Heart Failure Causes

Heart failure is a syndrome characterized by several clinical features. Before deciding on treatment, physicians need to evaluate patients individually to establish exactly what is causing the heart failure whether it be myocardial dysfunction, a valve disorder or another underlying problem.

Some of the factors known to contribute to heart failure include:

  • Ischemic heart disease or coronary heart disease leading to problems such as angina and heart attack
  • Long-term high blood pressure
  • Diabetes and obesity
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy resulting in dilated and enlarged heart muscles that pump blood less effectively
  • Viral infection of the heart that may trigger cardiomyopathy
  • HIV infection and AIDS that may lead to cardiomyopathy
  • Cardiac muscle diseases such as amyloidosis and systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Certain medications, cancer chemotherapy agents, drugs of abuse and excess alcohol may also give rise to cardiomyopathies
  • Heart rhythm abnormalities or arrhythmias may cause acute or sudden heart failure. An increased heart rate or atrial fibrillation reduces the cardiac output and weakens the heart muscles. It can also increase the risk of thrombosis or a blood clot that may lead to stroke.

Heart valve diseases also give rise to heart failure. There are four one-way valves in the heart. Two of these lie between the right sided and left sided atrium and ventricles. The other two lie at the exits of the ventricles. Damaged or leaking valves increase the amount of work the heart has to do to pump. For example, if the valves are leaking, there is an excess pooling of blood which causes the heart to work harder to pump back-flowing blood, in addition to the blood it would usually pump. If the valves are too tight, the heart muscles need to pump blood at an increased pressure to push it through the narrowing.

Examples of diseases or disorders that increase the risk of heart failure include anemia, overactive thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis), gram negative septicemia, arteriovenous fistula and Paget's disease.

Sources

  1. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Heart-failure/Pages/Introduction.aspx
  2. http://www.heartfailureguideline.org/_assets/document/Guidelines.pdf
  3. https://www.heart.org/
  4. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/washington/front-door
  5. https://medlineplus.gov/
  6. https://www.sign.ac.uk/

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Mandal, Ananya. (2023, July 13). Heart Failure Causes. News-Medical. Retrieved on October 31, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/Heart-Failure-Causes.aspx.

  • MLA

    Mandal, Ananya. "Heart Failure Causes". News-Medical. 31 October 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/Heart-Failure-Causes.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Mandal, Ananya. "Heart Failure Causes". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Heart-Failure-Causes.aspx. (accessed October 31, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Mandal, Ananya. 2023. Heart Failure Causes. News-Medical, viewed 31 October 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/health/Heart-Failure-Causes.aspx.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Three common cardiovascular diseases linked to cognitive impairment and dementia risk