Signs and symptoms of heart failure are caused by a buildup of blood that the heart cannot pump and include fatigue from heavy effort, shortness of breath, swelling and coughing, for example. Over time, symptoms can develop into fatigue by making small efforts, such as eating or brushing your teeth, and swelling spreads throughout your body.

When a person develops these symptoms, they should consult a cardiologist to diagnose the problem and begin appropriate treatment, which may include medication, physical therapy, or even a heart transplant, in the most severe cases.

The most common signs and symptoms of heart failure may include

In addition to these symptoms, chest pain may occur, which may be a sign of a heart attack. Learn how to identify symptoms of a heart attack.

To identify heart failure, your doctor may order several tests, including blood tests, chest x-rays to evaluate your heart and lungs, an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram, an MRI, a CT scan, or an angiogram, for example. Find out how the angiogram is going and what to do to prepare for the exam.

Once diagnosed, treatment should be guided by a cardiologist and usually involves the use of medications to strengthen the heart muscle, antihypertensive agents and diuretics to lower blood pressure in the heart and decrease blood retention. Liquids

In addition, regular physical exercise adapted by the cardiologist, such as walking or cycling, and in some cases physical therapy, is also recommended to help the patient recover and reduce their symptoms. In more severe cases, surgery may be needed to undergo a heart transplant. Learn more about treating heart failure.

See nutritionist Tatiana Zanin’s guidelines for what she can eat to manage her symptoms in addition to treatment: