In the UK, around 900,000 people are affected by heart failure. When you have heart failure, your heart doesn’t function properly, preventing it from effectively pumping blood around the body. Heart failure isn’t immediately lethal, but it can cause prolonged health complications. Therefore, it is important to recognise heart failure symptoms in our elderly loved ones so the condition can be treated.
Causes of Heart Failure
Often, heart failure cannot be ascribed to any one cause. Rather, it is often caused by multiple problems at the same time. These problems may be as a result of other health conditions that impact the heart.
Conditions that affect the heart and can lead to heart failure include:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Cardiomyopathy
- Atrial fibrillation
- Damage to heart valves
- Congenital heart disease
Furthermore, anything that puts pressure on the heart can lead to heart failure. Obesity, overconsumption of alcohol, and anaemia can all lead to heart failure over time.
Early Heart Failure Symptoms
As with many health complications, early identification is key to effective treatment. Knowing the early signs of heart failure means your loved one can visit their doctor before the condition becomes too severe. This can allow for intervention before heart failure develops into a heart attack or other complications.
Early heart failure symptoms tend to include:
- Congestion – Sometimes known as “cardiac cough”, heart failure can contribute to a build-up of fluid in the lungs. This can cause your loved one to cough more often, or experience wheezing and breathing difficulties.
- Fatigue and Weakness – The heart is crucial for getting oxygen-rich blood around the body. If it cannot fulfil this function effectively, the body struggles to meet its energy needs. This can result in chronic fatigue, leaving your loved one exhausted even after mild exertion.
- Swelling – Less efficient heart function can result in a build-up of fluid in the extremities. This build-up then appears as swelling, often in the angles, legs, or abdomen. Excess fluid could also lead to unexplained weight gain.
- Heart Palpitations – A weakening of the heart means it has to work harder to fulfil its function. This often presents itself as surges in heartrate, which may feel like a fluttering in the chest.
- Trouble Sleeping – If your loved ones are experiencing difficulty sleeping for at least three nights in a week, for at least a month, they may be experiencing a more serious health complaint. Heart failure can contribute to poorer blood oxygenation when lying down, which can cause discomfort and interfere with sleep.
- Loss of Appetite – The effects of heart failure can leave your loved one feeling like eating less often. This could be linked to fatigue and a loss of motivation. However, extra fluids in the body can also have an impact.
If you notice your loved ones are experiencing these symptoms, it is important they see a doctor. It may not be heart failure, but it is best to get an early diagnosis just in case.
Later Heart Failure Symptoms
As heart failure advances, symptoms will intensify. Your loved one may experience shortness of breath more often and find themselves feeling tired for longer. They may struggle to exercise without pain or discomfort, and experience bouts of chest pain.
You should get your loved one emergency attention if they present any of the following symptoms:
- Prolonged chest pain that doesn’t go away
- Fainting or struggling to stand
- Rapid heartbeat during shortness of breath or leading to fainting
- Coughing up white or pink foamy mucus
Heart Failure Complications
A diagnosis of heart failure means your loved one will likely be at increased risk of experiencing other complications. In most cases, these complications will be as a result of reduced blood flow.
The most obvious complication related to heart failure is a heart attack. In some cases, a heart attack may have been the trigger for long-term heart failure. People who have experienced one heart attack are likely to experience another.
Heart attacks are characterised by a tightness of the chest accompanied by acute pain, dizziness, and sweating. If you suspect your loved one is having a heart attack, call 999 immediately.
However, it is not only the heart that could be affected by heart disease.
For example, your kidneys could be damaged if they cannot receive adequate blood flow. This can impact the ability of the kidneys to remove toxins and fluid from your blood, which could lead to serious complications whilst also raising blood pressure. The liver, too, can be affected by heart failure, as can the lungs.
Peace of Mind from Careline365
If your loved ones are living with heart failure, or you are worried they are at risk, it’s important that they are safe in their home. A personal alarm from Careline365 offers reassurance in the event of a fall or health emergency.
We offer a range of alarms to suit your loved one’s needs, including a fall detector plan and the GO GPS Alarm. In an emergency, your loved one simply presses the button on their alarm pendant. This sends an alert through to our 24/7 professional Care Team, who will arrange help on their behalf by informing emergency contacts or, when necessary, the emergency services.
To find out more about the Careline365 alarm service, check out our helpful guide. If you have any questions about our products, or to order your Careline365 alarm today, call our friendly customer service team on 0808 304 4510.
