Heart failure is a disease with a very high mortality rate. Clinically, about half of the patients with heart failure are already in severe heart failure when they are diagnosed, and once they develop severe heart failure, the mortality rate approaches seventy percent within five years. In fact, medical treatment for heart failure has advanced a lot, and as long as early detection and treatment is done, the damage can be minimized. Today I will get to know whether heart failure is really terrible! 1.What is heart failure? Heart failure is referred to as heart failure, which simply means that the heart is so overburdened that it can no longer complete its systolic and/or diastolic functions, thus causing a comprehensive manifestation of cardiac circulation disorders. Heart failure can be caused by various heart diseases, including congenital and acquired heart disease, heart valve disease, myocarditis, pericarditis, etc. Under normal circumstances, the heart has a high “compensatory capacity”, that is, a high “potential”. Even if the burden increases a little over a long period of time or a lot over a short period of time, it is not likely to fail. This is why heart failure is most often seen in more severe heart disease or in heart disease of longer duration. Heart failure can be divided into acute heart failure and chronic heart failure according to the urgency of its occurrence, with those occurring in a short time being called “acute heart failure” and those developing gradually over a longer period of time being called “chronic heart failure”. According to the location of heart failure, it can be divided into left heart, right heart and total heart failure. 2.What are the symptoms of heart failure? (1) Acute heart failure is mostly seen in acute left heart failure: sudden onset of severe dyspnea, seated breathing, wheezing, irritability and fear, respiratory rate up to 30-50 times/min; frequent coughing and coughing out a lot of pink foamy sputum; fast heart rate, apical rhythm can often be heard; both lungs are covered with wet rales and croup. In some cases, cardiogenic shock may occur: hypotension with systolic blood pressure falling below 90 mmHg, cold, pale and cyanotic skin with purple streaks; tachycardia >110 beats/min, severe physician’s disorder, coma, acidosis. (2) Chronic left heart failure: decreased exercise tolerance presents with chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnea, inability to lie flat, coughing, hemoptysis, or weakness and seeks medical attention, which can take various forms such as exertional dyspnea, telangiectatic breathing, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. (3) Chronic right heart failure: manifested as chronic persistent stasis-induced changes in the function of various organs. Patients may experience anorexia, dyspepsia, scanty urination, abdominal or leg edema, and may also find heart enlargement, jugular venous filling, hepatomegaly and pressure pain, cyanosis, ptosis edema, and thoracoabdominal fluid. 3.Is heart failure dangerous in the end? The main function of the heart is to deliver enough blood to the tissues throughout the body to supply the needs of normal life. If the heart is overburdened due to the heart itself or heart-related organs such as lungs, liver, kidneys, etc., at first the heart can compensate by speeding up the heart rate, but after continuous efforts to compensate for the thickening of the heart muscle, the heart’s ability to contract is no longer enough to deliver blood to the tissues of the whole body, it will cause a series of changes in the whole body, such as accelerated breathing, enlarged heart, enlarged liver, edema and stasis of blood in the internal organs, etc. If If not rescued in time, it will be life-threatening. In addition, heart failure is the end-stage manifestation of all heart diseases, and the hazards of the primary heart disease need to be taken into account. In particular, an acute heart failure attack must be treated promptly by calling 120 or visiting the emergency department. Chronic heart failure must also be seen by a doctor to see if medication adjustments or hospitalization are needed. According to the prestigious American study the Framingham Heart Study found that close to half of heart failure patients live an average of 5-7 years. The mortality rate of heart failure is no less than that of tumors, especially in some cases of severe heart failure where the patient’s life expectancy is even shorter than 5 years, but with advances in medical technology and improved treatment concepts, patient survival rates have improved somewhat.