Heart
failure is a serious condition that worsens over time, but certain cases can be
reversed with appropriate treatment. Several treatments are there that can
relieve symptoms and stop or slow the gradual worsening of the condition even
when the heart muscle is impaired.
The
objectives behind heart therapy are to relieve symptoms and improve quality of
life, slow advancement of disease, lower the need for emergency room visits and
hospitalization and ensure longer shelf-life for people. Treatment options
depend on the type, cause, symptoms and severity of the heart failure with more
than one therapy being used, in general. The treatment options include
lifestyle changes, treating the underlying causes, medications and surgery.
Lifestyle
Changes:
Making modifications
often improve or control some of the factors contributing to heart failure. For
instance, people with heart failure (HF) can see stark improvement by:
1. Losing weight.
2. Eating a heart-healthy diet that is
low in fat and sodium.
3. Limiting or avoiding caffeine intake.
4. Getting regular exercise including a
physical rehabilitation program, once symptoms are stable.
5. Reducing stress and managing
depression.
6. Keeping track of symptoms.
7. Quitting smoking and avoiding
exposure to second-hand smoke.
8. Limiting intake of alcohol to no more
than one drink two or three times a week.
9. Getting adequate rest to avoid
stressing the heart which can be done by modifying daily activities.
10. Monitoring the condition by having
regular checkups.
Treating
the Underlying Causes:
There are a
number of conditions that can lead to HF. Surgery or angioplasty to open
clogged blood vessels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD),
prescribed medications to control high blood pressure (HBP), diabetes, anemia,
etc. are ways the other/underlying factors can be treated. Furthermore,
treating abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias is particularly important in
patients with HF.
Medications:
There are a
number of medications that doctors prescribe for HF which may be prescribed to
dilate blood vessels, strengthen the ticker’s pumping action and lower water
and sodium in the body to reduce the heart’s workload. Types of medication
include Angiotensive converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (they dilate, or widen
the arteries improving blood flow so that the ticker doesn’t have to pump
hard), beta-blockers (lowers BP and blocks and decreases the effect of harmful
hormones that can cause advancement of the disease), diuretics or water pills (they
help the kidneys to produce more urine thus ridding the body of excess fluid,
which can stress the ticker), potassium and magnesium supplements, Digoxin,
anti-arrhythmic drugs to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
Surgery:
Some of the
surgical options to treat the underlying causes of HF include coronary artery
bypass graft or angioplasty that prevents and treats HF caused by blocked
arteries; repairing congenital heart defects (CHF); pacemakers and other
devices such as artificial heart valves implantation. Surgical treatments for
HF itself include heart transplantation, heart reconstruction, left ventricular
assist devices (LVAD) (these may be implanted in the chest to increase the
pumping action of ticker).
Hope, you
find this information to be useful.
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