Diagnosis of Heart Failure in Adults & Children

Submitted by Nic on November 21, 2012

Heart failure is something that all of us feel anxious about, especially as we get older. Being the leading cause of hospitalization in people over 65, it is certainly something that we cannot ignore. In the United States alone, over 5 million people suffer from heart failure every year. While there is no singular best testing method, various methods are used to diagnose heart failure.

What is a Heart Failure?

Heart failure is a result of the inability of the cardiac muscle (myocardium) to pump enough oxygenated blood to meet the needs of the various organs and tissues in the body. Diagnosis of heart failure involves figuring out whether the symptoms and physical conditions that a person exhibits indicate heart failure. Usually diagnosing heart failure involves the following steps

  • Questioning the patient on their medical history
  • Physical examination of the patient
  • Performing diagnostic tests to confirm heart failure

Differential Diagnosis of Heart Failure

Heart failure is caused by one of these two reasons

  • Cardiac: Cardiac reasons for heart failure are irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), myocardial dysfunction and heart disease.
  • Non-cardiac: Cardiac stress and overload can also be a result of non-cardiac reasons such as hypertension, anemia or sepsis.

The main way to differentiate heart failure symptoms caused by cardiac reasons from other non-cardiac reasons is by measuring the pressure in the capillaries present in the lungs. For someone who has suffered from heart failure due to cardiac reasons, their pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) will be greater than 18mm Hg.

Diagnosis of Heart Failure in Adults

In adults, the lifestyle a person leads can result in high risk of heart failure. Here are some of the risk factors that can cause heart failure, along with the percentage of risk for each factor.

  • Ischaemic heart disease, 62%
  • Cigarette smoking, 16%
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure),10%
  • Obesity, 8%
  • Diabetes, 3%
  • Valvular heart disease, 2%

The symptoms of heart disease in adults are

  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Wheezing
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • Fluid retention
  • Frequent nighttime urination
  • Liver enlargement

If a person is experiencing some of these symptoms, it is best to seek the advice of a reputed cardiologist. He or she will then be able to make a decision as to whether further testing is needed to confirm suspicions of a heart failure.

Diagnosis of Heart Failure in Children

In children, heart failure usually manifests itself as failure to grow, respiratory distress, and intolerance to exercise. Heart failure in children is diagnosed using the following methods.

  • Exercise testing
  • Noninvasive imaging
  • Biomarker profiling

Tests Recommended

Heart failure in adults is diagnosed and confirmed through a range of tests. Some of the routine tests done include

With advancements in modern technology, diagnosing heart failure has become increasingly accurate. If you are at high risk of heart failure, it is a good idea to check with your physician to help you take the precautionary measures needed to help prevent heart failure.

References

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