Heart Failure I: Introduction

Heart failure, or HF, is a clinical syndrome that occurs when structural or functional cardiac disorders impair the heart's ability to pump sufficient blood to meet the body's metabolic needs.

This condition typically results from myocardial damage, which disrupts cardiac output dependent on factors such as preload, afterload, contractility, and heart rate.

Changes in these factors can impair ventricular function, ultimately leading to heart failure.

Common causes of HF include coronary artery disease, where ischemia and myocardial infarction damage heart cells, leading to myocardial dysfunction and loss of contractility.

Hypertension increases afterload, causing myocardial hypertrophy and impaired filling, which can result in HF.

Cardiomyopathies, particularly dilated cardiomyopathy, cause myocardial necrosis and fibrosis, leading to progressive HF.

Valvular heart disease and systemic conditions such as chronic kidney disease and cardiac arrhythmias also contribute to HF.

Additionally, several factors elevate the risk of HF, including smoking, obesity, poorly managed diabetes, hypothyroidism, anemia, and pulmonary embolism.