Heart Failure

Symptoms of Heart Failure

The following symptoms are commonly associated with heart failure:

Shortness of breath (may be all the time, with exertion or at night when lying down)
Activity intolerance
Difficulty lying flat without extra pillows
Chest pain
Palpitations
Dizziness
Decreased alertness
Increasing fatigue
Swelling in legs
Rapid weight gain
Abdominal distention and bloating
Decreased appetite

Most of these symptoms are caused by excess fluid build-up. In heart failure, the body has difficulty ridding itself of salt and water. This is called fluid overload.

The fluid builds up in the tissues of the body in the legs, abdomen and lungs. The heart has to work harder to pump this extra fluid and this causes more fatigue.

Talk to Your Doctor

It is important to communicate any new or increasing symptoms to your physician. When you visit your doctor, he or she may do the following:

Listen to your lungs: This is done to check for congestion and fluid in the lungs or in the space between lungs and chest wall.
Listen to your heart: This can detect irregular heart rhythms, heart murmurs and high pressures in your heart and lungs. It can indicate if the heart is enlarged.
Look at your neck veins: Your neck veins are the "dipstick" to your body. It can show if you have too much fluid in your body.
Take your vital signs and weight: This is done to determine if your blood pressure and heart rate are controlled and your weight is stable.
Palpate (feel) your abdomen: This shows us if your liver is enlarged, if you have fluid in your belly, or if you are bloated.
Check your legs: This is done to check for swelling of your legs. This tells us whether you are retaining fluid.

Many times the symptoms of heart failure can be treated with simple medications and diet adjustments before they are allowed to develop into a more serious situation.

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Last Reviewed: Feb 11, 2009

Ileana L Piña, MD
Professor, VA Quality Scholar
Louis Stokes VA Medical Center
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University