What is pathophysiology of congestive heart failure?
Congestive heart failure is a syndrome that can be caused by a variety of abnormalities, including pressure and volume overload, loss of muscle, primary muscle disease or excessive peripheral demands such as high output failure. In the usual form of heart failure, the heart muscle has reduced contractility.
Can congestive heart failure cause mental problems?
Evidence shows that mental health disorders—such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD—can develop after cardiac events, including heart failure, stroke, and heart attack.
What is the pathophysiology and etiology of heart failure?
Heart failure is the pathophysiologic state in which the heart, via an abnormality of cardiac function (detectable or not), fails to pump blood at a rate commensurate with the requirements of the metabolizing tissues or is able to do so only with an elevated diastolic filling pressure.
What is the mechanism of heart failure?
Heart failure begins after an index event produces an initial decline in pumping capacity of the heart. After this initial decline in pumping capacity of the heart, a variety of compensatory mechanisms are activated, including the adrenergic nervous system, the renin-angiotensin system, and the cytokine system.
How does heart failure affect the brain?
Heart failure patients had worse immediate and long-term memory and reaction speeds than healthy people. The brain scans showed that heart failure was associated with losses of gray matter in areas believed to be important for memory, reasoning and planning.
How does psychological factors affect heart disease?
It is well established that psychosocial factors are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Low socioeconomic status, lack of social support, stress at work and in family life, anxiety disorders and depression have all been shown to increase risk of developing CVD.
What happens in congestive heart failure?
Overview. Heart failure — sometimes known as congestive heart failure — occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. When this happens, blood often backs up and fluid can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath.
What are the main compensatory mechanisms in congestive heart failure?
The central compensatory mechanisms include the use of the Frank-Starling principle, development of myocardial hypertrophy and increased sympathetic drive to the heart.
How does the body compensate for congestive heart failure?
The body’s hormone and nervous systems try to make up for this by increasing blood pressure, holding on to salt (sodium) and water in the body, and increasing heart rate. These responses are the body’s attempt to compensate for the poor blood circulation and backup of blood.