Heart failure is no longer something that only elderly people are suffering from - unfortunately, the prevalence of the condition is increasing amongst the youngsters too. Dr Suresh Vijan, Consultant Cardiologist, Lilavati Hospital, Fortis Mulund and Hinduja Hospital, Khar, talks to us about heart failure.

Before we look at what leads to heart failure, it's necessary for us to understand what exactly heart failure is. The general notion is heart failure means that the heart has stopped working or will eventually stop working. Heart failure is a condition in which a weakened heart is unable to pump the normal amount of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Heart failure cannot be termed as a disease but is a chronic syndrome that generally develops slowly. If the heart failure is mild, it may not significantly affect a person's lifestyle and day-to-day living. On the other hand, severe heart failure can affect a person's every move and can be fatal. Thus the severity can range from a very mild heart failure to a severe heart failure.

Treatment is essential in all types of heart failure. It can help significantly and, in most non-severe cases, can allow the person to enjoy a normal and full life. Medication can also significantly help those suffering with severe heart failure to improve their day-to-day living and live longer. Although heart failure, like other heart ailments, has been acquiring epidemic proportions in India in the recent past, it has not received adequate public attention.

Many people with heart failure remain undiagnosed because their symptoms are often overlooked, ignored, or attributed to aging and in today's times often attributed to excess stress. The symptoms result from the inability of the heart to pump blood around the body efficiently and the result could affect the patient's left side, right side, or even both sides of the body. Symptoms depend on which side is affected and the severity of the heart failure. In the early stages, heart failure may not have any symptoms, however, in later stages it will become severe. It's important to be aware of the symptoms to take adequate medical treatment at the onset of this condition itself.

Difficulty in breathing

Chronic cough

Loss of appetite

Fatigue

Rapid or irregular heartbeat

Mental confusion or impaired thinking

Cyanosis (blue color of skin)

Low blood pressure (hypotension)

Cold sweating

Gradual loss of consciousness

In addition to the above symptoms, a physician may detect signs of congestive heart failure, which may include an abnormal heart murmur caused by valve-related disorder, a crackling sound of fluid in the lungs caused by pulmonary congestion, a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) or abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmias), swelling and fluid retention in the liver or the gastrointestinal tract, enlargement of the heart (hypertrophy) and liver malfunction.

Seriousness of a heart failure depends on how severe the condition is. When a weakened heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body, it leads to reduced quality of life, frequent hospitalization and high mortality.