Heart Failure
The heart’s inability to adequately pump blood throughout the body is known as heart failure. Usually, it occurs as a result of the heart being overly rigid or frail. Congestive heart failure is another name for it for heart failure although it’s less commonly used today.
Any age can experience it, but older people are more likely to do so.
The condition does not mean your heart has stopped working. It means it that it requires assistance to function more effectively. It is a chronic illness that usually gets progressively worse with time. While the symptoms can frequently be managed for many years, the condition is typically incurable.
Symptoms of heart failure
Heart failure’s primary signs and symptoms are:
- Breathlessness during or after exercise,
- Feeling worn out and finding exercise to be draining,
- Feeling dizzy or fainting,
- Swelling of the ankles and legs
Other signs that some people encounter include a lingering cough, a rapid heartbeat, and light-headedness.
Causes of heart failure
It frequently results from several heart conditions occurring simultaneously.
Heart failure may result from several conditions, including:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms)
- Congenital heart disease
Other factors involve: Obesity, anaemia, excessive alcohol consumption, an overactive thyroid, or high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension).
Heart failure treatments
Heart failure treatment often seeks to manage the symptoms for as long as feasible and slow the condition’s development. Depending on what is causing the condition, the treatment(s) will change.
Treatments include:
- Lifestyle modifications, such as eating a balanced diet, exercising frequently, and quitting smoking medications.
- A variety of medications can help
- Surgery – such as a bypass procedure or a heart transplant
Here at One Ashford Hospital, we have a dedicated team of cardiology consultants on hand to rapidly assess, diagnose and treat heart failure along with a range of other conditions.
You can use your private medical insurance or pay for your Heart Failure treatment. We offer competitive, fixed price packages as well as the ability to spread the cost of your treatment over a number of months. If you are using your health insurance, please contact your insurer first for approval and let them know you’d like to be treated at One Ashford Hospital
Why One Ashford Hospital
- Access to leading Consultants within 48 hours*
- Spread the cost with finance**
- Competitive fixed-price packages
- Modern purpose-built hospital
- Private, spacious, ensuite rooms
- Specialist Physiotherapy and nursing teams
- Little waiting time for surgery
- Calm, dignified experience
*Dependent on Consultant availability
**Terms and conditions apply
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