Conditions Related to Congestive Heart Failure
Edema and Heart Failure
Edema is swelling that is caused by excess fluid trapped in your body’s tissues.
The condition often occurs as the result of congestive heart failure. It can also be the result of medication, pregnancy, or another underlying condition, such as kidney disease or cirrhosis of the liver.
Edema symptoms include:
- Swelling or puffiness of the tissue directly under your skin, especially in your legs or arms
- Arms or legs start to feel full or heavy
- Shiny or stretched skin
- Skin retains pits, or dimples, after being pressed for several seconds
- Clothing or jewelry starts to feel tight and uncomfortable
- Skin near the swelling feels tight or warm
- It becomes harder to move the joints that are affected
- Increased abdominal size
If you have any of these symptoms, make an appointment to see your doctor. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience these symptoms along with shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and chest pain.
Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure
Sleep apnea is a common but potentially serious sleep disorder that affects an estimated 30 million people in the United States. It causes interruptions in breathing that can last 10 seconds or more and occur repeatedly throughout the night — as many as 30 times or more in the span of an hour.
This ongoing disruption of the normal sleep cycle can leave you feeling exhausted and sleepy during the day. It also puts you at an increased risk of health problems linked with inadequate sleep, including irritability, problems with memory or concentration, anxiety, and depression.
Sleep apnea is commonly found in people with heart failure.
Heart failure can cause retention of sodium and water, and doctors suspect that the excess fluid may enter the lungs at night and lead to obstructive apnea. Heart failure also seems to be linked to problems with the respiratory control system, which may be a cause of central sleep apnea.
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