HEART FAILURE CAN RESULT FROM MANY DIFFERENT CAUSES
The heart is injured…
Heart failure is caused by many other health conditions. In fact, anything which injures the heart such as a heart attack, viruses, alcohol, chemotherapy, and many other toxic substances and health conditions can result in heart failure. The most common causes, representing 70% of heart failure patients, are coronary artery disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Other conditions shown in the diagram cause fewer cases but can sometimes be more serious leading to rapid deterioration and a need for heart transplantation.
Some causes are reversible…
Some causes of heart failure are reversible and this is why we put so much effort into testing to determine whether the cause is something that can be treated and the heart failure cured. Alcohol abuse is one form of heart failure that is reversible if the person stops drinking. Other reversible causes include heart dysfunction related to atrial fibrillation and other fast abnormal heart rhythms.
Every one is different…
The point is, everyone is different and the expertise of your CHFCare Team is critical to systematically doing the detective work to find and treat whatever is responsible for your symptoms. Once we discover what is causing your heart failure we will tell you more about it and what needs to be done. A treatment plan will be created which will be used as a roadmap to relieve your symptoms and prevent any further deterioration.