Who is at risk for developing Congestive Heart Failure, and what are its causes?
According to a recent study, people over 40 have a 1 in 5 chance of developing Congestive Heart Failure in their lifetime. Nearly 5 million people in the United Statesmostly older adultsalready have Congestive Heart Failure, and the number of people with Congestive Heart Failure keeps rising. About 550,000 people develop Congestive Heart Failure each year. This is because people are living longer and surviving heart attacks and other medical conditions that put them at risk for Congestive Heart Failure. People who have other types of heart and vessel disease are also at risk for Congestive Heart Failure. Risk factors for Congestive Heart Failure include –Previous heart attacks –Coronary artery disease –High blood pressure (hypertension) –Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) –Heart valve disease (especially of the aortic and mitral valves) –Cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) –Congenital heart defects (defects you are born with) –Alcohol and drug abuse What are the symptoms
