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Causes of Heart Failure All of us lose some blood-pumping ability in our hearts as we age, but heart failure results from the added stress of health conditions that either damage the heart or make it work too hard. All of the lifestyle factors that increase your risk of heart attack and stroke – smoking, being overweight, eating foods high in fat and cholesterol and physical inactivity – can also contribute to heart failure. If you have heart failure, chances are you have (or had) one or more of the conditions listed below. Some of these can be present without you knowing it. Typically these conditions cause the "wear and tear" that leads to heart failure. Having more than one of these factors dramatically increases your risk.
Back to list Heart muscle disease (dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) or inflammation (myocarditis)
Any damage to the heart muscle — whether because of drug or alcohol use, viral infections or unknown reasons — increases the risk of heart failure. Watch an animation of dilated cardiomyopathy Watch an animation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Learn more about cardiomyopathy Back to list
Heart defects present at birth (congenital heart disease) If the heart and its chambers don't form correctly, the healthy parts have to work harder to make up for it. Learn more about living with congenital heart disease Back to list
Severe lung disease When the lungs don't work properly, the heart has to work harder to get available oxygen to the rest of the body. Back to list
Diabetes 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 of which have been linked to heart failure. Learn more about diabetes and heart disease Back to list
Other conditions Less commonly, an otherwise healthy heart may become temporarily unable to keep up with the body's needs. This can happen in people who have:
In these cases, the person may experience heart failure symptoms until the underlying problem is identified and treated. Back to list |
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