Heart Failure Causes

Left Sided Heart Failure
Well, left sided heart failure is the most common cause of right sided heart failure. When the left ventricle is unable to pump blood properly, it causes pressure to buildup on the left side, this in turn, affects the right side of the heart as well. In event of a left sided heart failure, blood backs up into the lungs and enters the right ventricle. This puts pressure on the right ventricle and increases the risk of a right sided heart failure. Coronary artery disease is one of the most common right sided heart failure causes as well. When the arteries supplying blood to the heart get blocked, the supply of the blood to the ventricles gets blocked and this can cause left sided as well as right sided heart failure.

Lung Diseases
People suffering from chronic lung disease are also at an increased risk of developing right sided heart failure. Diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or pulmonary embolism are some of the common right sided heart failure causes. Pulmonary artery is a specialized artery that is connected to the right ventricle. It carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. Narrowing of the pulmonary artery can also put immense pressure on the right ventricle and can lead to serious damage to the heart muscle.

Heart Disorders
Besides these conditions, heart valve disorders could also be responsible for causing heart failure. Tricuspid stenosis is a condition wherein the tricuspid valve, a valve situated between the right atrium and the right ventricle, becomes constricted. Since this valve facilitates the passage of blood from the atrium to ventricle, the narrowing of this valve affects the flow of blood. When the blood is not able to flow out of the right atrium, it causes the right atrium to enlarge. Tricuspid regurgitation is another heart disease wherein the valve doesn't shut properly. Due to this anomaly, the back-flow of blood during the contraction of ventricle cannot be prevented. This causes volume overload and causes the right ventricular failure. Inflammation and thickening of the pericardium, a serous membrane surrounding the heart can also affect the heart's ability to pump blood. Certain congenital heart defects could also be responsible for heart failure.

Right Sided Heart Failure: Symptoms and Treatment

Now that you are aware of the common right sided heart failure causes, let's move on to the symptoms. The most common right sided heart failure symptoms are swelling of feet and ankles, weakness, fatigue, weight gain, irregular heart beat, palpitations, frequent urination and fainting spells. If you experience any of these symptoms, you must consult a cardiologist at the earliest. Blood tests, chest X-ray, echocardiogram or other imaging procedures can help in throwing light on the sufferer's heart health. Since heart failure could be caused due to various medical conditions, it's important that the disease responsible for causing heart problem is treated soon. The congestive heart failure treatment options will vary depending on the extent of damage to the heart as well as the patient's overall health. While medicines will be prescribed for improving the heart's health, surgery might be required in serious cases. Besides the use of medicines such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and diuretics, one will also have to make certain lifestyle-related changes. Patients are generally asked to follow a congestive heart failure diet and refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol.

This was all about right sided heart failure causes. If you have been experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, get yourself medically examined immediately. A timely diagnosis and treatment will surely help in averting serious damage to the heart and lower the risk of life-threatening situations. So, keep your heart in a good condition! Take care!

How to Detect a Heart Attack

Heart attack, a medical condition that will change the pace of your life. Of all the people who experience a heart attack in a year, only 40% survive. This shows it is not a good idea to take heart health lightly. If you are over 35 to 40 years of age, it will be a good idea to undergo regular medical check ups and keep a tab on your health. Heart attack can strike suddenly with intense discomfort. A few people experience mild heart attacks with a little bit of pain and discomfort. Whether you have a signs and symptoms of a mild heart attack or a serious one, you need to seek medical help immediately. The important part of seeking immediate medical help is recognizing heart attack symptoms. The key to save a life, maybe your own is knowing how to detect a heart attack. We will discuss the symptoms that will help you in recognizing a heart attack.

Recognizing Heart Attack Symptoms
How to detect a heart attack is an important question as getting help in the first hour is a priority. The first hour is called the 'golden hour'. If you seek medical attention in this 'golden hour' by recognizing the early signs of heart attack, your chances of recovery is greater. Many 'atypical heart attack symptoms are mistaken as an upset stomach. The person experiencing this begins to wonder if it is an indigestion or heart attack. This mistake decreases the chances of recovery from a heart attack. Spotting the symptoms as early as possible will help you save your life by seeking immediate heart attack treatment. Let's go into the details of how to detect a heart attack.

Detecting a Heart Attack Precursor Symptoms
Before you get a coronary attack, your heart will give you signals that somethings is just not right. This means when you carry out physical exertion, have a big heart meal, travel or live in cold weather, are emotionally charged up like very angry or are under a great deal of stress, you will feel your heart rhythm change. It will begin to beat faster and continue beating in the same rhythm for a really long time. This happens because your arteries are blocked and this obstructs the flow of flood through the heart. You cardiac muscle tissues do not receive the required nutrients at the right time and they suffer from lack of oxygen. This condition leads to angina pectoris or angina. The symptoms of angina act as a warning sign of an oncoming heart attack. These symptoms of angina that help in recognizing a heart attack are as follows:

• A heavy or squeezing sensation in the chest
• Shortness of breath after little physical activity
• One feels a constricting sensation in the throat
• A discomfort or pain in the jaw, teeth, ears, both arms, stomach and in some rare cases between the shoulder blades

When the blood clots or fatty deposits restricting the blood flow rupture leads to a heart attack. Are you wondering is arm pain a heart attack symptoms.

Recognizing Heart Attack ~ Atypical Symptoms
I have already mentioned in the above paragraphs, that many people mistake some of the symptoms of heart attack as a simple digestive upset. However, it is important to understand the atypical symptoms for recognizing a heart attack. The atypical signs are also called as silent heart attack symptoms. These atypical signs are very commonly observed as heart attack symptoms in women. These atypical heart attack symptoms include heartburn, nausea, sweating, sudden light headedness, etc. A few people may experience tingling in the left shoulder and arm, palpitations as well as bloated stomach. Women, especially experience pain between the shoulder blades and not the typical crushing pain in chest. You can have a look at heart attack in women and heart attack symptoms in men in detail.

You can read more in detail about the signs of heart attack by going through the following articles:

• Heart Attack Warning Signs
• Heart Attack Warning Signs in Men
• Heart Attack Symptoms in Women over 50

Recognizing Heart Attack ~ Typical Symptoms
Let us now have a look at how to detect a heart attack in detail. When one experiences heart attack, most of the symptoms are similar to an angina attack. Thus, it is important to seek medical attention as you do not know whether it is an angina attack or heart attack. The typical heart attack symptoms include:

• Squeezing or pressure in the middle of the chest
• Burning sensation in chest
• Chest pain that radiates towards the jaw, neck, shoulder, arms and down to the back
• Excessive, sudden sweating
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain that lasts more than 15 minutes
• Feeling sick or indigestion
• One feels faint
• Pain in the middle of the abdomen

These are some of the symptoms that help detecting a heart attack. Most of the time, people associate the symptoms with indigestion and acidity. However, it is better to confirm this false alarm in the medical room, than suffering from effects of a heart attack. If you feel you are experiencing heart attack signs and symptoms, call the emergency medical services immediately. If you are over 50 years of age, diabetic, suffering from high blood pressure, hypertension, have a history of heart disease, etc then do not take any symptoms lightly. This was all about how to detect a heart attack. Remember, medical attention during the 'golden hour' of having a heart attack, will help increases the chances of your quick recovery.