My essay is directed to all the people out there that have wanted to know about congestive heart failure or is living with and taking care of a loved one with this disease. I myself have lost loved ones to this disease and now my mother suffers with it. So, I believe this essay has helped me and I truly hope it will help you as well. In this essay I will define what congestive heart failure is, what leads to congestive heart failure (CHF), who is at risk of getting this disease, and what treatments and/or lifestyle changes can help with this disease.
Lastly I will tell of the effects that congestive heart failure has not only on the person with the disease but on the person’s loved ones. First let us define congestive heart failure this is a condition where the pumping efficiency of the heart is decreased and the supply of blood to the body is reduced (Weber, C. 2007). Now that it has been defined we can move on to the other topics of my essay. I found that the most common causes of congestive heart failure are: A) Coronary artery disease B) High blood pressure C) Long standing alcohol abuse D) Disorders of the heart valves.
E) Unknown idiopathic causes, such as after recovery from myocarditis (Shiel, W. , 2011). The less common causes are: A) Viral infections of the stiffening of the heart muscles B) Thyroid disorders, and disorders of the heart rhythm (Shiel, W. , 2011). I believe a person should also know that if they have underlying heart disease taking certain types of medication can make congestive heart failure worse. This is highly true for medications that can cause sodium retention (Shiel, W. , 2011). The most commonly used drugs that can cause sodium retention is (Nsaids), which include ibuprofen and naproxen (Shiel, W., 2011).
As well as certain steroids and some of the medication that is used to treat diabetes (Shiel, W. , 2011). There is several different things that can be done for congestive heart failure. Surgeons preform minimally-invasive heart surgery, implant ventricular assist devices and perform heart transplants on a daily bases for people with congestive heart failure (Mayo Clinic 2013). So as you can see congestive heart failure treatment may include surgery and medical devices. But, it can also include something as simple as medication and a change in a person’s lifestyle.
Some of the lifestyle changes may include but is not limited to the following: A) Avoiding or limiting alcohol B) Avoiding or limiting caffeine C) Eating a low fat, low-sodium diet D) Exercising E) Maintaining a healthy weight But most of all the two big things you may have to change is you may have to quit smoking and reduce your stress (Mayo Clinic 2013). There are specific lifestyle factors that put people at risk for congestive heart failure are: A) Excessive alcohol consumption B) Smoking C) Long-term use of anabolic steroids b But congestive heart failure is most commonly found in older people ( Badash, M.2012).
This is not to be misunderstood because there are children out there that I know personally that has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Now let’s look at the effects that congestive heart failure has on a person and the person’s loved ones. The side effects that I personally know because my father had congestive heart failure and now so does my mom are as follows: A) Fatigue B) Swelling of the hands and feet C) Trouble breathing D) Death. Do to the fatigue a person has a lot of trouble doing a lot of things that they would normally do for themselves.
So, therefore the person’s loved ones have to help them to things such as taking a bath and/or getting up out of bed. Due to the swelling because of fluid retention the person has trouble breathing. Lastly due to congestive heart failure the person dies. Leaving the family member that help them on a daily bases filling as if they should have done more. Now that we have covered what congestive heart failure is, what the risk factors are, how it can be treated and lastly the effects it has not only on the person with congestive heart failure but on the person’s family. I hope this essay is some help to the people that reads it.
“Reference Page” Craig Weber (2007) Congestive heart failure retrieved from: http://highbloodpressure. about. com/od/glossaryah/g/chf_glos. htm William Shiel (6/28/2011) Congestive heart failure retrieved from:
http://www. medicinenet. com/congestive_heart_failure/page2. htm Mayo Clinic (2013) Congestive heart failure treatment retrieved from: http://www. mayoclinic. org/congestive-heart-failure/treatment. html Michelle Badash (2012) Risk Factors For Congestive Heart Failure retrieved from: http://www. aurorahealthcare. org/yourhealth/healthgate/getcontent. asp? urlhealthgate=%2219256. html%22.