AMERICAN HEART

ASSOCIATION

What Are the Signs?

Inside Your Body

Understanding the Problem

Treating the Problem

A Better Lifestyle

Doctors for Adults

Heart failure, (sometimes called congestive heart failure) is a condition in which the heart isn't pumping as well as it should. Since the heart is responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body, patients with heart failure may experience weakness and fatigue. In some patients with heart failure, fluid accumulated in the lungs and other body tissues, producing shortness of breath and swollen legs (edema). Heart failure can result from many difference conditions that directly or indirectly affect the heart. Heart failure affects nearly 5 million Americans, and 5550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. While it's more common among older people, no age is immune to the condition. While there is no cure yet, heart failure is very treatable, and millions of Americans lead a full life by managing their condition through medications and by making healthy changes in their lifestyles.