1. Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) Slideshow Pictures
2. Slideshow: Atrial Fibrillation Causes, Tests, and Treatment
3. Take the Heart Disease Quiz!

Medical Author:

Terrence X O'Brien, MD, FACC

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

View Full Profile

Congestive heart failure can be the ultimate result of a number of diseases, or lifestyle choices, that damage the heart. Some of these can be prevented. Others cannot be prevented but can be treated successfully.

Some examples of illnesses or lifestyle choices that can lead to congestive heart failure are as follows:

• Coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease), including heart attack
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Uncontrolled high cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Congenital heart disease (a heart condition that one is born with)
• Infection (particularly some common viruses that can rarely severely affect the heart and cannot be reliably predicted or prevented)
• Damage to the heart valves
• Alcoholism
• Smoking

In some cases, a family history of heart failure can be present. Many cases are a combination of factors, and in other cases, the cause is unknown.

If a person has congestive heart failure, they are at increased risk of developing pneumonia. They probably should receive both the pneumonia vaccination and annual flu shots. Patients should ask their primary health care provider to be sure.

Prognosis

Heart failure is a major health problem that comes with the aging of America. Today, many more people are surviving heart attacks and other heart diseases. Enduring these heart conditions allows them many more years of quality life, but can eventually lead to the development of heart failure.

In recent years, more effective medications have been developed that improve the outlook of heart failure. Medications are the mainstay of therapy with congestive heart failure.

• New and sophisticated treatments are allowing people to live longer. These results are proven by clinical trials in which patients volunteer to take new therapies under strict ethical and scientific monitoring.
• Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators have improved and now offer the ability to control rare, but life-threatening, disturbances of heart rhythm in some people.
• Some people may even benefit from sophisticated treatments such as heart transplants and newer forms of temporary mechanical hearts and LVADs.

Must Read Articles Related to Congestive Heart Failure

Ascites Ascites is an accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity (abdominal cavity). The primary cause of ascites is liver disease such as cirrhosis, acute liver fa...learn more >>

Atrial Fibrillation Atrial fibrillation (A fib) describes a rapid, irregular heart rhythm. The irregular rhythm, or arrhythmia, results from abnormal electrical impulses in the hea...learn more >>

Atrial Flutter Atrial flutter is an abnormality in the beating of the heart. Such abnormalities, whether in rhythm of heartbeat or speed of heartbeat, are known as arrhythmias...learn more >>

See the Entire Congestive Heart Failure Topic Guide »