Patient/caregiver was instructed that damage with poor blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle is the central element for development of congestive heart failure.
The risk factors and causes for damage to the cardiac muscle could vary as follows:
- Family history: Individuals with family history of cardiomyopathy can be at increased risk for the disorder, by inheriting a defective gene, resulting in abnormal growth of heart muscle, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure.
- High blood pressure: In hypertensive individuals, the heart works harder to pump blood against elevated blood pressure. Chronic unresolved hypertension, by increasing the workload on the heart, increases the oxygen demand of heart muscle. In long run, this can progressively damage the heart muscle and result in heart failure.
- Coronary artery disease: Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Blockage of these blood vessels due to factors, such as, elevated cholesterol, can compromise blood supply to the heart muscle, thus damaging the heart muscle and resulting in heart failure.
- History of heart attack: Individuals with history of heart attack present with damaged heart muscle. The extent of damage can be proportional to the severity of the attack suffered. Damaged heart muscle can result in ineffective contractions, thus rendering the heart increasingly weaker and result in heart failure.
