Clinical epidemiology of heart failure

Question 1 

Mrs. M who has been diagnosed with heart failure has a history of other illnesses that might have contributed to this condition. Heart failure is a condition that happens when the heart is unable to pump blood well as it should and when the blood circulation is not happening well, may lead to many problems and even death (Mosterd et al., 2007. Myocardial infarction, hypertension, diabetes, and hysterectomy are some of the information found in her medical history. Other factors that may lead to heart failure may include; chronic diseases such as hyperthyroidism, hemochromatosis, amyloidosis and even HIV. Other coronary infections such as congenital heart defects, heart, arrhythmias among others may have contributed to heart failure. 

Question 2 

Heart failure can show some similar symptoms as other related infections, but these are some of the typical manifestations associated with this disease. The manifestation of these symptoms may vary from mild to severe depending on how the heart is damaged. The most common symptom is dyspnea that results from congested lungs due to building up of fluid in the lungs that result in breath shortness which may become even more difficult when the patient is lying in bed (Swedberg et al., 2005). This congestion in the heart may also cause dry coughs that produce wheezing sounds. Swollen body parts is another symptom caused by water retention when the heart fails to pump enough blood to the kidneys. This retention is attributable to ankles swelling, edema, as well as abnormal gaining of weight. Besides, this condition is much related to frequent urinating especially at night to get rid of the accumulated fluids in the body. 

Heart failure causes dizziness and fatigues and overall body weakness due to poor circulation of blood that carries nutrients to all parts of the body. So the deficiency of nutrients in the organs especially muscles may lead fatigue and confusion due to less blood in the brain. Another common manifestation of heart failure is irregular heartbeats that may sometimes become rapid resulting from a weakened heart. 

Question 3 

After treatment, Mrs. A was sent home with instructions with the following rationale; Dioxin 0.125 gm every day is medication to treat arrhythmia which is commonly known as irregular heartbeats, and also to reduce fatigues. 0.125 is the preferable dose was administered to Mrs. A to help in getting rid of substances that kidneys are unable to remove due to old age. 

Checking pulse rate is essential before taking Digoxin because it is used to maintain strong heartbeats and also to slower higher rates. If the rate is found to be less than 60 beats in a minute, one should not take medicine before contacting the health care provider. This dose is the patient if the pulse rate if abnormal if there is a deviation from the usual rate, the doctor should be consulted for more directions. 

Fluids build up in the body organs results in the condition of abnormal weight gain. The change of 2 to 3 pounds in a day or 5 pounds in a week shows that the body has retained a lot of water which is a dangerous condition. Therefore, when Mrs. A gains a weight of 5 pounds in two days shows a severe heart problem that needs the attention of health care provider. Besides, Lisinopril drug is administered to a patient with high blood pressure. 5 mg was given to the patient, and it indicates that she had earlier suffered a heart attack. 

Checking blood pressure every morning is vital as it can help in identifying any changes that may occur to a heart failure patient. Normal diastolic blood pressure is indicated by a rate lower than 80 while systolic below 120. So the patient is required to call the physician if she finds a systolic greater than 140 and a diastolic exceeding 90 as the condition demonstrates a stage 2 hypertension which is a critical condition. 

References 

Mosterd, A., & Hoes, A. W. (2007). Clinical epidemiology of heart failure. Heart , 93 (9), 1137-1146. 

Swedberg, K., Cleland, J., Dargie, H., Drexler, H., Follath, F., Komajda, M. ... & Hoes, A. (2005). Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure: executive summary (update 2005) The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure of the European Society of Cardiology. European heart journal , 26 (11), 1115-1140.