Signs of heart failure in children and adults

Ortopnoe

Ortopnoe - a forced sitting position when the person suffering from heart disease, even sleeping with a raised head end. This symptom is an objective symptom of CHF, which can be detected during a routine examination of the patient, as it is in any situation to try to sit down. If you ask him to lie down, then after a few minutes it will start to suffocate.

This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that in the vertical position most of the blood accumulates in the veins of the lower extremities under the action of gravity. And since the total volume of circulating fluid remains unchanged, so in the pulmonary circulation the amount of blood decreases significantly. In the horizontal position, the liquid returns to the lungs, due to which there is a plethora, and symptoms intensify.

Cough

Congestive heart failure is often accompanied by coughing of the patient. He's usually dry or with expectoration of a small quantity of mucous expectoration. In the development of this symptom there are two reasons:

• swelling of the bronchial mucosa due to the plethora;
• irritation of the recurrent nerve enlarged cavities of the left heart.

Due to the fact that through the damaged blood vessels into the cavity of the alveoli can enter blood cells, sometimes the mucus becomes a rusty color. In this case, it is necessary to exclude other diseases that could lead to such changes (tuberculosis, pulmonary embolism, decaying cavity).

Cardiac asthma

Attack of cardiac asthma is manifested in the form of a fast onset of suffocation up to a full stop breathing. This symptom must be distinguished from bronchial asthma, as the treatment approaches in this case are diametrically opposed. Appearance patients can be similar: they are often superficial breathing. But in the first case, difficult to breath, while the second exhale. To distinguish between these two States only doctor, so the person with such symptoms shown urgent hospitalization.

In response to the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and reducing the amount of oxygen aktiviziruyutsya breathing centre located in medulla oblongata. This leads to more frequent and surface breathing, often appears fear of death, which only aggravates the situation. In the absence of timely intervention, the pressure in the pulmonary circle will continue to grow, which will lead to the development of pulmonary edema.

Heartbeat

Most often, this symptom appears during periods of rapid contraction of the heart muscle, but may be due to increased susceptibility of the nervous system. Therefore, this symptom is more characteristic forwomen and very rarely occurs in men.

Tachycardia is a compensatory mechanism to normalize hemodynamics. It is connected with activation of the sympatho-adrenal system and reflex reactions. Hard work heart pretty quickly leads to exhaustion of the myocardium and the growth of stagnation. That is why in therapy of CHF in recent years began to use small doses of beta-blockers, which slow the heart rate.

Fatigue

Fatigue is rarely addressed as a specific symptom of CHF. It is connected with increased blood circulation in skeletal muscles and may occur in other diseases.

Dyspepsia

This term combines all the signs of disturbance of the gastrointestinal tract (nausea, vomiting, increased gas and constipation). The function of gastrointestinal tract is disturbed as a result of reducing oxygen delivery through vessels and reflex mechanisms affecting peristalsis.

Violation of renal excretory function

In connection with spasm of the renal vessels decreases the amount of primary urine increases at the same time and reverse its absorption in the tubules. The result is fluid retention, and signs of heart failure are increasing. This pathological process leads to decompensation of CHF.

Heart failure is a severe manifestation of disease of the organs of the cardiovascular system. This pathology is more common in adults than in children, and the manifestations depend on the order in which the circulation congestion occurs. If the fluid accumulates in the lungs, develops respiratory failure, with the plethora of internal organs disrupted their work and structure changes.