Q
: 1
05/02/2010 |
My doctor says that my heart ejection rate is at 40%. I have lost 21 pounds and am walking daily. The ejection rate has improved from 35%. However, I have hypertophic cardiomyapathy and need to lose 20 more pounds. I am
taking 200 ml of metotoprol every day. What is my future with this disease?
People who are active and feeling well can usually have a normal life with a slightly decreased ejection fraction.
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Q
: 2
03/10/2010 |
When pulminary hypertention causes heart failure, what heart failure drugs are of benefit and what drugs harm?
Pulmonary hypertension can cause right sides heart failure. I assume you are not talking about pulmonary hypertension from left sided heart failure. There are no proven medications for right sided heart failure. Diuretics (fluid pills) need to be used and the pulmonary hypertension should be treated.
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Q
: 3
02/28/2010 |
I was wondering if CHF was a hereditary condition? My dad and his brother both have it. My dad was only 59 when he got it. For a number of years now, I've had problems and just did nothing due to family issues. What do you think?
There are types of cardiomyopathy which are genetic. If it is due to coronary artery disease, it is probably more related to whether people have had myocardial infarctions, but if it is not and there are multiple family members, it is worth investigating. You haven't described your problems, but if you think that you may have symptoms, you should definitely see a cardiologist.
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Q
: 4
12/27/2009 |
I went to the hospital after not being able to breathe while I was sleeping. I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and am now taking lasix pills. Will I always have to take them? Is there a way to reverse the condition?
There are different types of heart failure and many treatments for them. For most, you will need long-term treatment. You should have a specialist determine if you are on all the correct treatments.
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Q
: 5
11/24/2009 |
I am a 70-year-old woman, weigh 300lbs and was just diagnosed with chronic diastolic heart failure. Is there anything I can do to improve my heart condition like exercising?
There are many things you can do on your own to improve the condition of your heart. First, you should make sure that your blood pressure is controlled. Adopting a low salt diet and losing weight would also be beneficial.
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Q
: 6
10/29/2009 |
What does it mean if the left side of your heart is enlarged?
Decreased heart function can be caused by many things and often leads to enlargement of the heart. See this page for more information: http://www.umm.edu/heart/heart_failure/index.htm
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Q
: 7
09/16/2009 |
How effective is Coenzyme Q-10 for patients with congestive heart failure?
We have studied Coenzyme Q10 in heart failure and found no effect, either positive or negative. Some people believe it is beneficial, but there is not good evidence for this.
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Q
: 8
07/19/2009 |
I have ARVD with right-sided heart failure. Could stem cell treatment help improve my condition? Are there any other treatments or trials?
At this time, I do not know of any stem cell or other trails that are being conducted for patients with ARVD.
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Q
: 9
06/16/2009 |
My father-in law has had years of uncontrolled high and low blood pressure swings. Now he has now congestive heart failure. Are there any good vitamins he can take to help?
It is important that he not be dehydrated or fluid overloaded. If he gets enough vitamins in his food, there are no vitamins which have been shown to be beneficial when given in high doses.
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Q
: 10
06/03/2009 |
Is there any cure for heart failure?
There are many different causes of heart failure and treatments are different. However, most cases respond to good treatment. See these pages for more information:
http://www.umm.edu/heart/heart_failure/stand_treatment.htm
http://www.umm.edu/heart/heart_failure/new_treatment.htm
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Q
: 11
05/10/2009 |
Five years ago I had a seven-way bypass and heart remodeling with a chase mannequin. The ejection faction was improved from 15 to 25. I have since developed congestive heart failure and have a limited, but active lifestyle. I am now looking for alternatives, is stem cell treatment a viable consideration outside the United States? Are there other promising developments to look forward to in the near future?
It is important that you are on good medications for your heart failure. This should include good doses of a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor. Spironolactone should also be considered. Stem cell treatment at present is very investigational, and I would not recommend going outside the US where treatment is generally suboptimal with this. If you have concerns, you should see a heart failure specialist.
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Q
: 12
04/28/2009 |
Can you tell me the difference between chronic heart failure and compensated heart failure?
Different people may mean different things with these terms. Generally, however, the term compensated is used when the patient is doing well. Chronic just means that the person has heart failure for a prolonged period; it is not used to describe severity.
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Q
: 13
02/11/2009 |
Is it possible for someone with heart failure to receive chemotherapy without further damaging the heart?
There are different types of chemotherapy and only some of them are inappropriate for patients with heart failure due to the potential risk of further damage.
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Q
: 14
01/19/2009 |
Why do chest diseases cause right-sided heart failure?
Some lung diseases (such as pulmonary embolus) can increase the pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs. This makes the right side of the heart work harder. Since the right side of the heart is not used to pumping against high pressures, it can cause it to deteriorate.
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Q
: 15
12/04/2008 |
I was diagnosed with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy in 2000, 11 days after the birth of my first child at age 23. All symptoms were gone within a year and I was taken off all meds. I had a second child in 2005 at the age of 28 with no complications at all, although I was followed by a neonatologist because of the potential risk. After my child was born, I had a tubal ligation. I would very much like to get the tubal ligation reversed, but wanted to know if the risk for another diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy would be too high to consider that.
People with perpartum cardiomyopathy are at increased risk of recurrence even if the heart returns to normal. No one can say for certain what will happen, but you should be aware of this and talk with your cardiologist about the risks if you are to consider this.
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