What causes heart failure?

    Last Updated: October 25, 2023

    Chronic congestive heart failure is caused by abnormal structural and functional changes to the heart and a number of triggering factors. Most commonly, heart failure is caused by coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attack,[1] which lead to an initial injury to the heart and numerous downstream effects. Other triggering factors of heart failure include:[1]

    • Arrhythmia (uncontrolled)
    • Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart caused by infection or autoimmune disease)
    • Cardiomyopathy
    • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
    • Congenital heart disease
    • Diabetes
    • Endocarditis
    • Heart valve diseases
    • Hypertension
    • Obesity
    • Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs)

    References

    1. ^Malik A, Brito D, Vaqar S, Chhabra LCongestive Heart FailureStatPearls.(2022-11)