Heart failure affects nearly 6 million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than age 65.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a type of heart failure that occurs when your heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should to meet the needs of your body. Certain conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, will gradually leave your heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump efficiently. When the heart cannot pump and circulate blood normally, the kidneys receive less blood and are unable to filter fluids out of the circulatory system and into the urine. The extra fluid in the circulatory system builds up in the lungs, the liver, around the eyes, and in the arms, legs, ankles and feet. Congestive Heart Failure is the term used to describe the condition when the body becomes congested with the buildup of fluids.
Click here to learn more on Congestive Heart Failure, its symptoms and treatments.
