Types of Heart Failure

Having heart failure means that your heart has difficultly pumping blood efficiently throughout your body.
There are many different types of heart failure and some of the more common ones are outlined below.

Chronic vs. Acute

Heart failure is commonly a chronic illness that arises as a result of damage to the heart caused by other conditions such as a heart attack, hypertension, diabetes, valve disease (see above). Chronic heart failure develops slowly over time and may not be recognized initially but gradually worsens in most cases and requires long-term therapy.

Although less common than chronic heart failure, many patients can experience acute heart failure. Acute heart failure develops rapidly and symptoms may be temporary due to an event such as a heart attack. Acute heart failure may be reversible in some cases but many progress to chronic heart failure.

Left-sided vs. Right-sided

Heart failure may be defined based on what side of the heart is not functioning adequately.

Left-sided heart failure occurs when the left ventricle is not pumping adequately. This results in a deficiency of oxygen-rich blood that is pumped from the heart to the rest of the body. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing and lung congestion (with both blood and fluid).

Right-sided heart failure occurs when the right ventricle is not pumping adequately. This tends to cause fluid build-up in the veins and swelling in the legs and ankles. Right-sided heart failure usually occurs as a direct result of left-sided heart failure but can also be caused by severe lung disease or right heart valve disease.

Systolic vs. Diastolic

Heart failure can also be defined in terms of the cardiac cycle.

Systolic heart failure means that the heart is unable to pump adequate amounts of blood throughout the body during its contraction. Some of the causes for systolic heart failure include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and heart valve disease. Symptoms from this include lung congestion and swelling (edema) of the lower extremities.

Diastolic heart failure means the heart muscle is unable to relax fully between contractions and allow enough blood to enter the ventricles. This results in fluid buildup and congestion in the lungs. Some of the causes for diastolic heart failure include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy. Diastolic heart failure also occurs to some extent in systolic heart failure. Consequently, symptoms between these two types of heart failure are very similar.