Heart Failure
Rebecca E. Welch
What Is Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive Heart Failure, also known as CHF, is a chronic condition that affects the chambers of your heart. You have four chambers: two atria in the upper half of the heart and two ventricles in the lower half.
The ventricles send blood to your organs and tissue and the atria receives the blood as it circulates back from the rest of the body. CHF develops when your ventricles cannot pump in sufficient volume. Blood an other fluids back up inside your lungs, abdomen, liver, and lower body.
How our bodies regulate blood pressure
The body has mechanisms to alter or maintain blood pressure and blood flow. There are sensors that sense blood pressure in the …show more content…
For example, an older heart can normally pump blood as strong as a younger heart; less ability to pump blood is caused by disease.
But, changes that happen with age may increase a person’s risk of heart disease. The good news is there are things you can do to delay, lower, or possibly avoid or reverse your risk.
•A common problem related to aging is “hardening of the arteries,” called arteriosclerosis (ahr-teer-ee-o-skluh-roh-sis). This problem is why blood pressure goes up with age.
•Blood vessels can become stiffer, and some parts of the heart wall will thicken to help with blood flow.
•Your valves may become thicker and stiffer, causing leaks or problems with pumping blood out of the heart.
•The size of the sections of your heart may increase.
•Other factors, such as thyroid disease or chemotherapy, may weaken the heart muscle. Things you can’t control, like your family history,might also increase your risk of heart disease. But even so, leading a heart-healthy lifestyle might help you avoid or delay serious illness. Other factors, such as thyroid disease or chemotherapy, may weaken the heart muscle. Things you can’t control, like your family