Severe heart diseases occur when the heart begins to lose its functional capacity due to some disease or congenital disorder. Severe heart diseases can be classified into:
- Severe chronic heart disease, which is characterized by the progressive loss of the functional capacity of the heart; Severe acute heart disease, which has a rapid evolution, leading to a sudden decrease in heart functions; Severe terminal heart disease, in which the heart is unable to perform its functions properly, decreasing the person's life expectancy. Usually, those who have severe terminal heart disease do not respond to treatment with medication and are not candidates for surgery to correct cardiac abnormalities, with heart transplantation being performed, in most cases.
Severe heart diseases can result in great disability in the patient's personal and professional life, in addition to physical and emotional stress. Congenital heart disease is one of the main types of severe heart disease and is characterized by a defect in the formation of the heart still inside the mother's belly which can lead to impaired cardiac function. Learn more about congenital heart disease.
In addition, congestive heart failure, hypertension, coronary heart failure and complex arrhythmias are diseases that can be associated with severe heart disease or even worsen the condition, which can lead to severe terminal heart disease, for example.
Main symptoms
Symptoms related to severe heart disease depend on the degree of disability of the heart, which may be:
- Difficulty breathing; Chest pains; Fainting, disorientation or frequent drowsiness; Tiredness after small efforts; Heart palpitations; Difficulty sleeping in bed; Night cough; Swelling of the lower limbs.
Severe heart disease can also bring great physical limitations, in the development of your daily functions and at work, depending on the type and severity of the disease that is associated. Therefore, the government grants benefits to people with diagnosed severe heart disease, as it can be a limiting disease. For retirement purposes, severe heart disease is considered to be cases in which cardiac function assessed by transthoracic echocardiography is below 40%.
The diagnosis of severe cardiopathies is made by the cardiologist through the evaluation of the patient's clinical history, in addition to exams, such as electrocardiogram and echocardiogram at rest and in movement, exercise test, chest X-ray and angiography, for example.
How the treatment is done
Treatment for severe heart disease depends on the cause and is determined by the cardiologist, and can be done through:
- Use of medications, most of the time venous; Placement of an intra-aortic balloon; Surgery to correct cardiac changes.
In the most severe cases, heart transplantation can be recommended, which is more indicated in the case of people with terminally severe heart diseases, in which, due to loss of cardiac function, the person's life expectancy is compromised. Find out how the heart transplant is done and how recovery is.
