Conditions Leading to Heart Failure

When cholesterol and fatty deposits build up in the heart's arteries, less blood can reach the heart muscle. The can lead to chest pain (angina) or, if blood flow becomes totally blocked, a heart attack.

A heart attack happens when an artery that supplies blood to the heart muscle gets blocked. The heart's muscle tissue gets damaged without oxygen and nutrients. The damaged heart tissue does not contract as well, which weakens the heart's ability to pump blood.

When pressure in the blood vessels is too high, the heart must pump harder than normal to keep the blood circulating. This takes a toll on the heart, and over time the chambers get larger and weaker.

Heart valve problems can come from disease, infection, or a defect present at birth. When the valves don't open or close completely during each heartbeat, the heart muscle has to pump harder to keep the blood moving.

Any damage to the heart muscle – whether because of drug or alcohol use, viral infections, or unknown reasons – increases the risk of heart failure.

If the heart and its chambers don't form correctly, the healthy parts have to work harder.

When the lungs don't work properly, the heart has to work harder to get available oxygen to the rest of the body.

Diabetes increases the risk for developing heart failure. People with diabetes tend to develop hypertension and atherosclerosis from elevated lipid levels in the blood. Both hypertension and atherosclerosis have been linked to heart failure.

Obesity can cause the heart to work much harder than for a non-obese person. Being obese is also a cause of sleep apnea and can cause cardiomyopathy.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing is repeatedly interrupted. This can be life-threatening and can make you feel very tired during the day, lead to safety risks and make it hard to do tasks that require you to be alert.