Why does heart failure cause shortness of breath?

Being short of breath after simple activities such as bathing or walking may indicate a heart condition requiring medical attention This fatigue, also called dyspnea by doctors, is one of the first symptoms of heart failure.

Heart failure or congestive heart failure means the heart is unable to pump the blood the body needs. To get an idea, a healthy heart has an ejection fraction of 55 and 60%. With each heartbeat, 55 to 60% of the blood gets pumped out to your body. If there are problems with the heart muscle, this ejection fraction does not even reach 50%.

The question here is: what happens when your heart has an ejection fraction outside of the normal range? First of all, keep in mind that with each heartbeat, the heart sends blood throughout the system to distribute oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Then that blood returns to the heart to be propelled back to the lungs, where it is oxygenated, and the cycle restarts.

If there is blood left in the heart because of heart failure, that fluid will end up in the lungs, congesting them and causing shortness of breath. Depending on the advanced stage of heart failure, this dyspnea may occur at rest. There are patients who may have trouble sleeping due to the impossibility of breathing while lying down.

In addition to the shortness of breath, other symptoms may be present such as:

The lack of oxygen in the system affects other organs such as the kidney, which is responsible for filtering fluids and expelling waste through urine. This aggravates the accumulation of liquids and generates swelling in the feet, ankles, and legs, another reason to seek medical attention.

However, it is important to know that heart failure is a disease that usually begins silently. The person may not present early symptoms because the condition evolves slowly. That is why experts recommend regular medical checkups.

Although this condition can occur at any age, people over 40 have a 1 in 5 chance of heart failure, according to the American Heart Association.