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Content Map Terms
Illnesses & Conditions Categories
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Allergies
- Allergy to Natural Rubber (Latex)
- Jellyfish Stings: Allergic Reaction
- Allergies: Should I Take Allergy Shots?
- Non-Allergic Rhinitis
- Allergic Reaction
- Allergies
- Allergy Shots for Allergic Rhinitis
- Allergies: Rush Immunotherapy
- Over-the-Counter Medicines for Allergies
- Allergic Rhinitis
- Types of Allergens
- Allergies: Avoiding Indoor Triggers
- Allergies: Avoiding Outdoor Triggers
- Controlling Dust, Dust Mites, and Other Allergens in Your Home
- Controlling Pet Allergens
- Allergies to Insect Stings
- Allergies: Should I Take Shots for Insect Sting Allergies?
- Immunotherapy for Allergies to Insect Stings
- Types of Allergic Rhinitis
- Allergic Reaction to Tattoo Dye
- Drug Allergies
- Penicillin Allergy
- Hay Fever and Other Seasonal Allergies
- Allergies: Giving Yourself an Epinephrine Shot
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Arthritis and Osteoporosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Finger and Hand Surgeries
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Classification Criteria
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systemic Symptoms
- Comparing Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Neck Symptoms
- Osteoporosis in Men
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Arthritis: Shots for Knee Pain
- Complementary Medicine for Arthritis
- Steve's Story: Coping With Arthritis
- Bev's Story: Coping With Arthritis
- Quick Tips: Modifying Your Home and Work Area When You Have Arthritis
- Coping With Osteoarthritis
- Arthritis: Should I Have Shoulder Replacement Surgery?
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- Capsaicin for Osteoarthritis
- Small Joint Surgery for Osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis: Heat and Cold Therapy
- Modifying Activities for Osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Inflammatory Eye Disease
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Range-of-Motion Exercises
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Deciding About Total Joint Replacement
- Complications of Osteoarthritis
- Arthritis: Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Arthritis: Should I Have Knee Replacement Surgery?
- Arthritis: Should I Have Hip Replacement Surgery?
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Pain Management
- Osteoporosis Risk in Younger Women
- Osteoporosis Screening
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Asthma
- Asthma: Peak Expiratory Flow and Personal Best
- Asthma and Wheezing
- Asthma: Using an Asthma Action Plan
- Asthma: Measuring Peak Flow
- Asthma: Identifying Your Triggers
- Steroid Medicine for Asthma: Myths and Facts
- Asthma
- Inhaled corticosteroids for asthma
- Inhaled quick-relief medicines for asthma
- Classification of Asthma
- Challenge Tests for Asthma
- Asthma's Impact on Your Child's Life
- Asthma Action Plan: Yellow Zone
- Asthma Triggers
- Asthma Action Plan: Red Zone
- Asthma and GERD
- Occupational Asthma
- Asthma Attack
- Asthma: Symptoms of Difficulty Breathing
- Exercise-Induced Asthma
- Asthma Treatment Goals
- Asthma: Overcoming Obstacles to Taking Medicines
- Asthma in Older Adults: Managing Treatment
- Asthma: Controlling Cockroaches
- Asthma: Educating Yourself and Your Child
- Allergy Shots for Asthma
- Asthma: Taking Charge of Your Asthma
- Monitoring Asthma Treatment
- Omalizumab for Asthma
- Asthma: Ways to Take Inhaled Medicines
- Asthma: Overuse of Quick-Relief Medicines
- Asthma Diary
- Asthma Diary Template
- Asthma Action Plan
- Assessing Your Asthma Knowledge
- My Asthma Action Plan
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Bowel and Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Abdominal Fullness or Bloating
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Criteria for Diagnosis
- Gastritis
- Gas, Bloating, and Burping
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Constipation: Keeping Your Bowels Healthy
- Rectal Problems
- Mild, Moderate, or Severe Diarrhea
- Torn or Detached Nail
- Chronic Constipation
- Gas (Flatus)
- Dyspepsia
- Diverticulosis
- Bowel Obstruction
- Anal Fissure
- Bowel Disease: Caring for Your Ostomy
- Anal Fistulas and Crohn's Disease
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Cancer
- Lung Cancer and Other Lung Problems From Smoking
- Skin Cancer, Non-Melanoma
- Radiation Therapy for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer Test Recommendations
- Breast Cancer Screening: When Should I Start Having Mammograms?
- Lifestyle Changes That May Help Prevent Cancer
- Choosing a Prosthesis After Breast Cancer Surgery
- Hormone Treatment for Breast Cancer
- Cancer Staging and Grading
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
- Cancer Support: Managing Stress
- Cancer Support: When Your Cancer Comes Back or Gets Worse
- Cancer Support: Dealing With Emotions and Fears
- Cancer Support: Finding Out That You Have Cancer
- Cancer Support: Being an Active Patient
- Cancer Support: Coping With Cancer Treatments
- Cancer Support: Life After Treatment
- Cancer Support: Family, Friends, and Relationships
- Reducing Cancer Risk When You Are BRCA-Positive
- Anal Cancer
- Prostate Cancer: Should I Choose Active Surveillance?
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Basal Cell Skin Cancer: Should I Have Surgery or Use Medicated Cream?
- Tumour Markers
- Does Aspirin Prevent Cancer?
- Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Oral Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Metastatic Melanoma
- Radiation Treatment for Cancer
- Skin Cancer, Melanoma
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Hepatitis B and C: Risk of Liver Cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Cancer Risk
- Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Mouth Sores
- Skin Cancer Screening
- Breast Cancer: Should I Have Breast Reconstruction After a Mastectomy?
- Prostate Cancer: Should I Have Radiation or Surgery for Localized Prostate Cancer?
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Side Effects of Chemotherapy
- Breast Cancer: Lymph Node Surgery for Staging Cancer
- Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer
- Cryosurgery for Prostate Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Nausea or Vomiting
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Pain
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Diarrhea
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Constipation
- Breast Cancer Types
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Sleep Problems
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Fatigue
- Hair Loss From Cancer Treatment
- Body Image After Cancer Treatment
- Breast Cancer: Should I Have Breast-Conserving Surgery or a Mastectomy for Early-Stage Cancer?
- Breast Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent
- Cancer Pain
- Leukemia
- Colorectal Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent
- Thyroid Cancer
- Types of Thyroid Cancer
- Radiation Therapy for Cancer Pain
- Breast Cancer in Men (Male Breast Cancer)
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Breast Cancer: Should I Have Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer?
- Asbestos and Lung Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Colon Cancer Genetic Testing
- Testicular Cancer Screening
- Skin Cancer: Protecting Your Skin
- Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Comparing Treatments
- Bladder Cancer
- Prostate Cancer, Advanced or Metastatic
- Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer
- Urinary Problems and Prostate Cancer
- Cancer: Controlling Cancer Pain
- Heat and Cold Treatment for Cancer Pain
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Cancer: Which Treatment Should I Have for Stage I Non-Seminoma Testicular Cancer After My Surgery?
- Testicular Cancer: Which Treatment Should I Have for Stage I Seminoma Testicular Cancer After My Surgery?
- Cancer: Controlling Nausea and Vomiting From Chemotherapy
- Lymphedema: Managing Lymphedema
- Breast Cancer Risk: Should I Have a BRCA Gene Test?
- Inflammatory Breast Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer: Should I Have My Ovaries Removed to Prevent Ovarian Cancer?
- Family History and the Risk for Breast or Ovarian Cancer
- Breast Cancer: What Should I Do if I'm at High Risk?
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Cold and Flu
- Difference Between Influenza (Flu) and a Cold
- Colds and Flu
- Influenza (Flu) Complications
- Flu Vaccine Myths
- Influenza (Seasonal Flu)
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
- Productive Coughs
- Dry Coughs
- Influenza (Flu): Should I Take Antiviral Medicine?
- Flu Vaccines: Should I Get a Flu Vaccine?
- Relieving A Cough
- Colds
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COPD
- Cal's Story: Learning to Exercise When You have COPD
- Conserving Energy When You Have COPD or Other Chronic Conditions
- Nebulizer for COPD Treatment
- COPD Action Plan
- COPD: Help for Caregivers
- COPD: Keeping Your Diet Healthy
- COPD: Using Exercise to Feel Better
- COPD
- COPD Flare-Ups
- Bullectomy for COPD
- COPD and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Deficiency
- COPD and Sex
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- COPD
- Oxygen Treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- COPD: Avoiding Weight Loss
- COPD: Avoiding Your Triggers
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Dementia
- Alzheimer's or Other Dementia: Should I Move My Relative Into Long-Term Care?
- Alzheimer's and Other Dementias: Coping With Sundowning
- Dementia: Assessing Pain
- Medical History and Physical Examination for Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease
- Alzheimer's and Other Dementias: Making the Most of Remaining Abilities
- Dementia: Helping a Person Avoid Confusion
- Alzheimer's and Other Dementias: Maintaining Good Nutrition
- Dementia: Tips for Communicating
- Agitation and Dementia
- Dementia: Bladder and Bowel Problems
- Dementia: Support for Caregivers
- Dementia: Legal Issues
- Dementia: Understanding Behaviour Changes
- Dementia: Medicines to Treat Behaviour Changes
- Dementia
- Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
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Diabetes
- Diabetes: Blood Sugar Levels
- Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Don't Use Insulin
- Diabetes: Coping With Your Feelings About Your Diet
- Diabetes: Tracking My Feelings
- Diabetes: Taking Care of Your Feet
- Diabetes: Care of Blood Sugar Test Supplies
- Diabetes: Checking Your Blood Sugar
- Diabetes: Checking Your Feet
- Diabetes: Steps for Foot-Washing
- Diabetes: Protecting Your Feet
- Diabetes: Dealing With Low Blood Sugar From Medicines
- Diabetes: Dealing With Low Blood Sugar From Insulin
- Diabetes: How to Give Glucagon
- Low Blood Sugar Level Record
- Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar
- Diabetes: Preventing High Blood Sugar Emergencies
- Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
- High Blood Sugar Level Record
- Symptoms of High Blood Sugar
- Diabetes: Using a Plate Format to Plan Meals
- Diabetes: Giving Yourself an Insulin Shot
- Diabetes: Eating Low-Glycemic Foods
- Diabetes and Alcohol
- Continuous Glucose Monitoring
- Quick Tips: Diabetes and Shift Work
- Diabetes: How to Prepare for a Colonoscopy
- Type 2 Diabetes: Can You Cure It?
- Diabetes, Type 2: Should I Take Insulin?
- Prediabetes: Which Treatment Should I Use to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
- Diabetes: Making Medical Decisions as Your Health Changes
- Diabetes Care Plan
- Diabetes: Caregiving for an Older Adult
- Quick Tips: Smart Snacking When You Have Diabetes
- Testing Tips From a Diabetes Educator
- Gloria's Story: Adding Activity to Help Control Blood Sugar
- Andy's Story: Finding Your Own Routine When You Have Diabetes
- Jerry's Story: Take Prediabetes Seriously
- Linda's Story: Getting Active When You Have Prediabetes
- Diabetes
- Tips for Exercising Safely When You Have Diabetes
- Diabetes: Travel Tips
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Care of Your Skin When You Have Diabetes
- Care of Your Teeth and Gums When You Have Diabetes
- Non-insulin medicines for type 2 diabetes
- Metformin for diabetes
- Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar) in People Without Diabetes
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Laser Photocoagulation for Diabetic Retinopathy
- Diabetic Neuropathy
- Diabetic Focal Neuropathy
- Diabetic Neuropathy: Exercising Safely
- Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy
- Criteria for Diagnosing Diabetes
- Diabetes-Related High and Low Blood Sugar Levels
- Diabetic Nephropathy
- Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Use Insulin
- Diabetes: Cholesterol Levels
- Diabetes and Infections
- Diabetes: Tests to Watch for Complications
- Diabetes: Differences Between Type 1 and 2
- Diabetes Complications
- How Diabetes Causes Blindness
- How Diabetes Causes Foot Problems
- Reading Food Labels When You Have Diabetes
- Eating Out When You Have Diabetes
- Breastfeeding When You Have Diabetes
- Diabetes: Staying Motivated
- Sick-Day Guidelines for People With Diabetes
- Diabetes: Amputation for Foot Problems
- Prediabetes
- Prediabetes: Exercise Tips
- Type 2 Diabetes: Screening for Adults
- Diabetes: Should I Get an Insulin Pump?
- Diabetes: Living With an Insulin Pump
- Form for Carbohydrate Counting
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Disease and Disease Prevention
- Diseases and Conditions
- Osgood-Schlatter Disease
- Needle Aponeurotomy for Dupuytren's Disease
- Mitochondrial Diseases
- Disease and Injury Prevention
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Root Planing and Scaling for Gum Disease
- Kawasaki Disease
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Von Willebrand's Disease
- Hirschsprung's Disease
- Complications of Paget's Disease
- Paget's Disease of Bone
- Celiac Disease
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Ménière's Disease
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Tubo-Ovarian Abscess
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Addison's Disease
- Misdiagnosis of Lyme Disease
- Lyme Disease
- Parkinson's Disease and Freezing
- Parkinson's Disease: Other Symptoms
- Parkinson's Disease: Modifying Your Activities and Your Home
- Parkinson's Disease and Tremors
- Parkinson's Disease and Speech Problems
- Parkinson's Disease
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
- Parkinson's Disease: Movement Problems From Levodopa
- Mad Cow Disease
- Handwashing
- Peyronie's Disease
- Stages of Lyme Disease
- Osteotomy and Paget's Disease
- Dupuytren's Disease
- Crohn's Disease
- Crohn's Disease: Problems Outside the Digestive Tract
- Pilonidal Disease
- Acquired Von Willebrand's Disease
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Down Syndrome, Autism and Developmental Delays
- Autism
- Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Eat Independently
- Down Syndrome: Grooming and Hygiene
- Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Learn to Walk and Use Other Motor Skills
- Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Learn to Communicate
- Down Syndrome
- Dyslexia
- Conditions Related to Dyslexia
- Autism: Behavioural Training and Management
- Autism: Support and Training for the Family
- Unproven Treatments for Autism
- Caring for Adults With Autism
- Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Avoid Social Problems
- Down Syndrome: Training and Therapy for Young People
- Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Dress Independently
- Down Syndrome, Ages Birth to 1 Month
- Down Syndrome, Ages 1 Month to 1 Year
- Down Syndrome, Ages 1 to 5
- Down Syndrome, Ages 5 to 13
- Down Syndrome, Ages 13 to 21
- Eating Disorders
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Epilepsy
- Absence Epilepsy
- Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy
- Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
- Focal Epilepsy
- Epilepsy: Simple Partial Seizures
- Epilepsy
- Epilepsy and Driving
- Epilepsy: Generalized Seizures
- Epilepsy: Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures
- Epilepsy: Myoclonic Seizures
- Epilepsy: Atonic Seizures
- Epilepsy: Tonic Seizures
- Epilepsy: Complex Partial Seizures
- Epilepsy Medicine Therapy Failure
- Stopping Medicine for Epilepsy
- Questions About Medicines for Epilepsy
- Epilepsy: Taking Your Medicines Properly
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Fatigue and Sleep
- Sleep Apnea: Should I Have a Sleep Study?
- Sleep and Your Health
- Quick Tips: Making the Best of Shift Work
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Managing Your Energy
- Sleeping Better
- Sleep Problems
- Doxepin (Sleep) - Oral
- Improving Sleep When You Have Chronic Pain
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chronic Fatigue: Changing Your Schedule
- Chronic Fatigue: Getting Support
- Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Coping With Changing Sleep Patterns as You Get Older
- Stages of Sleep
- Sleep Apnea: Fibre-Optic Pharyngoscopy
- Sleep Apnea: Oral Devices
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Problems, Age 12 and Older
- Stages of Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Journal
- Shift Work Sleep Disorder
- Snoring
- Sleep Problems: Dealing With Jet Lag
- Insomnia
- Sleep and Your Body Clock
- Weakness and Fatigue
- Insomnia: Improving Your Sleep
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Heart Health and Stroke
- Peripheral Arterial Disease of the Legs
- Bradycardia (Slow Heart Rate)
- Types of Bradycardia
- Cardiac Device Monitoring
- Angioplasty for Peripheral Arterial Disease of the Legs
- Isolated Systolic High Blood Pressure
- Atrial Fibrillation: Should I Try Electrical Cardioversion?
- Change in Heartbeat
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- Fast Heart Rate
- Heart Failure: Symptom Record
- Heart Failure: Compensation by the Heart and Body
- Heart Failure: Taking Medicines Properly
- Heart Failure: Watching Your Fluids
- Heart Failure: Avoiding Triggers for Sudden Heart Failure
- Heart Failure: Activity and Exercise
- Heart Tests: When Do You Need Them?
- Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)
- Cardiac Arrest
- Heart Failure Daily Action Plan
- Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs)
- Heart Rate Problems: Should I Get a Pacemaker?
- Heart Rhythm Problems: Should I Get an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)?
- What to Do if Your Cardiac Device Is Recalled
- Venous Insufficiency
- Carotid Artery Stenting
- ICD: Living Well With It
- Diabetes: Lower Your Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke
- Pacemaker for Heart Failure (Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy)
- Heart Attack: How to Prevent Another One
- Stroke: How to Prevent Another One
- Sex and Your Heart
- Supraventricular Tachycardia: Should I Have Catheter Ablation?
- Carotid Artery Disease
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- High Blood Pressure: Over-the-Counter Medicines to Avoid
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
- Leg Aneurysm
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)
- Heart Failure: Checking Your Weight
- Alan's Story: Coping With Change After a Heart Attack
- Coronary Artery Disease: Prevention Myths
- Quick Tips: Taking Charge of Your Angina
- Heart and Circulation
- High Blood Pressure
- Heartburn
- Angioplasty for Coronary Artery Disease
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)
- Aortic Valve Regurgitation
- Aortic Valve Stenosis
- Secondary High Blood Pressure
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Stroke: Common Disabilities
- Self-Care After a Stroke
- Stroke: Dealing With Depression
- Stroke: Getting Dressed
- Stroke: Speech and Language Problems
- Stroke: Bladder and Bowel Problems
- Stroke: Preventing Injury in Affected Limbs
- After a Stroke: Helping Your Family Adjust
- Stroke: Behaviour Changes
- Stroke: Changes in Emotions
- Stroke: Perception Changes
- Stroke: Problems With Ignoring the Affected Side
- Stroke: Memory Tips
- Stroke: Your Rehabilitation Team
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Lifestyle Changes
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Hospital Program
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Home Program
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Outpatient Program
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Maintenance Program
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Congenital Heart Defects: Caring for Your Child
- Coronary Artery Disease: Should I Have an Angiogram?
- Triggers of Sudden Heart Failure
- Classification of Heart Failure
- Heart Failure: Tips for Easier Breathing
- Heart Failure: Avoiding Colds and Flu
- Heart Failure
- Helping Someone During a Panic Attack
- Aortic Aneurysm
- High Blood Pressure
- Coronary Artery Disease: Family History
- Angina
- Using Nitroglycerin for Angina
- Heartburn: Changing Your Eating Habits
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Beta-blockers
- Heart Rhythm Problems: Diary of Symptoms
- Vagal Manoeuvres for Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
- Electrical Cardioversion (Defibrillation) for a Fast Heart Rate
- Catheter Ablation for a Fast Heart Rate
- Supraventricular Tachycardia
- Home Blood Pressure Log
- Blood Pressure Screening
- Heart Block
- Electrical System of the Heart
- Heart Rhythm Problems and Driving
- Heart Rhythm Problems: Symptoms
- Resuming Sexual Activity After a Heart Attack
- Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease
- Pacemaker for Bradycardia
- SPECT Image of the Heart
- Heart Attack and Stroke in Women: Reducing Your Risk
- Ventricular Tachycardia
- Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke
- Temporal Artery Biopsy
- Emergency First Aid for Heatstroke
- Heartburn Symptom Record
- Heart Attack and Unstable Angina
- Congenital Heart Defects in Adults
- Monitoring and Medicines for Heart Failure
- Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) for Heart Failure
- Cardiac Output
- Heart Failure Symptoms
- Heart Failure: Less Common Symptoms
- Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (Systolic Heart Failure)
- Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (Diastolic Heart Failure)
- High-Output Heart Failure
- Right-Sided Heart Failure
- Heart Failure Complications
- How the Heart Works
- Coronary Arteries and Heart Function
- Heart Failure Types
- Enjoying Life When You Have Heart Failure
- Heart Failure: Tips for Caregivers
- Medicines to Prevent Abnormal Heart Rhythm in Heart Failure
- Cardiac Cachexia
- Heart Failure Stages
- Cardiac Rehabilitation Team
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Emotional Health Benefits
- Ischemia
- Coronary Artery Disease: Roles of Different Doctors
- Coronary Artery Disease: Helping a Loved One
- Manage Stress for Your Heart
- Intermittent Claudication
- Peripheral Arterial Disease: Pulse and Blood Pressure Measurement
- Heart Failure and Sexual Activity
- Joan's Story: Coping With Depression and Anxiety From Heart Failure
- Rheumatic Fever and the Heart
- Heart Valve Problems: Should I Choose a Mechanical Valve or Tissue Valve to Replace My Heart Valve?
- Acute Coronary Syndrome
- Aspirin: Should I Take Daily Aspirin to Prevent a Heart Attack or Stroke?
- Heart Failure: Should I Get a Pacemaker ?
- Heart Failure: Should I Get an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)?
- Heart Valve Disease
- Myxoma Tumours of the Heart
- Aortic Dissection
- Heart Attack and Stroke Risk Screening
- High Blood Pressure: Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home
- Hypertensive Emergency
- Stroke Rehabilitation
- Treatment for Stroke-Related Spasticity
- Driving a Car After a Stroke
- Heart Failure: Avoiding Medicines That Make Symptoms Worse
- Stroke Recovery: Coping With Eating Problems
- Heart Murmur
- High Blood Pressure: Should I Take Medicine?
- Coronary Artery Disease: Should I Have Angioplasty for Stable Angina?
- Tyrell's Story: Taking Pills for High Blood Pressure
- Stroke Prevention: Should I Have a Carotid Artery Procedure?
- Atrial Fibrillation: Which Anticoagulant Should I Take to Prevent Stroke?
- Stroke: Should I Move My Loved One Into Long-Term Care?
- Atrial Fibrillation: Should I Take an Anticoagulant to Prevent Stroke?
- Smoking and Coronary Artery Disease
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Hepatitis
- Hepatitis C: Your Risk for Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis E
- Hepatitis B Immune Globulin - Injection
- Heparin - Injection
- Fulminant Hepatitis
- Protect Yourself From Hepatitis A When Travelling
- Hepatitis A
- Viral Hepatitis
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis D
- Hepatitis B: How to Avoid Spreading the Virus
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis Panel
- Hepatitis B Treatment Recommendations
- Hepatitis B: Should I Be Tested?
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HIV
- HIV Infection
- HIV Viral Load
- HIV: Stages of Infection
- Ways HIV Cannot Be Spread
- HIV and Exercise
- HIV: Giving Support
- HIV: Tips for Caregivers to Avoid Infection
- HIV: Preventing Other Infections When You Have HIV
- HIV Home Care
- Antiretroviral medicines for HIV
- Resistance to HIV Medicines
- HIV: Preventing Infections
- HIV: Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)
- Opportunistic Infections in HIV
- HIV: Taking Antiretroviral Drugs
- HIV: Non-Progressors and HIV-Resistant People
- HIV Screening
- HIV and Weight Loss
- HIV and Fatigue
-
Infectious Diseases
- Anthrax
- Avian Influenza
- Avoiding Infections in the Hospital
- Bacterial Infections of the Spine
- Bites and Stings: Flu-Like Symptoms
- Boric Acid for Vaginal Yeast Infection
- Caregiving: Reducing Germs and Infection in the Home
- Central Venous Catheter: Flushing
- Chickenpox (Varicella)
- Chickenpox: Preventing Skin Infections
- Chikungunya Fever
- Complicated Urinary Tract Infections
- Complications of Ear Infections
- Cranberry Juice and Urinary Tract Infections
- Dengue Fever
- Ear Infection: Should I Give My Child Antibiotics?
- Ear Infections
- Ebola or Marburg Virus Infection
- Ebola Virus Disease
- Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68)
- Fever or Chills, Age 11 and Younger
- Fever or Chills, Age 12 and Older
- Fever Seizures
- Fever Temperatures: Accuracy and Comparison
- Feverfew for Migraines
- Fifth Disease
- Flu: Signs of Bacterial Infection
- Fungal Nail Infections
- Giardiasis
- Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease
- Kissing Bugs
- Measles (Rubeola)
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
- Molluscum Contagiosum
- Monkeypox
- Mononucleosis (Mono)
- Mononucleosis Complications
- Mumps
- Nail Infection: Should I Take Antifungal Pills?
- Neutropenia: Preventing Infections
- Non-Surgical Nail Removal for Fungal Nail Infections
- Noroviruses
- Pleurisy
- Pneumonia
- Preventing Tetanus Infections
- Pseudomonas Infection
- Recurrent Ear Infections and Persistent Effusion
- Recurrent Vaginal Yeast Infections
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection
- Rotavirus
- Rubella (German Measles)
- Scarlet Fever
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Sexually Transmitted Infections: Genital Examination for Men
- Sexually Transmitted Infections: Symptoms in Women
- Sexually Transmitted Infections: Treatment
- Shingles
- Smallpox
- Sore Throat and Other Throat Problems
- Staph Infection
- Strep Throat
- Symptoms of Pelvic Infection
- Thrush
- Tick Bites: Flu-Like Symptoms
- Tinea Versicolor
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tuberculosis Screening
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in Older Adults
- Vaginal Yeast Infection: Should I Treat It Myself?
- Vaginal Yeast Infections
- Valley Fever
- West Nile Virus
- Zika Virus
- Informed Health Decisions
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Injuries
- Trapped Finger, Toe, or Limb
- Blister Care
- Exercises for Heel Pain or Tightness
- Broken Toe
- Broken Nose (Nasal Fracture)
- Preventing Blisters
- Hip Fracture
- Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Injury
- Pressure Injuries From Scuba Diving
- Pressure Injuries: Stages
- Pressure Injuries: Prevention and Treatment
- Calf Muscle Injury
- Avulsion Fracture
- Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injury
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injury
- Frozen or Stuck Tongue or Other Body Part
- Fifth Metatarsal Jones Fracture
- Animal and Human Bites
- Blisters
- Burns and Electric Shock
- Choking Rescue Procedure: Heimlich Manoeuvre
- Cold Temperature Exposure
- Cuts
- Ear Problems and Injuries, Age 11 and Younger
- Elbow Injuries
- Elbow Problems, Non-Injury
- Facial Injuries
- Facial Problems, Non-Injury
- Fish Hook Injuries
- Toe, Foot, and Ankle Injuries
- Groin Problems and Injuries
- Finger, Hand, and Wrist Injuries
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
- Safe Hand and Wrist Movements
- Physical Rehabilitation for ACL Injuries
- Marine Stings and Scrapes
- Mouth Problems, Non-Injury
- Nail Problems and Injuries
- Puncture Wounds
- Shoulder Problems and Injuries
- Removing Splinters
- Swallowed Button Disc Battery, Magnet, or Object With Lead
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Topic Overview

What is heart failure?
Heart failure means that your heart muscle doesn't pump as much blood as your body needs. Failure doesn't mean that your heart has stopped. It means that your heart is not pumping as well as it should.
Because your heart cannot pump well, your body tries to make up for it. To do this:
- Your body holds on to salt and water. This increases the amount of blood in your bloodstream.
- Your heart beats faster.
- Your heart may get bigger.
Your body has an amazing ability to make up for heart failure. It may do such a good job that you don't know you have a disease. But at some point, your heart and body will no longer be able to keep up. Then fluid starts to build up in your body, and you have symptoms like feeling weak and out of breath.
This fluid buildup is called congestion. It's why some doctors call the disease congestive heart failure.
Heart failure usually gets worse over time. But treatment can slow the disease and help you feel better and live longer.
What causes heart failure?
Anything that damages your heart or affects how well it pumps can lead to heart failure. Common causes of heart failure are:
- High blood pressure.
- Heart attack.
- Coronary artery disease.
Other conditions that can lead to heart failure include:
- Diabetes.
- Diseases of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies).
- Heart valve disease.
- Disease of the sac around the heart (pericardial disease), such as pericarditis.
- A slow, fast, or uneven heart rhythm (arrhythmia).
- A heart problem that you were born with (congenital heart defect).
- Long-term heavy alcohol use, which can damage your heart.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of heart failure start to happen when your heart cannot pump enough blood to the rest of your body. In the early stages, you may:
- Feel tired easily.
- Be short of breath when you exert yourself.
- Feel like your heart is pounding or racing (palpitations).
- Feel weak or dizzy.
As heart failure gets worse , fluid starts to build up in your lungs and other parts of your body. This may cause you to:
- Feel short of breath even at rest.
- Have swelling (edema), especially in your legs, ankles, and feet.
- Gain weight. This may happen over just a day or two, or more slowly.
- Cough or wheeze, especially when you lie down.
- Feel bloated or sick to your stomach.
If your symptoms suddenly get worse, you will need emergency care.
How is heart failure diagnosed?
Your doctor may diagnose heart failure based on your symptoms and a physical examination. But you will need tests to find the cause and type of heart failure so that you can get the right treatment. These tests may include:
- Blood tests.
- A chest X-ray.
- An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to check your heart's electrical system.
- An echocardiogram to see the size and shape of your heart and how well it is pumping.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see the structure of your heart and check how well it is pumping.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram can help show if you have heart failure, what type it is, and what is causing it. Your doctor can also use it to see if your heart failure is getting worse.
This test can measure how much blood your heart pumps to your body. This measurement is called the ejection fraction. If your ejection fraction gets lower and you are having more symptoms, it means that your heart failure is getting worse. More blood is backing up in your heart and not being pumped out to the rest of your body.
How is it treated?
Most people with heart failure need to take several medicines. Your doctor may prescribe medicines to:
- Help keep heart failure from getting worse. These drugs include ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, and vasodilators like hydralazine and a nitrate.
- Reduce symptoms so you feel better. These drugs include diuretics (water pills) and digoxin.
- Treat the cause of your heart failure.
It is very important to take your medicines exactly as your doctor tells you to. If you don't, your heart failure could get worse.
Pacemaker or defibrillator
A pacemaker or a defibrillator (such as an ICD) may be an option for you if you have a problem with your heart rhythm. A pacemaker can help your heart pump blood better. A defibrillator can prevent a dangerous heart-rhythm problem.
Care at home
Lifestyle changes are an important part of treatment. They can help slow down heart failure. They may also help control other diseases that make heart failure worse, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
The best steps you can take are to:
- Eat less sodium. Sodium causes your body to hold on to water and may make symptoms worse. Your doctor may also ask you to limit how much fluid you drink.
- Get regular exercise. Your doctor can tell you what level of exercise is safe for you, how to check your pulse, and how to know if you are doing too much.
- Take rest breaks during the day.
- Lose weight if you are overweight. Even a few kilograms can make a difference.
- Stop smoking. Smoking damages your heart and makes exercise harder to do.
- Limit alcohol. Ask your doctor how much, if any, is safe.
Ask your doctor if cardiac rehab is right for you. Rehab can give you education and support that help you learn self-care and build new healthy habits, such as exercise and healthy eating.
To stay as healthy as possible, work closely with your doctor. Have all your tests, and go to all your appointments. It is also important to:
- Talk to your doctor before you take any new medicine, including non-prescription and prescription drugs, vitamins, and herbs. Some of them may make your heart failure worse.
- Keep track of your symptoms. Weigh yourself at the same time every day, and write down your weight. Call your doctor if you have a sudden weight gain, a change in your ability to exercise, or any sudden change in your symptoms.
What can you expect if you have heart failure?
Medicines and lifestyle changes can slow or even reverse heart failure for some people. But heart failure often gets worse over time.
Early on, your symptoms may not be too bad. As heart failure gets worse, you may need to limit your activities. Treatment can often help reduce symptoms, but it usually doesn't get rid of them.
Heart failure can also lead to other health problems. These may include:
- Trouble with your heart rhythm (arrhythmia).
- Stroke.
- Heart attack.
- Mitral valve regurgitation.
- Blood clots in your legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Your doctor may be able to give you medicine or other treatment to prevent or treat these problems.
Heart failure can get worse suddenly. If this happens, you will need emergency care. To prevent sudden heart failure, you need to avoid things that can trigger it. These include eating too much salt, missing a dose of your medicine, and exercising too hard.
Knowing that your health may get worse can be hard. It is normal to sometimes feel sad or hopeless. But if these feelings last, talk to your doctor. Antidepressant medicines, counselling, or both may help you cope.
Health Tools
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
- Anxiety: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Blood Thinners Other Than Warfarin: Taking Them Safely
- Depression: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Healthy Eating: Eating Less Sodium
- Heart Failure: Activity and Exercise
- Heart Failure: Avoiding Medicines That Make Symptoms Worse
- Heart Failure: Avoiding Triggers for Sudden Heart Failure
- Heart Failure: Checking Your Weight
- Heart Failure: Taking Medicines Properly
- Heart Failure: Watching Your Fluids
- Insomnia: Improving Your Sleep
- Stop Negative Thoughts: Getting Started
- Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
- Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax
- Stress Management: Doing Meditation
- Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Stress Management: Managing Your Time
- Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax
- Warfarin: Taking Your Medicine Safely
Cause
Heart failure can be caused by any problem that damages your heart or affects how well it works.
Problems that damage the heart muscle
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Coronary artery disease
- Diabetes that isn't controlled
- Alcohol, illegal drugs (such as cocaine), and some prescription medicines (such as those for chemotherapy)
- Heart problems you've had from birth (congenital heart disease)
- Infection or inflammation of the heart muscle (such as myocarditis)
Things that damage the heart's valves
- Valve problems you've had since birth
- Infection of a heart valve (endocarditis)
- Aging
- Rheumatic fever
Problems with the heart's electrical system
- Fast, slow, or irregular heart rhythms, including atrial fibrillation
- Electrical signals that don't flow as they should from the upper to the lower part of the heart (heart block)
Other problems
- Disease of the sac around the heart (pericarditis)
- Postpartum cardiomyopathy. This rare problem can happen late in a woman's pregnancy or within the first 5 months after delivery.
- Severe anemia
- Hyperthyroidism
Certain triggers, such as too much sodium or not taking medicines the right way, may suddenly make heart failure worse. This can sometimes cause deadly problems such as pulmonary edema or cardiogenic shock.
Symptoms
At first you may not have any symptoms from heart failure. For a while, your heart and body can make up for heart failure. For example, your heart can pump faster and pump more blood with each beat. This is called compensation.
But as your heart has more trouble pumping enough blood to your body, you will likely have symptoms. These symptoms may get worse or change if your heart failure gets worse.
Symptoms of heart failure start to happen when your heart can't pump enough blood to the rest of your body. In the early stages, you may:
- Feel tired easily.
- Be short of breath when you exert yourself.
- Feel like your heart is pounding or racing (palpitations).
- Feel weak or dizzy.
As heart failure gets worse, fluid starts to build up in your lungs and other parts of your body. This may cause you to:
- Feel short of breath even at rest.
- Have swelling (edema), especially in your legs, ankles, and feet.
- Gain weight. This may happen over just a day or two, or more slowly.
- Cough or wheeze, especially when you lie down.
- Feel bloated or sick to your stomach.
How doctors talk about heart failure
There is more than one type of heart failure. Each type is based on what problem in the heart is causing it to not pump as much blood as normal.
Heart failure is grouped—or classified—according to symptoms. Your treatment is based partly on what class of symptoms you have.
There's also another way to define heart failure. It's based on the stages you might go through as your heart failure gets worse. Your doctor also may make treatment choices based on your stage of heart failure.
Symptoms of sudden heart failure
Sometimes your symptoms may get worse very quickly. This is called sudden heart failure. It causes fluid to build up in your lungs, causing congestion. (This is why the problem is often called congestive heart failure.) Symptoms may include:
- Severe shortness of breath.
- An irregular or fast heartbeat.
- Chest pain that does not go away with rest or medicine.
- Trouble thinking clearly or feeling confused.
- Fainting.
- Coughing up foamy, pink mucus.
Sudden heart failure is an emergency. You need care right away.
More information
What Increases Your Risk
Your risk for having heart failure is higher if you have certain risk factors. A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of having a particular problem.
Heart failure is usually caused by another health problem, often coronary artery disease or high blood pressure. So anything that increases your risk for one of those problems also increases your risk for heart failure.
- Risk factors for coronary artery disease and heart attack include smoking, having high cholesterol or diabetes, and having a family history of heart disease.
- Risk factors for high blood pressure include being overweight, being inactive, and having a family history of high blood pressure.
- Risk factors for heart valve disease include older age and an infection of the valves.
The risk of heart failure rises as a person gets older.
When to Call a Doctor
Call 9-1-1 or other emergency services immediately if you have:
- Symptoms of sudden heart failure, such as:
- Severe shortness of breath (trouble getting a breath even when resting).
- Suddenly getting an irregular heartbeat that lasts for a while, or getting a very fast heartbeat along with dizziness, nausea, or fainting.
- Chest pain that does not go away with rest or medicine.
- Trouble thinking clearly or feeling confused.
- Foamy, pink mucus with a cough and shortness of breath.
- Symptoms of a heart attack, such as:
- Chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in the chest.
- Sweating.
- Shortness of breath.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Pain, pressure, or a strange feeling in the back, neck, jaw, or upper belly, or in one or both shoulders or arms.
- Light-headedness or sudden weakness.
- A fast or irregular heartbeat.
- Symptoms of a stroke. These include:
- Sudden numbness, tingling, weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on only one side of your body.
- Sudden vision changes.
- Sudden trouble speaking.
- Sudden confusion or trouble understanding simple statements.
- Sudden problems with walking or balance.
- A sudden, severe headache that is different from past headaches.
Call your doctor now if you have a pacemaker or ICD and think you have an infection near the device. Signs of an infection include:
- Changes in the skin around your pacemaker or ICD, such as:
- Swelling.
- Warmth.
- Redness.
- Pain.
- Fever not caused by influenza (flu) or another illness.
Call your doctor soon if you have symptoms of heart failure, which include:
- Being very tired or having weakness that prevents you from doing your usual activities.
- Having breathing problems such as:
- Trouble breathing during routine activities or exercise that did not cause problems before.
- Sudden shortness of breath, even if it is mild.
- Shortness of breath when you lie down.
- Waking up at night with shortness of breath or feeling as though you are suffocating.
- A dry, hacking cough, especially when you lie down.
- Sudden weight gain, such as more than 1 kg (2 lb) to 1.4 kg (3 lb) in a day or 2.3 kg (5 lb) in a week. (Your doctor may suggest a different range of weight gain.)
- Increased fluid buildup in your body (most often in the legs).
Call your doctor soon if:
- Your heart failure symptoms get worse.
- You have a sudden change in symptoms.
- You're having trouble keeping even minor symptoms under control.
Examinations and Tests
Heart failure is a complex problem. So you will likely have several different tests over time. These tests can:
- Find out if you have heart failure.
- Find the cause of your heart failure.
- Find the type of heart failure you have.
- Show how bad your heart failure is (class and stage).
- See how well your treatment is working.
If you have symptoms that suggest heart failure, you may have:
- A review of your medical history and a physical examination.
- Blood tests.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG).
- Chest X-ray.
- Echocardiogram (echo).
- Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Cardiac blood pool scan.
An echocardiogram may be used to diagnose heart failure. It also can help guide treatment.
Tests also may be done to find areas of the heart that are not getting enough blood. These tests include:
- Cardiac perfusion scan. This test can show poor blood flow to the heart.
- Cardiac catheterization. This test can be used to check for blocked or narrowed heart arteries and to measure pressures inside the heart.
When you're taking medicine for heart failure, you may have regular blood tests to check how the medicine is working. Or you may have a blood test to check the level of medicine in your body.
More information
- How Often You'll See Your Doctor for Heart Failure
- Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (Systolic Heart Failure)
- Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (Diastolic Heart Failure)
- Right-Sided Heart Failure
- High-Output Heart Failure
Treatment Overview
Your treatment for heart failure depends on:
- The cause of your heart failure.
- Which type of heart failure you have.
- How bad your symptoms are (classification).
- How well your body is able to make up (compensate) for your heart failure.
- Your goals, wishes, and preferences about your treatment.
In the early stages of heart failure, treatment can help your symptoms. It may also prevent more damage to your heart. Treatment may include:
- Taking medicines, such as a diuretic and an ACE inhibitor. To learn more, see Medications.
- Making lifestyle changes, such as eating less salt and being more active. To learn more, see Living With Heart Failure.
As part of your ongoing treatment, your doctor will also try to prevent or treat problems—such as fever, arrhythmia, and anemia—that can lead to sudden heart failure. Treatment may include:
- Getting vaccines. Your doctor may want you to get vaccines against pneumonia and flu. These vaccines can keep you from getting infections that could put you in the hospital.
- Checking your weight. Your doctor will probably give you guidelines for watching fluid buildup and tell you how much weight gain is too much.
- Getting devices to fix heart rhythm problems. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a biventricular pacemaker that can help your heart pump blood better. This is also called cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Or you may have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to stop a deadly rhythm. Some people get a pacemaker that is combined with an ICD.
- Oxygen treatment. Your doctor may recommend oxygen therapy to reduce your shortness of breath and increase your ability to exercise.
You may be referred to a heart failure clinic in your area. Heart failure clinics provide ongoing physical and emotional support, education, and monitoring for people who have heart failure, including information on medicines and their side effects. For more information, talk with your doctor or visit the Canadian Heart Failure Network website at www.chfn.ca.
A very small number of people may have other treatments, including:
- Ventricular assist devices (VADs), which help the heart pump blood.
- Heart transplant, which replaces your heart with a donor heart.
Treatment for causes of heart failure
If you have other heart problems that may have led to heart failure, you might have treatment for those problems:
- Coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty.
- Surgery to replace or repair a valve in your heart.
- Cardiac rehabilitation, a supervised program that uses exercise, education, and support to help people live well with heart failure. For more information, see the topic Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Sometimes heart failure can be fixed if another problem can be corrected, such as by treating hyperthyroidism.
End-of-life care
Because heart failure tends to get worse over time, you may want to think about hospice palliative care. This care is a kind of care for people who have a serious illness. It's different from care to cure your illness. Its goal is to improve your quality of life—not just in your body but also in your mind and spirit.
You can have this care along with treatment to cure your illness. You can also have it if treatment to cure your illness no longer seems like a good choice.
Hospice palliative care providers will work to help manage pain and other symptoms or side effects. They may help you decide what treatment you want or don't want. And they can help your loved ones understand how to support you.
For more information, see the topic Hospice Palliative Care.
It can be hard to have talks with your doctor and family about the end of your life. But making these decisions now may bring you and your family peace of mind. Your family won't have to wonder what you want. And you can spend your time focusing on your relationships.
You will need to decide if you want life-support measures if your health gets very bad. An advance care plan includes documents that tell doctors how to care for you at the end of your life. This care includes electronic devices that are used for heart failure, such as pacemakers. You also can say where you want to have care. And you can name someone who can make sure your wishes are followed.
Prevention
The best way to prevent heart failure is to have a healthy lifestyle and control existing health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.
To reduce your risk:
- Don't smoke. If you smoke, quit. Avoid second-hand smoke too.
- Lower your cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, follow your doctor's advice for lowering it. Eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising, and quitting smoking will help keep your cholesterol low.
- Control your blood pressure. Exercising, limiting alcohol, and controlling stress will help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
- Get regular exercise. Exercise will help control your weight, blood pressure, and stress. Controlling these things will help keep your heart healthy. Try to do activities that raise your heart rate. Aim for at least 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous exercise a week.footnote 1
- Control diabetes. Take your medicines as directed, and work with your doctor to make a diet and exercise plan to control diabetes.
- Limit alcohol. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately. This means no more than 3 drinks a day for men and 2 drinks a day for women.
Living With Heart Failure
You can feel better when you have heart failure by taking your medicines as directed, having a healthy lifestyle, and avoiding things that make heart failure worse. Know what things you can do every day to stay healthy, what symptoms to watch for, and when to call a doctor.
Ask your doctor if cardiac rehab is right for you. Rehab can give you education and support that help you learn self-care and build new, healthy habits such as exercise and healthy eating.
Taking medicines
- Take your medicines as directed. If you don't, your heart failure may get worse, or you may get sudden heart failure.
- Try to avoid medicines that can make your heart failure worse. Before taking any new medicine, ask your doctor or a pharmacist if it's safe to take it with your heart failure medicines.
Having a healthy lifestyle
- Eat healthy foods.
- Limit sodium. Your doctor might recommend that you limit sodium to less than 2,000 mg a day. Limiting sodium can help you feel better and prevent sudden heart failure. Fluid may build up in your lungs—making it harder for you to breathe—and in your feet, ankles, legs, and belly.
- Exercise regularly. If you aren't already active, your doctor may want you to start exercising. Do not start exercising until you have talked with your doctor to make an exercise program that is safe for you. You could do it in a cardiac rehabilitation program or on your own.
- Check your weight at the same time every day. Checking your weight helps you keep track of your symptoms. Sudden weight gain may mean that fluid is building up in your body because your heart failure is getting worse.
- Try to lose weight if you are overweight. Eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly will help you lose weight. Even a few kilograms can make a difference.
- Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking increases your risk for heart disease and makes it harder to exercise. Avoid second-hand smoke too.
- Limit alcohol. Ask your doctor how much, if any, is safe.
- Limit your fluids if your doctor tells you to. Limiting fluid can help relieve swelling. Limiting fluid helps your body get rid of extra water and sodium.
- Oxygen treatment. Your doctor may recommend oxygen therapy to reduce your shortness of breath and increase your ability to exercise.
Avoiding things that make heart failure worse
Avoid triggers, such as too much salt (sodium) and certain medicines, that can cause sudden heart failure.
Treating your sleep problems
![]() One Man's Story: Pete, 70 "I was having a lot of trouble getting enough sleep. I was snoring so bad that my wife was sleeping in another room. I'd wake up 7 times a night. Sometimes I'd wake up gasping for breath. The next day I'd be so tired that I'd fall asleep while doing my woodworking in the garage. And I was really fuzzy-headed. I couldn't remember anything. "I thought it might be my heart failure. So I decided to talk to my doctor about it, and he suggested a sleep study. I found out that I have sleep apnea. I haven't been getting enough oxygen because of it. He put me on a CPAP machine at night. I've used it for the past 4 months. "It took a little time to get used to sleeping with a mask. But I'm sleeping much better. Now if I wake up, it's only once, and I go right back to sleep. I feel so much better during the day."— Pete This story is based on information gathered from many people living with heart failure. |
Many people with heart failure have trouble sleeping. Your doctor may be able to find out what is causing your sleep problems and help you get a good night's sleep.
Having a healthy sex life
Most people with heart failure can still have an active and safe sex life. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about having sex.
Unfortunately, sexual problems are common. Your interest may drop, or you may have shortness of breath or other symptoms that limit your ability to have sex. Men may have erection problems.
Talk to your doctor. You can get help for erection problems or other sexual troubles.
Other things you can do to take care of yourself
- Get help for depression and anxiety if you have them. Heart failure can be hard on your emotions. Many people with heart failure feel depressed or anxious. For more information on how to feel better, see Coping With Your Feelings.
- Try some tips for easier breathing , such as propping yourself up with pillows at night.
- Avoid colds and the flu . Stay up to date on vaccines for flu and pneumonia.
- Learn how to make activities like work, exercise, and travel easier. Talk to your doctor.
- Work with your team of health professionals.
Help for caregivers
It can be rewarding to help a loved one with heart failure. But it's also a lot of work. And it can be hard emotionally.
If you are taking care of a loved one, make sure that you also take care of yourself. This can mean taking breaks by getting help from family or friends. You also may be able to use respite care. These services provide someone who will stay with your loved one while you get out of the house for a few hours.
More information
Coping With Your Feelings
Heart failure brings big changes to your life. You may struggle with sadness and worry. You may wonder if you'll still be able to enjoy your life. Coping with your feelings and seeking help when you need it can help you live better with heart failure.
Depression and anxiety
Heart failure can be hard on your emotions. You may feel depressed that you can't do some of the things you used to do. You may worry about your future. And symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, can make this anxiety worse.
These feelings are common. Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of depression or are worried a lot. Depression and anxiety can be treated with counselling and medicine.
You also can help yourself feel better by changing your "self-talk." Those are the things you tell yourself about how you're coping. Negative thoughts can make you feel bad. Changing the way you think can change the way you feel.
![]() One Woman's Story: Joan, 54 "I would sit at my kitchen table and feel I was in this cloud of dread. I didn't feel like me. I felt like, 'I'm never going to be me again.' "— Joan Read about how Joan got help for depression and anxiety. |
For more information, see:
Stress
The challenges of living with heart failure can increase your stress. And stress can make living with heart failure even harder. Stress also can disturb your sleep and make depression and anxiety worse. Explore ways to relax and manage stress to help your body, mind, and spirit.
- Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Stress Management: Managing Your Time
- Stress Management: Reducing Stress by Being Assertive
- Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
- Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax
- Stress Management: Doing Meditation
- Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax
Getting support
Emotional support from friends and family can help you cope with the struggles of heart failure. You might want to think about joining a heart failure support group. Ask your doctor about the types of support that are available where you live.
Cardiac rehab programs can offer support for you and your family. Ask your doctor if rehab is right for you.
Meeting other people with the same problems can help you know you're not alone. If you're shy or aren't a joiner, you can look at an online support group. Even though people online aren't talking face-to-face, they're sharing their feelings and creating a community.
Medications
You probably will need to take several medicines to treat heart failure, even if you don't have symptoms yet.
Medicines don't cure heart failure. But they can help your heart work better and improve symptoms.
Medicines can:
- Relieve or control symptoms.
- Treat other health problems you have, such as coronary artery disease.
- Improve your daily quality of life.
- Slow the rate at which your heart failure gets worse.
- Reduce the chance of other problems from heart failure, such as stroke.
- Reduce hospital stays.
- Help you live as long as possible.
It's very important to take your medicines exactly as your doctor says. If you don't, your heart failure may get worse or you may get sudden heart failure.
The medicines you take will depend on the type of heart failure you have. The most commonly used medicines are listed below.
Medicines for pumping problems (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or systolic heart failure)
- ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) relax and widen blood vessels. This makes it easier for blood to flow.
- Aldosterone receptor antagonists, a type of diuretic, make the kidneys get rid of extra fluid.
- ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers) make it easier for blood to flow through the vessels.
- ARNI (angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor) medicines make it easier for blood to flow through the vessels. ARNI medicine may be used instead of an ACE inhibitor or an ARB.
- Beta-blockers slow the heart rate. They also may help the heart fill with blood more completely.
- Digoxin helps the heart pump more blood with each beat.
- Diuretics help relieve symptoms like swelling in the legs.
- Hydralazine taken with a nitrate widens blood vessels. This medicine can lower blood pressure and reduce the workload on the heart.
Medicines for filling problems (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction , or diastolic heart failure)
- ACE inhibitors
- ARBs
- Beta-blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Diuretics
Other medicines
You also may take other medicines for health problems that can cause heart failure or for problems caused by heart failure.
- Antiarrhythmics prevent very fast and sometimes irregular heart rhythms.
- Blood thinners, also known as anticoagulants, prevent dangerous blood clots.
Talk to your doctor before you take any over-the-counter medicines. Some of them might make your symptoms worse.
More information
Surgery
Surgeries for heart failure include:
- Surgery to get a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), or ventricular assist device (VAD). For more information, see Other Treatment.
- Heart transplant to replace a failing heart. This is not common.
Other Treatment
Pacemakers
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) uses a biventricular pacemaker, which makes the heart's lower chambers (ventricles) pump together. This can help your heart pump blood better. This type of pacemaker can help you feel better so you can be more active. It also can help keep you out of the hospital and help you live longer.
A pacemaker may be used alone or along with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for heart failure.
Implantable defibrillators (ICDs)
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can prevent sudden death from an abnormal heart rhythm and may help you live longer. An ICD checks the heart for very fast and deadly heart rhythms. If the heart goes into one of these rhythms, the ICD shocks it to stop the deadly rhythm and returns the heart to a normal rhythm.
An ICD may be used alone or along with a pacemaker for heart failure.
Ventricular assist devices (VADs)
Ventricular assist devices (VADs), also known as heart pumps, may be placed into the chest to help the heart pump more blood. VADs can keep people alive until a donor heart is available for transplant. In some cases, VADs may also be used as an alternative to heart transplant for long-term treatment. VADs are used in people who have severe heart failure.
Intra-aortic balloon pump
An intra-aortic balloon pump is sometimes used to help the heart pump more blood during sudden heart failure.
Natural health products
Talk to your doctor before you take any over-the-counter medicines or natural health products. They are used along with medical treatments for heart failure, not instead of treatment.
You may hear about natural health products that might improve heart failure symptoms.
Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid) supplements have been shown to help some heart failure patients. In some studies, fish oil supplements, taken along with other heart failure medicines, helped people stay out of the hospital and live longer.footnote 2
No other supplement, vitamin, or hormone has been shown definitely to relieve heart failure or help you live longer.
Examples include coenzyme Q10 and hawthorn.
- Only some of the studies of coenzyme Q10 showed that it helps heart failure symptoms.footnote 3
- Hawthorn is an herb that is sometimes used in Europe and Asia to try to increase blood flow to the heart.
Related Information
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Care at the End of Life
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Dealing With Medicine Side Effects and Interactions
- Heart Attack and Unstable Angina
- High Blood Pressure
- Navigating Your Hospital Stay
- Questions to Ask About Your Medicines
- Quitting Smoking
- Reducing Medication Costs
References
Citations
- Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2011). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines For Adults. Available online: http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_adults_en.pdf. Accessed October 28, 2014.
- Siscovick DS, et al. (2017). Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (fish oil) supplementation and the prevention of clinical cardiovascular disease: A science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 135(15): e867-e884. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000482. Accessed April 10, 2017.
- Coenzyme Q10 (2006). Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, 48(1229): 19–20.
Credits
Adaptation Date: 1/18/2023
Adapted By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Date: 1/18/2023
Adapted By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC
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