Are you wondering what causes heart failure? Basically heart failure can be caused by anything that damages the heart muscle and prevents the heart muscle from contracting or relaxing in a normal way. Over time, natural consequence of aging, the heart weakens. It isn’t able to fill with and/or pump blood as well as it should effectively. Some health conditions can also affect the heart muscle, causing it to fail.
The most common and predominate causes of heart failure are:
- After a heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- Narrowing of the heart’s arteries (coronary artery disease, angina)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
There are other things that may cause or contribute to heart failure, they include:
- Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Diabetes
- Heart defects present at birth (congenital heart disease)
- Leaking or narrowing of heart valves (valvular regurgitation or stenosis)
- Diseased heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
- Certain types of cancer
- Infections of the heart (endocarditis)
- Lung disease
- Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism)
- Certain medical treatments
- Anemia
- Constant alcohol abuse
The stages of congestive heart failure
