Damage to which area of the heart is most likely to result in severe heart failure
Long-term, or chronic, heart failure is often caused by other medical conditions that damage or overwork your heart. Sudden, or acute, heart failure can be caused by an injury or infection that damages your heart, a heart attack, or a blood clot in your lung. Show
To understand heart failure, it helps to know how the heart works. The right side of your heart gets oxygen-low blood from your body. It pumps the blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side of your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body. What causes left-sided heart failure?Left-sided heart failure is more common than right-sided heart failure. There are two types of left-sided heart failure, each based on how well your heart pumps. This measurement is called the ejection fraction. The Diagnosis section has more information about ejection fraction.
The Diagnosis section includes more about heart failure with preserved or reduced ejection fraction and how doctors diagnose it. What causes right-sided heart failure?Over time left-sided heart failure can lead to right-sided heart failure. In right-sided heart failure, your heart can't pump enough blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen. Left-sided heart failure is the main cause of right-sided heart failure. That’s because left-sided heart failure can cause blood to build up on the left side of your heart. The build-up of blood raises the pressure in the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your lungs. This is called pulmonary hypertension, and it can make the right side of your heart work harder. Congenital heart defects or conditions that damage the right side of your heart such as abnormal heart valves can also lead to right-side heart failure. The same is true for conditions that damage the lungs, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What raises my risk for heart failure?Many things can raise your risk of heart failure. Some things you can control, such as your lifestyle habits, but many others are out of your control, including your age, race, or ethnicity. Your risk of heart failure goes up if you have more than one of the following.
Heart failure is common in both men and women, although men often develop heart failure at a younger age than women. Women more commonly have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which is when the heart does not fill with enough blood. Men are more likely to have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), [DEF]. Women often have worse symptoms than men. Brochure Take Action to Protect Your HeartLearn about how women can help lower the risk of heart disease. Can heart failure be prevented?You can take the following steps to lower your risk of developing heart failure. The sooner you start, the better your chances of preventing or delaying the condition.
Fact Sheet Learn more about how healthy lifestyle changes can help
prevent heart disease. Which is the most affected part of heart in heart failure?Generally, heart failure begins with the left side, specifically the left ventricle — your heart's main pumping chamber. Fluid may back up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath.
Where is heart failure most common?Left-sided heart failure is the most common type. Right-sided heart failure: Here the right ventricle of the heart is too weak to pump enough blood to the lungs. This causes blood to build up in the veins (the blood vessels that carry blood from the organs and tissue back to the heart).
Which side of the heart is first affected in heart failure?Heart failure develops when your heart isn't able to pump enough blood to adequately supply your tissues with oxygen. Most of the time, heart failure develops on the left side of your heart.
What happens in leftLeft-sided heart failure occurs when the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping power source, is gradually weakened. When this occurs, the heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart's left atrium, into the left ventricle and on through the body and the heart has to work harder.
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