Heart Failure affects nearly 5 million Americans.  Roughly 500,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure each year.  It is the leading cause of hospitalization for people older than 65.  It is the only major cardiovascular condition that continues to increase in occurrence in the United States today.

Heart failure does not mean the heart stops.  Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weaker and gradually loses the ability to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs.  There are as many causes of heart failure as there are causes of heart disease, kidney disease, and lung disease.  Any disease that eventually causes the heart muscle to work harder, or over-stretch and become “flabby” will decrease its ability to pump out all of the blood that is fed into it.  When this happens (beat after beat after beat), fluid begins to back up.  As a result the kidneys often respond by causing the body to retain fluid (water) and sodium (salt).  Blood, water, and other fluids build up in tissues, veins, and organs, causing congestion and damage.

For more information on Heart Failure and its treatment at Covenant, please click here.