From the Guidelines
Congestive Heart (CH) failure is a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill with or eject blood, characterized by symptoms such as dyspnea and fatigue, and signs like edema and rales on physical examination 1.
Definition and Characteristics
The clinical syndrome of heart failure may result from disorders of the pericardium, myocardium, endocardium, or great vessels, but the majority of patients with heart failure have symptoms due to an impairment of left ventricular (LV) myocardial function 1.
- Heart failure is not equivalent to cardiomyopathy or to LV dysfunction; these latter terms describe possible structural or functional reasons for the development of heart failure.
- The term “heart failure” is preferred over the older term “congestive heart failure” because not all patients have volume overload at the time of initial or subsequent evaluation 1.
Causes and Diagnosis
- Coronary artery disease, hypertension, and dilated cardiomyopathy are the causes of heart failure in a substantial proportion of patients in the Western world 1.
- Valvular heart disease is still a common cause of heart failure, and nearly any form of heart disease may ultimately lead to the heart failure syndrome.
- There is no single diagnostic test for heart failure because it is largely a clinical diagnosis that is based on a careful history and physical examination 1.
Key Points
- The cardinal manifestations of heart failure are dyspnea and fatigue, which may limit exercise tolerance, and fluid retention, which may lead to pulmonary congestion and peripheral edema 1.
- Patients with normal ejection fraction (EF) may have a different natural history and may require different treatment strategies than patients with reduced EF, although such differences remain controversial 1.
From the Research
Definition and Overview of Congestive Heart Failure
There are no research papers provided to assist in answering this question about Congestive Heart (CH) failure. The studies available are related to Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and do not provide information on Congestive Heart Failure.
Related Conditions and Studies
- The provided studies discuss Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), a condition characterized by enzymatic defects in the biosynthetic pathway of cortisol and/or aldosterone 2.
- CAH can lead to glucocorticoid deficiency, mineralocorticoid deficiency, and androgen excess, which can have various clinical manifestations, including cutaneous manifestations such as acne, androgenetic alopecia, and hirsutism 2.
- The studies focus on the management and treatment of CAH, including glucocorticoid replacement regimens, and their effects on growth, final height, and body mass index (BMI) in patients with CAH 3, 4, 5.
Key Findings and Implications
- The studies highlight the importance of early identification and treatment of CAH to prevent long-term comorbidities, such as cardiometabolic risk factors, impaired cognitive function, adrenal rest tumors, and bone health effects 6.
- The optimal glucocorticoid replacement regimen for CAH is still uncertain, and further research is needed to determine the most effective form of therapy 5.