Disability from Congestive Heart Failure

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Disability from Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a common clinical disorder that represents a major health problem in the United States.

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of congestive heart failure are both progressive and disabling.

Table 2.

Precipitating Causes of Heart Failure

Reduction or Non-Compliance of Therapy

High Salt Intake

Arrhythmias

Systemic Infection

Physical, Emotional, or Environmental Stress

Uncontrolled Hypertension

Development of a Second Form of Heart Disease

Development of Unrelated Illness

Adapted from Pammley WW. Principles in the management of congestive heart failure.

Cardiology. 1991 Chanerje C ed. JB Lippincott, Philadelphia, PA pp 154178.(14)

As the aging population increases, this problem will assume a preeminent place in the array of chronic and debilitating disorders.

The role of heart failure clinics, home nursing care, and monitoring cannot be over emphasized. Congestive heart; failure patients often have a multitude of disorders; atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, renal disease and arthritis. Careful monitoring and simplification of medical regimens to treat the multiple concomitant disorders will continue to pose an ever increasing challenge to the patient, family, and treating professionals.