Can heart failure be cured?

Written by Liu Ying
Cardiology
Updated on October 24, 2024
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We say that some early-stage heart failure can be cured, such as peripartum cardiomyopathy and thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy. If discovered and treated early, there is hope for a cure. However, most heart failure cannot be cured. Although some psychological failures cannot be cured, if patients can receive early treatment and effective treatment, take their medication on time, and have regular check-ups as advised by their doctor, most heart failure can still be controlled or alleviated. However, if heart failure is detected and not actively treated, even mild heart failure may gradually worsen, or even become end-stage heart failure.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can people with heart failure eat fish?

Patients with heart failure can eat fish, as fish contains a large amount of high-quality protein, vitamin B, trace elements, and minerals. Consuming fish can increase the high-quality protein the body needs, enhance the body's immunity and disease resistance. Especially for patients with heart failure, who suffer from chronic myocardial ischemia, need nutritional support. When preparing fish, it should not be made too salty, as patients with heart failure should follow a low-salt diet. If the fish is too salty, consuming it in excess could exacerbate heart failure. Preparing fish in a lighter way, such as making fish soup, can not only supplement the body's high-quality protein but also be easier to digest.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Can heart failure cause suffocation?

Heart failure is caused by various reasons leading to the heart's blood supply being relatively or absolutely insufficient, causing a series of pathological and physiological disorders in patients. Patients often manifest symptoms like difficulty breathing, tightness in breath, and even a feeling of suffocation. However, generally, the symptoms caused by heart failure are not these. This is because suffocation occurs due to airway narrowing or the narrow space around the patient, leading to insufficient oxygen intake, causing a series of syndromes. Therefore, although people with heart failure feel suffocated, they are not actually suffocating; it is just a manifestation of inadequate circulatory supply.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Can acute heart failure be cured?

Acute heart failure refers to the acute onset or exacerbation of a clinical syndrome of heart failure, manifested as either acute onset of new heart failure or acute worsening of chronic heart failure. The goal of treatment is to improve symptoms, stabilize hemodynamic status, protect vital organ functions, improve prognosis, and prevent recurrence. Because the ischemia and hypoxia during an acute heart failure episode, along with severe respiratory distress, are life-threatening, urgent intervention is required. However, whether it can be cured depends on the underlying disease. Since the underlying disease is already present, it cannot be completely cured, but clinical symptoms and prognosis can be improved.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Acute heart failure typical symptoms

The typical symptoms of acute heart failure include sudden severe difficulty breathing, increased respiratory rate, and patients generally presenting a forced sitting position, with pale, grayish complexion and cyanotic lips. They often have profuse sweating, restlessness, frequent coughing, and coughing up pink frothy sputum. The condition can be critical, leading to consciousness disturbances due to lack of oxygen. Once acute heart failure occurs, active treatment is essential. The most common clinical approaches include strengthening the heart, diuresis, and vasodilation for symptomatic active management.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Common causes of heart failure

Heart failure is a syndrome that occurs when various structural or functional cardiac diseases impair ventricular filling or ejection function. Once heart failure occurs, medical treatment should be sought promptly. Common causes of heart failure mainly include the following points. The first category is primary myocardial damage, which mainly includes coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, and diabetic cardiomyopathy, among others. The second major category is cardiac load, such as excessive pressure load, commonly seen in hypertension, aortic valve stenosis, pulmonary hypertension, etc.; and excessive volume load, mainly found in cardiac valve insufficiency and congenital heart disease, among others.