Osama Abu Rab

What is heart failure, how it happens, what causes, what risk factors, and what treatment options, and how to prevent it? These and other questions were answered by Al Jazeera Clinic.

The seminar was hosted by Dr. Omar Al-Tamimi, Consultant Cardiac and Catheterization Consultant at the Cardiac Hospital of Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar.

Dr. Al-Tamimi is a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and holds the German Board of Internal Medicine and the German Board of Cardiology.

Dr. Tamimi said that the heart is a muscle that supplies the body with oxidized blood by pumping blood that carries oxygen and receive blood, which carries a small percentage of oxygen from the body organs and pumping to the lungs.

Therefore, when the heart fails to function, we lose the ability to supply the body with oxygen and nutrients carried by blood, and lead to accumulation of blood in certain areas.

He added that when heart failure occurs, it leads to the accumulation of blood in the lungs, followed by the filtration of water to the lung tissue, leading to accumulation of water in the chest.

Symptoms:

  • The inability to breathe when exerting effort, and this is caused by the accumulation of fluid in the lung.
  • With the increase of failure, the person feels the absence of breath even when sitting in a state of rest, and this requires emergency intervention, otherwise death.

the reasons:

  • Indirect causes, such as obesity and nutrition.
  • Alcohol.
  • Some viral infections that affect the heart muscle.
  • Some drugs.
  • some medicine.
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure.
  • There is no impediment to blood movement in the heart, such as a valve problem.
  • The person has previous heart attacks.

He said that untreated hypertension is one of the most important causes of heart failure because it is necessary to pump blood towards high pressure in the arteries, which requires more effort from the heart, which leads to muscle hypertrophy and fatigue and irregularity in the rhythm.

He said that the treatment of heart failure includes several options, such as medications and surgery.

protection:

  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Playing sports.
  • Eat healthy foods.
  • Stay away from smoking.
  • Avoid stress.
  • Control diabetes, high blood pressure and adherence to treatments.