Condition Lookup

Acute decompensated heart failure

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Symptoms:
shortness of breath (dyspnea); fatigue; edema (swelling in legs or abdomen); rapid weight gain; orthopnea (difficulty breathing while lying down); wheezing or coughing with frothy sputum; reduced ability to exercise

Root Cause:
Worsening of chronic heart failure leading to fluid buildup in the lungs and body due to the heart's inability to pump effectively.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosed through clinical symptoms (e.g., dyspnea, edema), chest X-ray, elevated natriuretic peptides (BNP/NT-proBNP), and echocardiography.

Treatment:
Treated with diuretics (e.g., furosemide), vasodilators (e.g., nitroglycerin), inotropes for severe cases, and addressing the underlying cause.

Medications:
Intravenous diuretics like furosemide (loop diuretics), vasodilators like nitroglycerin or nitroprusside (nitrates), inotropes such as dobutamine or milrinone (positive inotropic agents).

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
A common condition seen in emergency settings, affecting millions worldwide, especially in older adults with chronic heart disease.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Chronic heart failure, coronary artery disease, hypertension, arrhythmias, diabetes, obesity, and high-sodium diets.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With prompt treatment, symptoms can be managed, but long-term outcomes depend on the underlying heart condition; recurrent episodes are common.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock, organ failure (kidneys or liver), arrhythmias, and increased mortality risk.

Systolic Heart Failure (Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction)

Specialty: Cardiovascular

Category: Heart Diseases

Sub-category: Heart Failure

Symptoms:
shortness of breath; fatigue; swelling in legs, ankles, and feet; persistent cough or wheezing; reduced exercise tolerance

Root Cause:
Impaired ability of the left ventricle to pump blood effectively due to weakened heart muscle.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Echocardiography to measure ejection fraction; chest X-ray; BNP blood test; ECG; cardiac MRI

Treatment:
Medications, lifestyle changes, and in some cases, devices like ICDs or LVADs; heart transplantation in severe cases.

Medications:
Medications include ACE inhibitors (e.g., enalapril ), beta-blockers (e.g., bisoprolol ), diuretics (e.g., furosemide ), aldosterone antagonists (e.g., spironolactone ), and angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) (e.g., sacubitril /valsartan ).

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Common among older adults with cardiovascular disease.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Hypertension; coronary artery disease; myocardial infarction; diabetes; obesity

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Chronic condition with variable outcomes; prognosis improves with optimal medical therapy.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Arrhythmias; kidney damage; liver congestion; cardiac arrest

Diastolic Heart Failure (Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction)

Specialty: Cardiovascular

Category: Heart Diseases

Sub-category: Heart Failure

Symptoms:
shortness of breath, especially during exertion or lying flat; fatigue; swelling in legs and feet; persistent cough or wheezing

Root Cause:
Stiffness or impaired relaxation of the heart muscle, leading to inadequate filling of the ventricles despite normal ejection fraction.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Echocardiography with Doppler imaging; BNP blood test; chest X-ray; ECG

Treatment:
Lifestyle changes, medications to manage comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes, and diuretics to control fluid retention.

Medications:
Medications include diuretics (e.g., furosemide ) to reduce congestion, beta-blockers (e.g., carvedilol ) to lower heart rate, calcium channel blockers (e.g., verapamil ) for relaxation, and RAAS inhibitors (e.g., ACE inhibitors like enalapril ).

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Accounts for about 50% of heart failure cases, common in older adults, especially women.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Hypertension; obesity; diabetes; aging; coronary artery disease

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Chronic but manageable; worse prognosis if underlying conditions are poorly controlled.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Pulmonary hypertension; arrhythmias; worsening heart failure symptoms

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Specialty: Cardiovascular

Category: Heart Diseases

Sub-category: Heart Failure

Symptoms:
shortness of breath; swelling in legs, feet, and abdomen; persistent cough or wheezing; fatigue; weight gain due to fluid retention

Root Cause:
Reduced heart function leading to fluid buildup in the lungs and other tissues.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Echocardiography; chest X-ray; BNP blood test; ECG; cardiac MRI

Treatment:
Comprehensive management includes lifestyle changes, medications, and device therapy like ICDs or biventricular pacemakers.

Medications:
Medications include ACE inhibitors (e.g., lisinopril ), beta-blockers (e.g., metoprolol ), diuretics (e.g., furosemide ), aldosterone antagonists (e.g., spironolactone ), and ARNIs (e.g., sacubitril /valsartan ).

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects millions globally, especially in older adults with comorbid conditions.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Hypertension; coronary artery disease; diabetes; obesity; valvular heart disease

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Chronic and progressive, but with treatment, quality of life and longevity can improve significantly.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Kidney dysfunction; arrhythmias; pulmonary edema; cardiac arrest

Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF)

Specialty: Cardiovascular

Category: Heart Diseases

Sub-category: Heart Failure

Symptoms:
severe shortness of breath; rapid weight gain due to fluid retention; swelling in legs and abdomen; fatigue; persistent cough with frothy or pink sputum

Root Cause:
Sudden worsening of heart failure symptoms, often triggered by an acute event like myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, or infection.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical examination; echocardiography; chest X-ray; BNP blood test; ECG

Treatment:
Hospitalization for urgent treatment, including diuretics to relieve fluid overload, vasodilators, and inotropic agents if needed.

Medications:
Medications include IV diuretics (e.g., furosemide ), vasodilators (e.g., nitroglycerin ), and inotropic agents (e.g., dobutamine ) for severe cases. Long-term management involves heart failure medications like ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Common cause of hospitalization in older adults with chronic heart failure.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Uncontrolled hypertension; nonadherence to heart failure medications; acute infections; myocardial infarction

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Variable, depending on the severity of the acute episode and response to treatment; high risk of recurrent episodes.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Pulmonary edema; multi-organ failure; arrhythmias; death