when breathing and coughing fits.
As this can have serious consequences, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. Depending on its severity, the water in the lungs is treated with the administration of oxygen, erection of the upper body and draining medication, i.e. diuretics. In many people who suffer from heart failure, this is manifested by various breathing difficulties, among other things.
These include the general feeling that breathing is more difficult and that breathing difficulties are becoming more frequent. Many also suffer from coughing fits, which occur mainly at night and are accompanied by shortness of breath. This is also known as cardiac asthma and is promoted at night by the fact that the lungs are under more pressure when lying down.
Furthermore, breathing difficulties usually increase under physical exertion and it is more difficult to climb stairs, for example. If breathing difficulties increase, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible to detect any water accumulation in the lungs at an early stage. More about this:
- Respiratory distress due to heart failure
Heart failure can cause blood to build up in front of the heart because it can no longer be pumped sufficiently through the heart.
This causes fluid to collect, which can also leak into the connective tissue of the abdomen. This accumulation of water in the abdomen is also called ascites and leads to an excessive feeling of fullness. Pain is rare when there is water in the abdomen, but usually an indisposition.
As the liver is also usually under increased pressure in the case of blood congestion, the water in the abdomen can be accompanied by jaundice, for example. In addition to the treatment of the heart failure itself, diuretics, i.e. water-driving drugs, can help with ascites. This topic might also be of interest to you:
- Congested liver
Many people who suffer from heart failure also have frequent nightly urination.
This is also called nocturia, as soon as the affected person goes to the toilet at least twice a night. The reason for this is the accumulation of water in the body, especially in the legs, due to the lack of pumping function of the heart. At night, an attempt is made to flush the fluid out again.
This leads to the fact that sleep no longer has a restful effect on those affected. This increases the usually already existing reduction in performance. In addition, the shortened sleep leads to headaches and concentration problems for many people.
In the context of a cardiac insufficiency it can come to an acceleration of the heartbeat. This can be seen as a kind of compensation of the heart, as it is no longer able to pump enough blood at the normal speed of the heartbeat.In many cases, however, the accelerated heartbeat is also a cardiac dysrhythmia caused by a malfunction of the nerves that are responsible for heart function. This can lead to an increase in the speed of the heartbeat.
This is sometimes manifested by a palpable palpitations of the heart, which in many cases are felt at night. However, many people do not notice the change in the heartbeat either, and this is only detected during a medical examination. This topic might interest you:
- Therapy of tachycardia
- Heart failure and high blood pressure
If pain in the left chest occurs in the context of a cardiac insufficiency, this is in most cases an acute situation.
The pain is not a typical symptom of a chronic heart failure, i.e. one that has existed for a long period of time. On the contrary, they usually signal that the heart is acutely overloaded and that quick action must therefore be taken. Acute heart failure can also manifest itself through changes in heart activity, such as rapid heartbeat, as well as acute shortness of breath and cold sweat. If anything is unclear, you should therefore not hesitate to consult a doctor.
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