Overview
Heart failure means the heart muscle has become too weak or stiff to pump blood effectively, causing fluid to build up in the lungs and legs. In Nigeria, untreated hypertension is the leading cause. With the right medicines and follow-up, symptoms can be controlled and life extended significantly.
Symptoms
- Breathlessness on exertion or when lying flat
- Waking at night gasping for breath
- Swollen feet, ankles or legs
- Persistent tiredness
- Swollen abdomen
- Cough, sometimes with frothy sputum
- Rapid weight gain from fluid
Causes & risk factors
- Long-standing, poorly controlled hypertension
- Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), including after childbirth
- Heart valve disease, often after childhood rheumatic fever
- Heart attacks damaging the muscle
- Anaemia and thyroid disease worsening the strain
Treatment & self-care
Doctors prescribe a combination of heart medicines that strengthen the pump, remove excess fluid and protect the heart long-term — taken daily and adjusted at follow-up visits. Reduce salt strictly, weigh yourself regularly to catch fluid build-up early, and stay as active as your doctor advises. Never stop heart-failure medicines without medical guidance.
See a doctor urgently if
- Breathlessness at rest or needing extra pillows to sleep
- Rapidly increasing leg or abdominal swelling
- Weight gain of more than 2 kg in a few days
- Fainting or severe palpitations
- Coughing pink, frothy sputum