l would like to know what heart failure is and what causes it and if there are any cures?

thanks

Heart failure is a cardiac condition, that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body is needs.[1]

Heart failure should not be confused with cardiac arrest (see Terminology, below). It can cause a large variety of symptoms (chiefly shortness of breath & ankle swelling) but some patients can be completely symptom free. Heart failure is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition & challenges in definitive diagnosis, particularly in early stage. With appropriate therapy, heart failure can be managed in the majority of patients, but it is a potentially life threatening condition, & progressive disease is associated with an annual mortality of 10%.[2] It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.[3]
Contents
Terminology

Heart failure is a global term for the physiological state in which cardiac output is insufficient for the body is needs.

This may occur when the cardiac output is low (often termed ''congestive heart failure'').[4]

In contrast, it may also occur when the body is requirements r increased, & demand outstrips what the heart can provide, (termed ''high output cardiac failure'') [5]. This can occur in the context of severe anemia, beriberi (vitamin B1/thiamine deficiency), thyrotoxicosis, Paget is disease, arteriovenous fistulae or arteriovenous malformations.

Fluid overload is a common problem for people with heart failure, but is not synonymous with it. Patients with treated heart failure will often be euvolaemic (a term for normal fluid status), or more rarely, dehydrated.

Doctors use the word ''acute'' to mean of rapid onset, & ''chronic'' of long duration. Chronic heart failure is therefore a long term situation, usually with stable treated symptomatology. Acute Heart failure, which should just describe sudden onset HF, is also used to describe exacerbated or decompensated heart failure, referring to episodes in which a patient with known chronic heart failure abruptly develops symptoms.[citation needed]

There r several terms which r closely related to heart failure, & may be the cause of heart failure, but should not be confused with it:

* Cardiac arrest, & asystole both refer to situtations in which there is no cardiac output at all. Without urgent treatment, these result in sudden death.
* Heart attack refers to a blockage in a coronary (heart) artery resulting in heart muscle damage.
* Cardiomyopathy refers specifically to problems within the heart muscle, & these problems usually result in heart failure. Ischemic cardiomyopathy implies that the cause of muscle damage is coronary artery disease. Dilated cardiomyopathy implies that the muscle damage has resulted in enlargement of the heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy involves enlargement & thickening of the heart muscle.

[edit] Classification

There r many different ways to categorize heart failure, including:

* the side of the heart involved, (left heart failure versus right heart failure)
* whether the abnormality is due to contraction or relaxation of the heart (systolic dysfunction vs. diastolic dysfunction)
* whether the problem is primarily increased venous back pressure (behind) the heart, or failure to supply adequate arterial perfusion (in front of) the heart (backward vs. forward failure)
* whether the abnormality is due to low cardiac output with high systemic vascular resistance or high cardiac output with low vascular resistance (low-output heart failure vs. high-output heart failure)
* the degree of functional impairment conferred by the abnormality (as in the NYHA functional classification)

Functional classification generally relies on the New York Heart Association Functional Classification.[6] The classes (I-IV) are:

* Class I: no limitation is experienced in any activities; there r no symptoms from ordinary activities.
* Class II: slight, mild limitation of activity; the patient is comfortable at rest or with mild exertion.
* Class III: marked limitation of any activity; the patient is comfortable only at rest.
* Class IV: any physical activity brings on discomfort & symptoms occur at rest.

This score documents severity of symptoms, & can be used to assess response to treatment. While its use is widespread, the NYHA score is not very reproducible & does not reliably predict the walking distance or exercise tolerance on formal testing.[7]

In its 2001 guidelines, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association working group introduced four stages of heart failure:[8]

* Stage A: Patients at high risk for developing HF in the future but no functional or structural heart disorder;
* Stage B: a structural heart disorder but no symptoms at any stage;
* Stage C: previous or current symptoms of heart failure in the context of an underlying stru

Heart Failure is when the heart has become weak from such things as heart attacks , srokes , heart condsionsand alot of old people get it too and the heart doesent beat proble as the result fluide starts backing into the lungs
causeing shortness of breath , couching ,swollen feet and bad breathing at night and while lieing flat
theres not cure but it can be controlled with mebs

Heart failure is not a diagnosis in itself, it is rather a 'state' that patients can move in & out of. For many patients however heart failure exists to a greater or lesser extent as a result of a specific condition.

l will try to condense this as much as possible.
Basically the volume of blood passing through the heart per minute is known as cardiac output. This output can vary depending on the need of the body. It can be low at rest & rise with exercise. A healthy heart will have a great functional reserve & will be able to cope with the demands of increased output which occur from time to time.

In heart failure, the cardiac output is reduced. This is sometimes only first apparent on exercise but as the condition progresses it may be insufficient for the needs of the body, even at rest. As a result the tissues & organs receive an inadequate blood supply & therefore insufficient oxygen & nutrients.

Ischaemic Heart Disease is one of the main causes of heart failure. Due to narrowing of the coronary arteries, blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced which lessens the supply of blood & oxygen. As a result the heart muscle may then not function as well as it should.

Drug therapy can control symptoms of cardiac failure, but the natural course of the condition is one of a progressive deterioration. The main aim of management in heart failure r to decrease symptoms, limit the progression & prolong survival.

The use of ACE inhibitors r central to the management of heart failure, patients with sodium & water retention r given diuretic therapy. Beta-blockers r often prescribed alongIside ACE inhibitors such as bisoprolol or carvedilol. Because of their negative intotropic effects, beta blockers can cause worsening of heart failure at first, then symptoms should improve. In addition, other drugs r given depending on the underlying cause of cardiac failure.

Patients r advised to make lifestyle changes by; stopping smoking, try & remain as close to ur ideal weight as possible, eat healthy & do frequent exercise. Prevention is also better than a cure.