Heart failure is a condition in which your heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should.
While the term heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, may sound like your heart has stopped working, that isn’t actually the case. It still pumps, just inefficiently.
As a result, there’s a reduction in blood flow to your body and a backup (also called congestion) of fluid into your lungs, legs, and feet.
Congestive heart failure is a serious long-term condition, but you can still live a full life with proper treatment. Even though there’s no cure for heart failure, medication and healthy lifestyle changes can help manage the condition and allow you to live well.
Signs and Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure
With congestive heart failure, your body tries to compensate for reduced blood flow in other ways, including:
Enlarging the Heart Chamber This is your body’s attempt to get your heart to contract more strongly, in order to pump more blood. At first, it may help your heart work more efficiently. But over time, it causes your heart to not pump as effectively and causes fluid retention, leading to congestion in your lungs.
Developing More Heart Muscle Mass The contracting cells in your heart get bigger, which initially lets the heart pump more strongly.
Increasing Heart Rate This causes your heart to pump faster and increase its output.
Increasing Fluid and Salt Retention and Tightening Some Blood Vessels This helps maintain your heart’s normal output.
These compensations may mask heart failure for a time. But eventually the condition becomes worse, and you start to notice symptoms.
Some of the signs of heart failure can seem like those of normal aging and can be easy to ignore. That may explain why it takes some people years to find out that they have heart failure.
Heart failure has a combination of symptoms, rather than just one. To help identify the symptoms of heart failure, the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) developed the acronym FACES to use as a guide:
The following conditions can cause heart failure, yet many people aren’t aware that they have them:
Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure. It causes narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle.
A previousheart attack can leave scar tissue that interferes with your heart’s ability to pump normally.
High blood pressure (also called hypertension) makes your heart work harder than it should to circulate blood throughout your body.
Abnormal heart valves as a result of disease or infections force your heart to work harder than it should to keep blood flowing. Over time, that extra work weakens your heart.
Congenital heart disease or defects that you’re born with can cause healthy parts of your heart to work harder to pump blood. That extra strain can lead to heart failure.
Heart muscle damage (such as cardiomyopathy) — brought on by causes such as diseases, infections, alcohol abuse, and drug use — can lead to heart failure.
Irregular heartbeats (called heartarrhythmias) may cause your heart to beat too fast, which can weaken your heart and prevent it from pumping enough blood to your body.
A blood clot in your lungs (called a pulmonary embolism) may cause heart failure on the right side of your heart.
Anemia and excessive blood loss can lead to heart failure.
Diabetes complications can contribute to heart failure, because the condition tends to lead to hypertension andatherosclerosis. Both of these have been linked to the disease.
Obesity can cause cardiomyopathy, which is a disease of the heart muscle. Obesity can also cause your heart to work much harder than it would in other people.
Long-term use of certain medicines and supplements may worsen heart failure or interfere with heart failure medicines.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) — can elevate blood pressure and increase salt and fluid retention, putting you at risk of heart failure.
Alcohol abuse can cause cardiomyopathy, leading to a diseased heart muscle and a reduction in blood-pumping capacity.
Risk Factors for Heart Failure
Having any of the following conditions can increase your risk of heart failure:
One study found that women are most at risk for heart failure in the first six weeks after having a baby, also known as the postpartum period. The study supports the notion that at-risk women need closer observation by their healthcare providers during that time period.
The researchers also say that many women are discharged from hospital care just a couple of days after giving birth and aren’t given a follow-up appointment until about six weeks later. So, the way doctors regard women who might be at risk of heart failure needs to change, the researchers say. They call for comprehensive postpartum–discharge health education, with emphasis on signs and symptoms to look for and when or where to seek immediate care.
6 Ways to Prevent Congestive Heart Failure
Understanding the risk factors of heart failure is the first step in preventing it.
Your doctor will take a full medical history and give you a physical exam. Using a stethoscope, a doctor can listen for signs of congestion in your lungs. They may also be able to pick up abnormalities in the sound of your heartbeat that can suggest heart failure.
After the physical exam, there are a number of tests that can help confirm a diagnosis of heart failure. These include astress test, chest X-rays, blood work, and anechocardiogram.
Prognosis of Congestive Heart Failure
It’s possible to live a full, active life with heart failure, even though it’s a long-term condition. Your life expectancy with heart failure depends on many factors, including your:
Age
Gender
Symptoms
How well your heart muscle is working
How well you follow and respond to your treatment plan
Around 50 to 60 percent of people with heart failure live for at least five years after they’re diagnosed, and 30 percent live for at least 10 years after diagnosis.
Treatment and Medication Options for Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure is a long-term condition, and it has no cure. But once you’ve been diagnosed, there are several things you can do to treat the condition and manage it so that it doesn’t progress. Chief among them are lifestyle changes. That includes exercising and following a heart-healthy diet that’s low insaturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol.
Medication Options
You may also be prescribed drugs to decrease symptoms and improve heart function. These medicines can include:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can lower blood pressure, helping blood flow through your body more easily and decreasing the workload of your heart. Also,ACE inhibitors can help limit bad changes to the heart in response to an injury (for example, after a heart attack).
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) have many of the same benefits as ACE inhibitors. They’re often prescribed as an alternative for people who can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors.
Angiotensin–receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) combine two blood pressure drugs, together called sacubitril-valsartan (Entresto), to treat heart failure. It has been found to be slightly more effective than using an ACE inhibitor or ARB alone.
Beta-blockers work by slowing down your heart rate and decreasing the effects of adrenaline on your heart. This in turn lowers blood pressure, so that your heart has to do less work. These medications, similar to ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, limit and may even reverse some of the damage to your heart caused by heart failure.
Diuretics, often called water pills, rid your body of excess fluids and sodium through urination. This helps relieve your heart’s workload. Bumetanide nasal spray (Enbumyst) is a non-oral diuretic therapy that allows for more rapid absorption of the drug.
Aldosterone antagonists are a type of diuretic that, unlike other diuretics, don’t deplete potassium. They also have additional properties that can help a person with severe heart failure live longer.
Digitalis, also known as digoxin (Lanoxin), can help your heart strengthen its contractions when its pumping function has been weakened. The drug can help reduce symptoms of heart failure.
Positive inotropes are reserved for people with the most severe stage of heart failure and are generally used in the hospital. These are intravenous drugs that maintain blood pressure and improve heart function.
Hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate (BiDil) can help relax blood vessels. It’s typically used as a supplemental drug to treat heart failure, particularly if ACE inhibitors or beta-blockers aren’t working.
Vericiguat (Verquvo) is a once-a-day oral medication used to reduce the risk of death from heart failure.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors) are recommended as an additional therapy for people with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, meaning your heart doesn’t pump out enough blood with each heartbeat.
Finerenone (Kerendia) is a non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (nsMRA) approved to treat heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction. Studies have shown lower rates of cardiovascular-related deaths and hospitalizations among people with heart failure taking this drug.
Surgery for Heart Failure
If your doctor tells you that the underlying cause of your heart failure can’t be adequately treated with medication and lifestyle changes, you may need surgery. Surgery options may include the following:
Coronary bypass surgery treats blocked arteries by removing healthy arteries from other parts of your body and using them to reroute blood around clogged arteries. This improves blood flow to your heart. Your doctor may suggest bypass surgery if severely blocked arteries are a contributing factor to your heart failure.
Heart valve replacement modifies a faulty heart valve to eliminate backward blood flow. A surgeon will either repair the valve, if possible, or replace it with an artificial valve.
Ventricular assist devices are mechanical pumps implanted in your abdomen or chest and attached to the weakened heart. The devices help pump blood from the lower heart chamber to the rest of your body.
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are implanted beneath the skin in your chest with wires leading through your veins and into your heart. These devices monitor your heartbeat and will shock your heart back into normal rhythm if it develops a life-threatening arrhythmia. They can also act as pacemakers, speeding up your heart if it begins beating too slowly.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy, also known as biventricular pacing, sends electrical pulses to your heart’s lower chambers to help them pump more efficiently.
A heart transplant is an option in the most serious heart failure cases, when medication or surgery doesn’t help. The procedure involves removing the damaged heart and replacing it with a healthy one from an organ donor.
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Prevention of Congestive Heart Failure
The best way to prevent heart failure is to control your risk factors. The good news is that you can reduce or get rid of many of therisk factors that lead to heart disease, such as high blood pressure. Making lifestyle changes and continuing to take any medication your doctor prescribes can go a long way toward preventing heart failure.
Heart failure can lead to a number of complications that can influence a person’s chance of survival, including:
Impaired Kidney Function Congestive heart failure weakens your heart’s ability to pump blood, reducing blood flow to the kidneys. This can lead to kidney damage or kidney failure if you don’t get treatment.
Liver Damage Heart failure can cause fluid to build up in your liver, which can lead to scarring. This makes it harder for your liver to carry out its day-to-day functions.
Arrhythmias Heart failure results in damaged heart muscles, which can lead to the development of an arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmias can include the heart beating too quickly, beating too slowly, or not beating in a regular pattern.
Heart Valve Problems If your heart is enlarged due to heart failure, the valves of your heart, which ensure that blood flows in the correct direction through the organ, may not work properly.
Angina and Heart Attack Heart disease is a major contributing factor in many heart failure cases. And people with congestive heart failure are at continued risk ofangina and heart attack.
Rapid Weight Loss Severe heart failure can lead to a rapid loss of weight that can be life-threatening. Heart failure can cause blood to back up into your liver and intestines, causing these organs to swell. This swelling can lead to nausea and loss of appetite, and it can prevent your body from absorbing nutrients from food.
Research and Statistics: How Many People Have Congestive Heart Failure?
About 6.7 million adults age 20 or older in the United States have heart failure.
The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that by 2030, more than 8 million Americans will have heart failure.
Black and Hispanic Communities and Congestive Heart Failure
Black Americans have a higher risk of congestive heart failure than white Americans do, according to research.
One study found that non-Hispanic Black Americans ages 35 to 64 had a prevalence of heart failure almost 3 times that of their white counterparts.
The Black community as a whole has a higher rate of heart disease. The community also has higher rates of many of the main risk factors for heart disease and heart failure, including high blood pressure,high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. While there is no one-size-fits-all explanation for this increased risk, researchers believe socioeconomic factors, environment, education, stress levels, and culture are all involved.
Research suggests that Hispanic Americans also have a greater risk of heart failure. A study found that about half of the middle-aged Hispanic adult participants had heart problems that could lead to heart failure. But fewer than 1 in 20 participants knew they had a health issue. The researchers found that these individuals also had higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
11 Risk Factors for Heart Failure
The American Heart Association lists these as factors that can put you at risk for heart failure.
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Conditions Related to Congestive Heart Failure
Edema and Heart Failure
Edema is swelling that is caused by excess fluid trapped in your body’s tissues.
The condition often occurs as the result of congestive heart failure. It can also be the result of medication, pregnancy, or another underlying condition, such as kidney disease orcirrhosis of the liver.
Edema symptoms include:
Swelling or puffiness of the tissue directly under your skin, especially in your legs or arms
Arms or legs start to feel full or heavy
Shiny or stretched skin
Skin retains pits, or dimples, after being pressed for several seconds
Clothing or jewelry starts to feel tight and uncomfortable
Skin near the swelling feels tight or warm
It becomes harder to move the joints that are affected
Increased abdominal size
If you have any of these symptoms, make an appointment to see your doctor. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience these symptoms along with shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and chest pain.
Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure
Sleep apnea is a common but potentially serious sleep disorder that affects an estimated 30 million people in the United States. It causes interruptions in breathing that can last 10 seconds or more and occur repeatedly throughout the night — as many as 30 times or more in the span of an hour.
This ongoing disruption of the normal sleep cycle can leave you feeling exhausted and sleepy during the day. It also puts you at an increased risk ofhealth problems linked with inadequate sleep, including irritability, problems with memory or concentration, anxiety, and depression.
Sleep apnea is commonly found in people with heart failure.
Heart failure can cause retention of sodium and water, and doctors suspect that the excess fluid may enter the lungs at night and lead to obstructive apnea. Heart failure also seems to be linked to problems with the respiratory control system, which may be a cause of central sleep apnea.
FAQ
What happens to the body during heart failure?
Heart failure occurs when your heart isn’t pumping as well as it should. Congestive heart failure is when there’s a reduction in blood flow and a backup of fluid into your lungs, liver, abdomen, and lower extremities.
What is the life expectancy of someone with heart failure?
Life expectancy with heart failure depends on several factors, including your age and the cause of the condition. Still, 50 to 60 percent of people who develop heart failure will survive at least five years after diagnosis, according to Cleveland Clinic.
What are the symptoms of heart failure?
Heart failure can’t be linked to one symptom. Rather, it includes a combination of symptoms. To help identify the symptoms of heart failure, the Heart Failure Society of America developed the acronym FACES to use as a guide:
Fatigue
Activities limited
Chest congestion
Edema or ankle swelling
Shortness of breath
If you have any of these symptoms, speak to your doctor.
Can heart failure be treated?
Yes. Lifestyle changes can help you manage the condition. These include maintaining a heart-healthy diet (that’s low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol), limiting fluids, and exercising. Prescription drugs may be needed to decrease symptoms and improve heart function. Surgery may sometimes be necessary.
The Takeaway
Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is when your heart pumps inefficiently, leading to a reduction in blood flow to your body and a backup of fluid into your lungs, legs, and feet.
Diagnosing heart failure may include a stress test, chest X-rays, blood work, and an echocardiogram.
Heart failure cannot be cured, but it can be treated through various medications or surgery.
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Biegus J et al.Bumetanide Nasal Spray: A Novel Approach to Enhancing Diuretic Response and Advancing Ambulatory Heart Failure Care?Heart Failure Reviews.May 13, 2025.
Solomon SD et al.Finerenone in Heart Failure with Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction.New England Journal of Medicine.October 24, 2024.
Corstasis Therapeutics Announces FDA Approval of ENBUMYST (Bumetanide Nasal Spray) for the Treatment of Edema Associated With Congestive Heart Failure, Liver Disease and Kidney Disease.Business Wire.September 15, 2025.
U.S. FDA Approves Kerendia (finerenone) to Treat Patients With Heart Failure With Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ≥40% Following Priority Review.Bayer.July 14, 2025.
Mehta H et al.Burden of Systolic and Diastolic Left Ventricular Dysfunction Among Hispanics in the United States: Insights From the Echocardiographic Study of Latinos.Circulation: Heart Failure.April 5, 2016.
Watson NF.Health Care Savings: The Economic Value of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Care for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.August 15, 2016.
Anurag Sahu, MD, is the director of the adult congenital heart program atInova Health System in Fairfax, Virginia. Previously, he was an associate professor of medicine as well as an associate professor of radiology at Emory University in Atlanta, where he also served as director of cardiac intensive care.
He attended medical school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City in its combined six-year BA/MD program. He then completed his internal medicine residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; fellowship training at Rush University in Chicago; and advanced training in cardiac imaging and adult congenital heart disease at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Dr. Sahu has published book chapters on cardiovascular imaging as well as a variety of journal articles in publications including TheJournal of Heart and Lung Transplant, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, and the Journal of Thoracic Imaging.
Among the places that his career has taken him, his favorite was Kauai, Hawaii, where he was the only cardiologist on the island.
Cathy Cassata is a freelance writer who specializes in stories about health, mental health, medical news, and inspirational people. She writes with empathy and accuracy, and has a knack for connecting with readers in an insightful and engaging way. Cassata contributes to Healthline, Verywell, Yahoo, and more.
She previously worked for the American Association of Medical Assistants for eight years, writing and editing the magazine, marketing materials, and the website. Cassata completed the editing certificate program at the University of Chicago.
