Copied! Your heart is a pump that pushes blood through your body. Sometimes, this pump weakens and isn’t able to keep the blood flowing through your body as well anymore. This is called heart failure, or
congestive heart failure. It doesn’t mean your heart has stopped working, but rather that it doesn’t work as well as it used to. Heart failure can happen when one or both sides of the heart become weaker. Your heart has two upper atria and two lower ventricles. Most
people with heart failure have left-sided heart failure. Congestive heart failure means that the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. It is often the result of severe coronary artery disease. The left side of the heart brings oxygen-rich blood from the lungs through the left atrium to the left ventricle, then out into your body. When the left side of your heart is damaged or can’t pump as well, it has to work
harder to send blood through your body. This causes fluid to build up in your body, especially the lungs. That’s why shortness of breath is one of the most common symptoms of heart failure. With left-sided heart failure, you may have systolic or diastolic failure. Systolic failure happens
when the heart doesn’t pump out blood the way it should. Diastolic means the heart doesn’t fill back up with blood as it should. The right side of the heart usually becomes weaker in response to failure on the left side. The right side of the heart brings in the circulated blood from the body
and sends it to the lungs for oxygen. When the left side of the heart weakens, the right side of the heart has to work harder to compensate. Again, as the heart muscle loses strength, blood and fluid become backed up in the body. You may experience swelling and trouble catching your breath. Lifestyle changes such as quitting
smoking, following a healthy diet, and exercising regularly are key to living with heart failure. Depending on the type of heart failure and causes behind it, your doctor may make different recommendations for medication, surgery, or implanted devices. To learn more about heart failure diagnosis and management, visit the UPMC Advanced Heart Failure Center.Left-sided Heart Failure
Systolic vs. Diastolic Heart Failure
Take This Quiz to Learn If Your Heart Failure Is Under Control
Right-sided Heart Failure
RELATED: Managing Heart Failure with Healthy Lifestyle
Heart failure is a condition where the heart is weakened and unable to pump blood effectively, resulting in insufficient blood flow to the body’s organs and systems. Heart failure can be acute, meaning that it appears suddenly but goes away relatively quickly. This may be the case following a heart attack or if there are problems with the heart valves.
The majority of cases of heart failure, however, are chronic. This means that symptoms persist and don’t improve over time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 5.7 million Americans have heart failure. The condition is more common in men, but women are more likely to die from heart failure if it is not treated. We will outline the different types of heart failure, their diagnosis, left vs right heart failure symptoms, and the treatment options.
Risk Factors for Left or Right-Sided Heart Failure
Any of the below risk factors alone may be enough to cause heart failure, but a combination of these risk factors can significantly increase risk. Risk factors for heart failure include:
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attack
- Heart valve disease
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heart beat
- Congenital heart disease
- Diabetes
- Some diabetes medications
- Alcohol use
- Sleep apnea
- Smoking or tobacco use
- Obesity
- Viral infections
Heart failure develops when your heart muscles can’t pump enough blood throughout your body to supply your tissues with adequate oxygen.
Left-sided systolic heart failure develops from damage, weakness, or stiffness to the muscles of your left atrium and left ventricle. Likewise, right-sided heart failure develops due to weakening of the muscles in your right atrium and right ventricle.
Left- and right-sided heart failure are associated with their own sets of symptoms. Some people have heart failure on both sides and develop both types of symptoms.
Learn more about how left- and right-sided heart failure are similar and different.
Although the term heart failure suggests your heart isn’t able to function at all, it actually means your heart muscles just aren’t functioning well enough to support your body’s needs. It develops when your heart muscles are either too weak or not elastic enough to pump blood properly. About 6.2 million people in the United States are living with heart failure.
Heart failure is usually a chronic and progressive condition, but it can develop quickly after a heart attack or other conditions that damage your heart. The most common cause of heart failure is coronary artery disease, which is a narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to your heart.
The flow of blood through your heart
To understand the different types of heart failure, it helps to know how your heart pumps blood:
- unoxygenated blood flows from your body’s veins into your right atrium and then your right ventricle
- unoxygenated blood flows from your right ventricle to your lungs
- oxygenated blood flows from your lungs to your left atrium and then your left ventricle
- oxygenated blood flows from your left ventricle to your body’s arteries to be circulated throughout your body
Types of heart failure
The American Heart Association divides heart failure into one of three categories based on the part of your heart that’s affected:
- Left-sided systolic heart failure. There are two types of left-sided heart failure:
- Systolic failure. This is when your left ventricle isn’t able to contract normally and your heart can’t push an adequate amount of blood into circulation.
- Diastolic failure. This means your left ventricle doesn’t relax properly due to stiffness and your heart doesn’t fill with enough blood between beats, or the pressure for the heart to function is very high.
- Right-sided failure. In right-sided heart failure, your right ventricle loses pumping power and blood backs up in your veins.
- Congestive heart failure. The term heart failure is sometimes used interchangeably with congestive heart failure.
Left-sided heart failure
Left-sided heart failure is more common than right-sided heart failure and is caused by dysfunction of your left ventricle. It most often occurs due to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, or long-term high blood pressure. Left-sided heart failure can cause right-sided heart failure.
Left-sided heart failure causes blood to build up in your pulmonary veins that carry blood from your lungs to your left atrium. This buildup of blood can cause breathing symptoms, such as:
- trouble breathing
- shortness of breath
- coughing, especially during exertion
- shortness of breath when lying down
- sleeping on extra pillows at night
Right-sided heart failure
Right-sided heart failure most often develops from left-sided heart failure due to a backup of blood around your lungs that puts more stress on the right side of your heart. According to data from the European Society of Cardiology registry, right-sided heart failure only accounts for 2.2 percent of heart failure hospital admissions.
Right-sided heart failure leads to blood buildup in your veins, which in turn may lead to fluid retention and swelling. The legs are the most common area to develop swelling, but it’s also possible to develop it in your genitals and abdomen.
Common symptoms of right-sided heart failure include:
- palpitations
- chest discomfort
- shortness of breath
- fluid retention, especially in your lower body
- weight gain
A variety of respiratory conditions can contribute to the development of right-sided heart failure. These include:
- pneumonia
- pulmonary embolism
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Left-sided heart failure is more common, and right-sided heart failure often results from left-sided heart failure. The European Society of Cardiology registry reports about 20 percent of cases of right ventricular failure being secondary to left-sided heart failure.
Risk factors for developing both types of heart failure include:
- Age. Your risk of heart failure increases with age.
- Ethnicity. In the United States, Black people are more likely to have heart failure than people of other ethnic backgrounds. They’re also more likely to have heart failure at a younger age.
- Sex assigned at birth. Men tend to develop heart failure at a younger age than women.
- Family history. You’re more likely to develop heart failure if a close family member has also been diagnosed with it.
- Lifestyle factors. Consuming excessive alcohol consumption, drug misuse, smoking, and a poor diet all increase your chances of heart failure.
- Medical conditions. Certain other medical conditions, such obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, increase your likelihood of heart failure. Some cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation also increase your risk.
Heart failure develops when your heart isn’t able to pump enough blood to adequately supply your tissues with oxygen. Most of the time, heart failure develops on the left side of your heart. Right-sided heart failure most commonly develops due to left-sided failure, but some lung or heart problems can also lead to right-sided failure.
Making lifestyle adjustments to improve your heart health can reduce your chances of developing severe complications. A healthcare professional can help you build a strategy for managing your heart failure and for treating any underlying conditions.