Text/Xia Mo
Editor/Xia Mo
How much do you know about heart failure?
As one of the most important organs in our body, the heart powers most of our actions. But what happens if one day your heart fails?
Heart failure is such a thing that makes people shudder when they think about it.
What's even more terrifying is that more than 15 million people in the mainland have heart failure, and in the past five years, the mortality rate of heart failure has been as high as 50%, and there are 3 million new cases every year.
This series of shocking numbers is undoubtedly a reminder to pay attention to heart failure.
Although many people know that heart failure is very harmful and terrifying, do you really know about heart failure?
First of all, it is important to know that heart failure is not a disease, it is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently to meet the body's needs due to various reasons.
If our body is compared to a ship, then the heart is the engine of the ship, and heart failure means that the engine is not full of oil, and it is difficult for the whole ship to move on, you can imagine what a terrible thing it is.
And just like the fuel engine problems, our heart does not fail suddenly, but there is a process, in this process, if we do not find and maintain it in time, it will slowly accelerate the aging of the heart over time, and finally it is too late to fail.
Therefore, in order not to drag out heart failure, you should pay extra attention to these precursors of heart failure, which is the body is waking the alarm bell to you.
Heart failure precursors need attention
1. Difficulty breathing
If you often feel that you have trouble breathing and feel a feeling of tightness in your chest when gasping for air, then you should be on guard, which may be one of the precursors of heart failure.
When heart failure occurs, the heart's pumping function is weakened, and blood in the body cannot circulate normally and smoothly, resulting in fluid accumulation in the blood vessels that exceed normal capacity.
As part of the blood circulation, fluid also accumulates in the blood vessels of the lungs, putting pressure on the lungs, causing the fluid to penetrate into the alveoli and form pulmonary edema.
Because of the fluid in the lungs, the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is blocked, resulting in difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, shortness of breath, wheezing, and even inability to breathe in severe cases.
If you sleep at night, because the patient lies flat, it will also allow further accumulation of fluid in the lungs, causing the lungs to be more crowded, causing coughing, and not sleeping well all night.
2. Edema of the lower limbs
Edema of the legs and feet is also one of the symptoms of heart failure.
Normally, the heart pumps blood to carry oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.
However, when the heart's pumping function is impaired, blood circulation becomes poor, causing fluid to build up in the tissues outside the blood vessels, and as the pressure in the blood vessels increases, the fluid can also leak out into the surrounding tissues.
The lower limbs, as the most terminal organs, have become one of the most common parts of fluid accumulation, and when the heart's pumping function is weakened, venous return will also be affected, so that all the blood accumulates in the lower limbs.
In addition, kidney function will also be impaired due to heart failure, and the fluid balance in the body will be disrupted, which will lead to further edema of the lower limbs.
Although other problems such as lymphatic system problems and kidney disease can also cause leg edema, it is still necessary to go to the hospital for a check-up anyway, and even if it is not heart failure, it may be caused by other diseases.
3. Fatigue and weakness
When you feel inexplicably tired without doing any exercise, you should consider heart failure, because it is also a direct result of the heart's pumping function.
Because the body does not get enough oxygen and nutrients, the needs of various tissues and organs cannot be met, and the body feels tired and weak.
In addition, the accumulation of fluid due to heart failure causes edema in the lungs and legs, which also increases the workload on the body and makes the body feel more tired.
And, due to heart failure, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in our body will be disrupted, resulting in abnormal fluid and electrolyte conditions in the body, affecting energy metabolism and body functions.
Four classes of drugs should be taken with caution
In addition to the above precursors, we also need to be aware of one thing, that is, many of our common daily medications, if taken incorrectly or in excess, can also lead to heart failure.
1. Antihypertensive drugs
Drugs like calcium channel blockers and nitrates, which lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels or decreasing the contractility of the heart, may make the heart less blood-hungry and worsen heart failure symptoms in some people with diastolic heart failure.
Diuretics also reduce the fluid load in the body by increasing the amount of urine that is used to urinate.
However, this can lead to excessive fluid loss in the body, which can reduce blood volume in the body and make it more difficult for the heart to pump blood, which can worsen or induce heart failure.
2. Hypoglycemic drugs
Certain glucose-lowering drugs, such as metformin, can cause fluid retention, which can increase the workload on the heart, causing the heart to expand, hypertrophy and even impaired function, eventually leading to heart failure.
Some hypoglycemic drugs can also interfere with the normal function of the heart, such as long-term use of insulin, which is likely to cause myocardial fibrosis, which will also increase the risk of heart failure.
In addition, the heart of diabetic patients is very sensitive to the stability of blood sugar, and if the hypoglycemic drugs are not taken properly and the dose is too high, the blood sugar will be too low.
This rapid lowering of blood sugar will put an additional burden on the heart, which in turn will lead to insufficient blood supply to the heart and cause damage to the heart muscle.
3. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
In general, NSAIDs themselves have a negative effect of inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis by inhibiting prostaglandin synthase, which may reduce fluid excretion, which in turn leads to fluid retention.
This, coupled with the fact that NSAIDs themselves raise blood pressure, is particularly dangerous for patients with pre-existing heart disease or heart failure and is likely to further worsen the condition.
4. Anti-arrhythmic drugs
You know, some people have a very special constitution, that is, they are prone to arrhythmia drug poisoning, which will cause the toxic effect of heart muscle cells, so that the heart muscle will be damaged.
Also, because antiarrhythmic drugs inhibit the repolarization process of heart cells and prolong the cardiac action potential, these are factors that can make the heart's electrical activity unstable.
Long-term use of certain antiarrhythmic drugs can also lead to a decrease in the ability of the heart muscle to contract, which can lead to heart failure.
epilogue
Heart failure is a health problem that needs to be taken seriously, after reading this article, I hope you can identify the drugs that are easy to cause heart failure in your daily life, take them cautiously under the guidance of your doctor, and learn how to identify whether you may face heart failure.
I sincerely wish you all good health.