Something that seems as simple as feeling short of breath during physical exercise represents one of the most common symptoms of heart failure. This pathology causes the heart to be unable to maintain adequate flow in its task of pumping blood. So the rest of the organs do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients. Once heart failure is detected, the key will be to find out what stage it is in, since there are four types classified from one to four. The first being cases at risk and without symptoms and the second being patients with severe heart disease with symptoms.
The cause behind this pathology may be due to a disorder of the heart muscle, as explained by Dr. Juan José Gavira Gómez. However, other reasons for heart failure could be that the heart has been overloaded or both. But disorders such as ischemic heart disease, high blood pressure, valvular diseases or congenital heart diseases must also be considered, says the specialist.
Cases of patients with heart failure present two main symptoms. One of them is the decrease in oxygen that reaches the tissues. While the other consists of increased intravascular pressure, which causes congestion. But if there is a “universal” sign, it is the feeling of lack of air, says Dr. Juan José Gavira Gómez. This can be experienced during physical exercise or, in more serious pathologies, even during rest or at night.
If you have any suspicion that you may be facing a case of heart failure, it will be essential to go to a medical clinic to perform an analysis to confirm or rule out this possibility. The technique followed for its diagnosis is through a series of clinical criteria. If necessary, this pathology may require another series of tests, such as an echocardiogram, a chest x-ray, a blood and urine test, a CT scan and MRI, the specialist indicates.
Patients who have received a positive diagnosis of heart failure must undergo appropriate treatment, with medical-pharmacological measures and rehabilitation. The doctor explains that, depending on how each case evolves, another series of treatments would be studied, for example, certain interventional cardiology techniques, surgical revascularization or the application of intramyocardial laser, for patients with poor quality of their blood vessels. coronary arteries.
