What should I do if I have a cold with heart failure?

Written by Liu Ying

Cardiology

Updated on March 14, 2025

00:00

00:00

Infections are a primary cause of worsening heart failure. Patients with heart failure who catch a cold should treat the cold, and if the cold exacerbates the heart failure, they should also treat the heart failure simultaneously. Patients with heart failure should always try to avoid infections by regularly ventilating their living spaces, avoiding crowded places prone to cross-infections, and dressing appropriately for the weather. Additionally, patients should engage in appropriate exercise to boost their immune system, but they must balance activity and rest.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Han Shun Li

Pulmonology

55sec

home-news-image

How to deal with chronic colds?

Colds, generally speaking, are not serious illnesses. However, if one suffers from frequent colds with recurring symptoms, it can significantly affect the patient and severely impact their quality of life. So, what should be done? Typically, if one frequently catches colds, it indicates that the patient's immune system is relatively weak. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly exercise, engage in physical activities, and spend time outdoors to boost immunity and enhance the body's adaptability. Additionally, with seasonal changes, it is important to change clothing promptly to avoid getting cold. Regular rest and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are crucial; avoid smoking and drinking. During the cold season, it's wise to drink more water, ensure rooms are well-ventilated, and avoid crowded places as much as possible to specifically prevent catching a cold.

home-news-image

Written by Li Jian Wu

Pulmonology

31sec

home-news-image

Can you eat grapefruit when you have a cold?

If you have a common cold, you can eat grapefruit. Grapefruit is rich in vitamins and can enhance the body's immunity and its ability to resist viral colds. You can eat some grapefruit in moderation during a cold, but it is not recommended to consume too much as it can burden the gastrointestinal tract. During a cold, the body is relatively weak, so it is important to eat a light and reasonable diet, consume more light fruits and vegetables, and avoid overly greasy, spicy, and irritating foods.

home-news-image

Written by Zhang Ying Ying

Traditional Chinese Medicine

55sec

home-news-image

What will happen if you take medicine for wind-heat cold when you have a wind-cold cold?

The treatment principle for colds caused by wind-cold is to use pungent and warm herbs to expel the pathogen through sweating and to disperse wind-cold. The medications for wind-heat colds mainly focus on using pungent and cooling herbs to expel the pathogen, and the treatment principles for the two are completely opposite. If medications for wind-heat cold are taken for a wind-cold cold, it might lead to a worsening of the trapped cold, causing mild fever, more severe headache, and body aches, along with nasal congestion and a runny nose with clear discharge. At this point, it is necessary to stop using the medication for wind-heat colds and switch to medications for wind-cold colds, or, if the condition is severe, seek a face-to-face consultation with a doctor.

home-news-image

Written by Wang Chun Mei

Pulmonology

1min 2sec

home-news-image

Does common cold cause dry cough?

In clinical practice, ailments like the common cold, also known as upper respiratory infections, generally occur in patients due to reduced immune function, exposure to cold, or contraction of wind-cold, causing various symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fever, dry and itchy throat, coughing, and pain. Therefore, as with the previous infection, most clinical cases are caused by viral infections. So, when patients suffer from upper respiratory infections, they often experience varying degrees of dry cough, which is very common. Typically, identifying the specific infecting pathogen causing the common cold and providing symptomatic treatment can lead to a full recovery within about a week. For severe dry cough symptoms, appropriate cough suppressant medications can be used for symptomatic treatment.

home-news-image

Written by Li Jiao Yan

Neonatology

56sec

home-news-image

Differences between viral colds and bacterial colds in children

When children have a viral cold, they have a runny nose with clear mucus, whereas bacterial colds usually do not involve a runny nose, or the discharge is purulent. In viral colds, children may have a fever but generally remain in good spirits, and their spirits return to normal after the fever subsides. In contrast, with bacterial colds, children experience fluctuating high temperatures, poor spirits after the fever subsides, and may show symptoms such as chills and cold hands and feet. Viral colds typically present more nasal discharge than throat symptoms; when the tonsils are inflamed, they appear smooth and bright red, whereas in bacterial colds, the inflamed tonsils are uneven, dull, and sometimes with visible pus spots.