What is signs of congestive heart failure

Summary

• Heart failure refers to the heart’s inability to pump enough blood to satisfy the needs of the body.
• Major causes of heart failure are coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
• Treatment includes medications, lifestyle changes and insertion of implantable cardiac devices or valve replacement surgery.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Related information

• Aortic stenosis may be congenital (present from before birth), but is often diagnosed during teenage years.

• Healthy eating and lifestyle changes can help to manage high blood pressure.

• Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can increase your risk of heart attack, kidney failure and stroke.

• Heart Foundation of Australia warns of the risk of high blood pressure and tells you what you can do to keep your blood pressure down.

• CPR is a life-saving skill that everyone should learn from an accredited organisation.

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Heart Failure Warning Signs and Symptoms

By themselves, any one sign of heart failure may not be cause for alarm. But if you have more than one of these symptoms, even if you haven't been diagnosed with any heart problems, report them to a healthcare professional and ask for an evaluation of your heart. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure which requires seeking timely medical attention, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.

View an animation of heart failure.

This table lists the most common signs and symptoms, explains why they occur and describes how to recognize them.

If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, it's important for you to manage and keep track of symptoms and report any sudden changes to your healthcare team.

Download our Self-Check Plan for help with tracking your heart failure symptoms:

English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)

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Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.

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