Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Disease

Published on Sep 25 2009, in the categories: Uncategorized

Congestive heart disease is a misapplied term used when referring to a disorder named congestive heart failure (CHF); another mistake people make when talking or reading about this condition is that they don't know that the initials CHD which refers to congenital heart defects (which may be accompanied by congestive heart failure fact that confuses even more the people).

The symptoms of congestive heart failure occur in patients who have an abnormality (inherited or acquired) in heart structure or functioning. There are many causes that lead to this condition, the most frequent being miocardic infarction, miocardic ischemia, hypertension, genetic disorders, valvular diseases and infiltrative diseases.

The most common symptoms of congestive heart failure are fatigue and dyspnea. Fatigue is determined not only by the low cardiac output but also by the associated non-cardiac co-morbidities. Dyspnea occurs in the early stages only after exertion but, as the disease progresses it occurs after any physical activity and,ultimately it occurs even at rest. Orthopnea (shortness of breath while lying flat) and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (severe breathlessness and coughing attacks in the nighttime, awakening the patient) are common in the late stages of the disease. Orthopnea may be relieved by sitting upright, unlike paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Another respiratory feature of the disease is represented by the Cheyne-Stokes respiration. This sign consists in severe episodes of dyspnea or short, transient cessations of breathing.

The patient also complain of gatrointestinal symptoms such as fullness, nausea, anorexia, abdominal pain and early satiety, determined by a congested liver or the edema of the bowel. The congestion of the liver and the stretching of Glisson's capsule ill also lead to right-upper quadrant pain.

In patient with severe congestive heart failure neurological symptoms may occur. Sleep disturbances, confusion, mood disturbances and disorientation are common, especially among the elderly patients.

A very important sign is represented by hepatomegaly. When this sign is present the enlarged liver is tender and pulsates during systole in case tricuspid regurgitation is present. As a consequence of the increased blood pressure in the hepatic veins, ascites occurs. The liver congestion leads to an impaired hepatic function, whose consequence is jaundice, another late sign of congestive heart failure.

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A cardinal sign of congestive heart failure is peripheral edema which occurs mainly in the pretibial region and in the ankles. In bedridden patients presacral edema may be found.

In the severe cases of the disease massive weight loss and cachexia may be found. These feature have not been entirely explained but they are considered to be multifactorial and determined by the anorexia, impairment of the intestinal function, nausea, vomiting due to abdominal fullness and hepatic congestion.

Other less specific signs and symptoms are: decreased daytime micturition, nocturia, postural light headedness, falls and muscle wasting. Other symptoms, determined by hypoxemia are severe cyanosis and impaired mental performance.

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Disease Symptoms

Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Disease