Heart failure is a medical condition in which the heart doesn't function properly, so it can't pump enough blood to distribute it throughout the body. Normally, the heart pumps blood continuously through the circulatory system. If someone has heart failure, the process of blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body tends to be too slow and causes the heart chambers to become stiff and thicken. This condition makes the heart muscle weaken and fail to work effectively.
Factors that cause heart failure are often not detected by sufferers. Therefore, first consider the main causes of heart failure below.
Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease in the elderly. Although different types, coronary heart disease is the main cause of a person experiencing heart failure. Coronary heart disease arises due to clogged heart blood vessels, thus making blood flow not smooth. This is what will then increase the risk of heart failure.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure can be fatal if not treated immediately. The heart will work harder to pump blood if the pressure in the blood vessels is too high. This will result in weakening of the heart muscle and make it more rigid. In severe cases, a person can get heart failure due to hypertension or high blood pressure that is allowed to drag on.
Diabetes
A person with diabetes with sugar levels far beyond normal limits has a higher risk of experiencing heart failure. This is caused by damage to the heart and kidney blood vessels due to diabetes. In addition, diabetes also makes the sufferer's blood tend to be more concentrated and viscous, so the heart has to work extra to pump blood throughout the body. When the heart is already working too hard, people with diabetes are more likely to develop heart failure.
Hyperthyroidism
When a person's thyroid hormone levels are too high, he experiences a condition of hyperthyroidism. One of the functions of thyroid hormone is to help the heart work and make it beat normally. If a person's thyroid hormone levels are too high, the heart will beat faster and cause the heart to become weaker. When the heart weakens, the patient will be more susceptible to heart failure.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is a condition in which a person has a heart rhythm that is outside normal limits. Either it's too slow, too fast, or tends to be disorganized. When this happens, heart function will be affected and interfere with the process of circulating blood throughout the body. If the blood is not pumping properly, the heart again has to try hard to regulate blood circulation so that it remains smooth. This results in weakening of the function of the heart itself. It also triggers damage to the heart muscle and increases a person's risk of heart failure.
In addition to the several conditions above, heart failure often affects people who have an unhealthy lifestyle, such as smoking, consuming alcoholic beverages, obesity due to bad eating habits, and rarely exercising. In addition, heart failure is also easier to attack the elderly compared to people of productive age. For this reason, prevent the risk of developing heart failure by detecting the cause early and starting to promote a healthier lifestyle. #LiveExcellently