A lot of people, including Singaporeans, have a misconception about heart failure and what it is. By its name, you would think that this condition refers to a heart attack or a cardiac arrest, but it is actually a completely different, although related, heart condition. In Singapore, nearly 4.5% of all citizens have heart failure, and it is important that they seek heart failure treatment in Singapore as soon as they can by visiting https://cadenceheart.sg/condition/heart-failure/.
Cadence Heart Centre offers one of the most comprehensive heart failure treatments in Singapore, and if you live or work near Rochor road, you can set up an appointment with their esteemed medical team at their clinic to evaluate your heart’s health. Even if you think you don’t have heart failure, a checkup can reveal other heart conditions that you may not be aware about.
So, what exactly is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a heart condition in which a person’s heart is compromised and is having a hard time pumping blood throughout your whole body. Also known as congestive heart failure, this condition can have several effects on your body, including shortness of breath.
Heart failure is a condition that will last for a lifetime and about half of people who have it have a life expectancy of less than five years after diagnosis. However, thank to medical advancements over the years, people living with heart failure have a better chance of living past the 5-year mark and can live relatively normal lives with continuous heart failure treatments.
What causes heart failure?
There are several possible reasons that a person may have developed the condition, and it is often a result of other heart conditions. Some of the possible causes of heart failure are the following:
- High blood pressure (hypertension) – People suffering from hypertension can develop heart failure due to the extra blood pressure causing increased stress to the heart and its functions.
- Coronary heart disease (CAD) – The coronary arteries are a group of arteries that supply blood directly to the heart. CAD happens when there is a buildup of plaque in these arteries, which can cause them to become narrowed or even clogged. When this happens, your heart will not receive as much blood as it needs to do its job, which in turn makes it less effective in pumping blood throughout your whole body.
- Arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat) – Arrhythmia is a condition in which a person’s heartbeat is irregular, too fast, or too slow. Due to the abnormal heart rate, blood may not be supplied in an optimal way to your whole body and can cause heart failure.
- Cardiomyopathy – This is a condition in which your heart’s muscles are compromised, which can be a congenital condition. A person who has cardiomyopathy will have a weakened heart due to its affected heart muscles and will have a hard time pumping blood.
- Obesity – The heart will need to exert much more energy pumping blood throughout an obese person’s body compared to those who aren’t. Due to this, obese people often develop heart conditions including heart failure.
Are there different types of heart failure?
Yes. There are two main types – left-side or right-sided heart failure – depending on which side of the heart is compromised. It is also very common that heart failure will eventually affect the other side as well.
How will I know if I may have heart failure?
People with heart failure will usually experience the following symptoms:
- Shortness of breath during a physical activity or when lying down
- Experience fatigue quickly, especially compared to other people
- Weakness in the legs, especially during a physical activity
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, abdomen, and lower extremities
- Irregular or rapid heart rate (palpitations or arrhythmia)
- Nausea
- Decreased appetite
- Increased urge to urinate during the night
- Persistent coughing
If you or anyone you know experience these symptoms, contact a heart clinic such as Cadence Heart Centre immediately.
Are there different levels to heart failure?
The condition is usually characterized into four stages depending on its severity:
- Stage A – People in Stage A are those that are at very high risk of developing heart failure but without exhibiting signs or symptoms of the condition.
- Stage B – At this stage, a person has already been diagnosed with heart failure but have not yet exhibited any signs or symptoms.
- Stage C – People with stage C heart failure have been diagnosed with the condition and have also experienced signs and symptoms.
- Stage D – At stage D, which is the final stage of heart failure, people experience advanced symptoms and do not respond to treatment.
How does heart failure treatment work?
Although heart failure currently has no cure, there are treatments that exist that can help manage the condition and extend a person’s lifespan.
Your doctor will prescribe a treatment plan that will depend much on which type and stage of heart failure you have and also on what caused it. The most common parts of treatment, however, include the following:
- Medication – Your doctor will prescribe a variety of possible medicines to help treat heart failure and suppress its effects. These medicines may include ACE inhibitors (to help relax blood vessels, beta blockers (slow your heart rate), angiotensin II receptor blockers (similar effects to ACE inhibitors), diuretics (help you urinate more frequently to keep fluid from collecting in your body), and positive inotropes (improve the pumping of blood into your body).
- Lifestyle changes – A couple of lifestyle changes can have a great effect in treating heart failure. Usually, your doctor will encourage you to have regular exercise and to eat healthy.
- Surgery and other procedures – For people with higher stage heart failure, you may be advised to undergo a treatment procedure, such as a heart bypass or transplant to help you with your condition.
Heart failure is a condition that affects a significant percentage of the Singaporean population. It is vital that people undergo regular checkups to hopefully detect the disease so that it can be controlled before it gets worse.
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Cadence Heart Centre
Mt. Elizabeth Hospital, 3 Mount Elizabeth #14-13
Mt Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore 228510
Mobile: (65) 8318 9884
Phone: (65) 6369 8789
