What are the 4 stages of congestive heart failure?

What are the 4 stages of congestive heart failure?

There are four stages of heart failure (Stage A, B, C and D). The stages range from “high risk of developing heart failure” to “advanced heart failure,” and provide treatment plans.

How do you detect congestive heart failure?

Diagnostic tests for congestive heart failure may include:

• Resting or exercise electrocardiogram (also known as EKG, ECG, or stress test)
• Echocardiogram.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan.
• Biopsy or catheterization of the heart and arteries.

What are the most common types of congestive heart failure?

Left-sided CHF is the most common type of CHF. It occurs when your left ventricle doesn’t properly pump blood out to your body. As the condition progresses, fluid can build up in your lungs, which makes breathing difficult.

What is mild congestive heart failure?

What are the symptoms of mild congestive heart failure? The patient may experience bouts of fluid retention and weight gain, shortness of breath on exertion, and decreased exercise tolerance. Some patients may have significant problems with swelling of their legs.

What happens when congestive heart failure worsens?

As heart failure gets worse, fluid starts to build up in your lungs and other parts of your body. This may cause you to: Feel short of breath even at rest. Have swelling (edema), especially in your legs, ankles, and feet.

When should you go to the hospital with congestive heart failure?

Go to the emergency room or call your local emergency number if you have heart failure and have a weight gain of more than 5 pounds in a week, an inability to lie flat, shortness of breath at rest, increased swelling and discomfort in the lower body, or a constant, hacking cough.

Can you recover from congestive heart failure?

Although there is no cure for heart failure, it’s important to manage the condition with medication and lifestyle changes to prevent it from worsening. In order to improve life expectancy while living with congestive heart failure, you should know the different stages of the disease and what to do after diagnosis.

How do you stay healthy with congestive heart failure?

Important lifestyle changes may include:

1. Quitting smoking.
2. Maintaining or losing weight.
3. Tracking your daily fluid intake.
4. Avoiding or limiting alcohol.
5. Avoiding or limiting caffeine.
6. Eating a heart-healthy diet.
7. Being physically active.
8. Managing stress.

What should you not do if you have congestive heart failure?

Dietary fiber (also called “roughage”) helps your body regulate blood sugar levels and scrub cholesterol from your arteries. When you have heart failure, you should avoid white bread, white rice, regular pasta, many boxed breakfast cereals, and other processed grains.

What causes congestive heart failure to flare up?

The most common causes of congestive heart failure are: Coronary artery disease. High blood pressure (hypertension) Longstanding alcohol abuse.