Tricky Heart May Cause Chronic Fatigue
Abnormal Heart Pumping After Exercise Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
April 14, 2003 — Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome may have a serious heart problem. A new finding hints that blood circulation problems may be an underlying cause of the mysterious illness.
Nobody is sure what causes chronic fatigue syndrome. As more becomes known, it’s likely that some chronic fatigue patients will turn out to have different underlying problems than others. One major symptom, however, is feeling bad after exercise for more than 24 hours.
To Arnold Peckerman, MD, that sounds a lot like a blood circulation problem seen in some heart patients. These patients have something called left ventricular dysfunction, in which the main pumping chamber of the heart is weak. When you exercise, your heart pumps out more blood. But these patients’ hearts actually pump less blood.
Peckerman’s research team at the VA Medical Center in East Orange, N.J., used a sophisticated test to measure how well the heart pumps blood. They gave the test to 16 chronic fatigue syndrome patients, both before and after they exercised. They also tested four non-athletic volunteers. All of the patients’ and volunteers’ hearts’ pumped normally during rest. After exercise, however, 13 of the 16 chronic fatigue patients’ hearts pumped less blood than they did at rest.
What’s happening to the hearts of people with chronic fatigue syndrome? It’s too soon to tell, but Peckerman has a theory.
When To Go To The Hospital
You need to seek emergency treatment if you have any of these symptoms:
Chest Pain
Chest pain should always be considered a serious symptom because it can indicate an emergency situation. If you’re experiencing chest pain and any of these factors apply to you, you should seek emergency care:
- You have a strong family history of early heart disease.
- You’re 45 years old or older and you have any of the risk factors for coronary artery disease, including obesity, smoking, family history, diabetes, high cholesterol, or a sedentary lifestyle.
- The pain is worse than any other chest pain you’ve had.
- The pain feels like it’s spreading to your neck, shoulders, upper abdomen, arms, back, or jaws.
- The pain is crushing, tight, heavy, or feels like squeezing.
- You also feel nauseous, fatigued, weak, short of breath, dizzy, sweaty, or you’ve fainted.
- You feel like something is very wrong.
- The pain keeps getting worse as the minutes pass.
- The pain is unlike anything you’ve experienced before.
Heart Attack Symptoms
If you have symptoms of a heart attack, be sure to seek emergency medical care. These symptoms include:
- Chest or arm pain, pressure, or discomfort that may spread to your neck, back, or jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness and loss of coordination
- Difficulty breathing
If you’re with a loved one and suspect he or she is having a stroke, use these measures to help you determine if there’s a problem:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- Collapsing suddenly
Reason : Your Heart Needs Exercise
Your instinct may be to baby a heart damaged by heart failure, but the opposite is true.
Aerobic exercise strengthens all muscles in the body, including the heart, says Cardiac Rehabilitation Director Erik Van Iterson, PhD, MS.
A heart that pumps more strongly increases the delivery of oxygenated blood throughout the body, which your body needs to generate energy and battle fatigue. You can actually make yourself worse by doing nothing.
A cardiac rehabilitation program and guided exercise training therapy can put you on the right track, both physically and mentally. All heart failure patients need cardiac rehab, he says.
If you were not raised in a culture that promoted exercise, you may find the concept intimidating. Dr. Van Iterson emphasizes that any exercise you do will be beneficial.
Exercise means different things to different people. There is no one-size-fits-all model to follow, he says.
Attending a cardiac rehab program enables you to be assessed for the type of exercise that will be safe based on your age, experience, overall condition and the condition of your heart. You may never have thought that walking around your neighborhood would be beneficial, but if you are for example in your mid-70s, have heart failure and have never exercised before, it will be, says Dr. Van Iterson.
Be patient and stay motivated. You wont feel better overnight. It may take weeks or months of consistent exercise to feel the difference, says Dr. Van Iterson.
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What You Should Do During A Heart Attack
If you think you are having a heart attack, you or someone nearby should call emergency services immediately. Its unsafe to drive yourself to the hospital during a heart attack, so call an ambulance. While you may feel awake and alert enough to drive, the chest pain could get so severe that you may have trouble breathing or difficulty thinking clearly.
Whats The Difference Between Heart Disease Signs And Heart Disease Symptoms
Its actually pretty straightforward:
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A symptom is something you feel or experience but one that cant be objectively measured. Fatigue is a good example of this. You may feel fatigue due to some types of heart disease, but your doctor cant observe or officially quantify it.
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Signs, on the other hand, can be measured. Your doctor can do a blood pressure reading, take images of your heart, and test your blood to reveal indications of heart disease.
In some cases, you may have signs of heart disease but no symptoms. High blood pressure is a good example of this it often gets dubbed the silent killer because it may be present and causing harm to your heart without any obvious physical clues. In fact, many people arent aware they have HBP until a doctor tells them so.
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Third Degree Or Complete Heart Block
This is the most severe form of heart block. It occurs when electrical signals do not travel between the upper and lower chambers of the heart. This leads to a slower, more irregular heart rate, which can lead to symptoms, such as:
- shortness of breath
- feeling tired or faint
Third degree heart block is more common in people with heart disease. It can also worsen preexisting conditions, such as heart failure. It can cause a loss of consciousness and even sudden cardiac arrest.
Third degree heart block requires prompt treatment. Without a pacemaker, there is a serious risk of a heart attack.
Is Extreme Fatigue A Sign Of A Heart Problem
If fatigue has become just another aspect of your waking hours, it could be a sign of a heart problem. Extreme fatigue can signal heart failure or, less commonly, coronary artery disease . We highly recommend that you seek medical attention if you feel an abnormal amount of fatigue throughout the day to either rule out heart failure or get treatment before it progresses.
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What Medications Treat Heart Failure
Medications help reduce the symptoms of congestive heart failure and can actually improve heart muscle function. There are several main classes of medications that are used for treating a weak heart muscle. Your physician will choose medications based on your symptoms and whether your heart needs to be strengthened or relaxed. The types of medications commonly prescribed for heart failure include:
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When To Get Emergency Medical Care
If your symptoms worsen or become more frequent, you should get medical attention promptly. If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or unusual left-sided symptoms, with or without a trigger, call for emergency help. A heart attack can be fatal and prompt treatment leads to better outcomes.
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Fatigue May Be A Warning Symptom Of Heart Attack In Women
Men tend to get the classic symptoms of a heart attack. Think crushing chest pain and tightness, and shortness of breath. Women, on the other hand, often experience more vague symptoms that they may not associate with a heart attack. These symptoms include fatigue and trouble sleeping.
In fact, in astudyof women who had heart attacks, unexplained fatigue occurred in some 70% of the cases, making it the most common symptom. Its easy to chalk up symptoms of fatigue to stress, but its important not to ignore symptoms of unusual fatigue.
How Will Your Doctor Treat Fatigue
Your doctors recommended treatment plan will depend on whats causing your fatigue. To make a diagnosis, they will likely ask you questions about:
- the nature of your fatigue, including when it started and whether it gets better or worse at certain times
- other symptoms that youve been experiencing
- other medical conditions that you have
- your lifestyle and sources of stress
- medications that youre taking
If your doctor suspects you have an underlying medical condition thats causing your fatigue, they may order some medical tests. For example, they may order blood or urine tests.
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Heart Blockage: Causes Symptoms And Treatment
A heart blockage is a condition in which the flow of blood through the heart is blocked. The most common cause of heart blockage is coronary artery disease, in which the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become narrowed or blocked. Heart blockage can also be caused by other conditions, such as heart valve disease, cardiomyopathy, or heart defects that are present at birth. Heart blockage can cause the heart to beat less efficiently, which can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain. In severe cases, heart blockage can cause the heart to stop beating altogether. Most people with heart blockage do not experience any symptoms. However, if the blockage is severe, symptoms may develop. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should see a doctor as soon as possible: -Shortness of breath -Chest pain -Fatigue -Dizziness -Palpitations If you have heart blockage, your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle changes and medication to help improve your symptoms and reduce your risk of further heart problems. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to treat heart blockage.
Myocarditis symptoms and signs often mimic those of other heart and lung diseases as well as the flu, making it difficult to diagnose. A stethoscope can hear a persons heartbeat or abnormal heart sounds while listening to their chest.
Can You Hear Heart Problems With A Stethoscope
The answer is yes, you can hear heart problems with a stethoscope. A stethoscope is a tool that doctors use to listen to your heart and lungs. With a stethoscope, your doctor can hear if your heart is beating too fast, slow, or irregularly. He or she can also hear if your heart valves are not opening and closing properly.
The use of a stethoscope has been around for more than 200 years. Internal sounds have a normal frequency range for what doctors would normally be able to hear. Doctors can detect abnormalities in just minutes of listening to you, allowing them to determine whether you require immediate medical attention, saving your life.
Other diagnostic tests, such as blood pressure and temperature, may be used by your doctor to help diagnose the underlying cause of your symptoms. Dont be afraid to ask your doctor if you have any questions about your health. As part of their role, he or she will be able to assist you in receiving appropriate health care.
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Heart Failuresigns And Symptoms
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart fails to function properly. The terms âheart failureâ and âcongestive heart failure â donât mean that the heart has actually âfailedâ or stopped but mean one or more chambers of the heart âfailâ to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through them.
Heart failure is brought on by a variety of underlying diseases and health problems.
Your condition may involve the left side, the right side or both sides of the heart. Each side has two chambers:
- An atrium or upper chamber
- A ventricle or lower chamber
Any one of these four chambers may not be able to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through it.
Two types of heart dysfunction can lead to heart failure, including:
- Systolic Heart Failure This is the most common cause of heart failure and occurs when the heart is weak and enlarged. The muscle of the left ventricle loses some of its ability to contract or shorten. In turn, it may not have the muscle power to pump the amount of oxygenated and nutrient-filled blood the body needs.
- Diastolic Failure The muscle becomes stiff and loses some of its ability to relax. As a result, the affected chamber has trouble filling with blood during the rest period that occurs between each heartbeat. Often the walls of the heart thicken, and the size of the left chamber may be normal or reduced.
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Indigestion Nausea And Vomiting
Often people begin experiencing mild indigestion and other gastrointestinal problems before a heart attack. Because heart attacks usually occur in older people who typically have more indigestion problems, these symptoms can get dismissed as heartburn or another food-related complication.
If you normally have an iron stomach, indigestion or heartburn could be a signal that something else is going on.
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How Does A Doctor Diagnose Heart Failure
Blood tests and other tests for heart failure If you suspect you have heart failure, you may need to perform these tests: blood tests to see if theres something abnormal in your blood that could be an indication of heart failure or another illness. Electrocardiograms are used to diagnose heart problems by recording how well your heart is functioning.
Heart Failure: A Condition Not To Be Taken Lightly
Microvascular Angina: Why Women Shouldnt Ignore Chest Pain And Fatigue
A sharp twinge, a sense of heaviness weve all felt chest pain from time to time. Sometimes its indigestion or a panic attack. But other times, its more serious.
Microvascular angina is an especially worrisome source of cardiac chest pain, and its often misdiagnosed because it doesnt show up as a blockage in the larger heart arteries during testing. This fact can cause doctors to miss the underlying cause.
Its concerning because the problem can be missed. It doesnt show up on a traditional angiogram, which can lead to delayed diagnosis if physicians dismiss the chest pain as nothing, says Erin Michos, M.D., associate director of preventive cardiology at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
This chest pain in one of the hearts arteries is more common in women than in men, says Michos.
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Chest Discomfort Is Linked To Heart Attacks But What About Signs Of Heart Failure Valve Problems And Irregular Heartbeats
Chest pain is not always present in people with heart disease. Instead, other symptoms can be the signals that alert you to heart disease.
âAny symptom that seems to be provoked by exertion and relieved by rest could be heart-related. Particularly in people with underlying risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, tobacco use, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and a strong family history of heart disease, other symptoms besides chest pain may be the clue to a heart problem,â says Dr. Randall Zusman, a cardiologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
When any of the following symptoms appear with no obvious reason, pay attention and report them to your doctor.
Ways To Fight Fatigue From Congestive Heart Failure
If you’re one of the millions feeling worn out from heart failure, take back the day with these fatigue-fighting heart failure solutions.
The term “heart failure” tends to mislead. After all, people who have it don’t necessarily have a heart that has stopped working rather, their hearts can’t pump blood as well as they should.
Still, it’s serious. As your heart works overtime, it can cause tiredness, shortness of breath and a feeling of being simply worn out.
Such are the signs of fatigue, one of the most common symptoms of congestive heart failure. Nearly six million adults in the U.S. live with heart failure, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports, and many of them feel tired when they do even simple things around the house, such as taking a shower.
But luckily, people can thrive with a heart failure diagnosis and fight fatigue along the way. With a few lifestyle shifts , you can bring back more energy into your day. Ask your doctor what’s right for you, and if they give the go-ahead, try these heart failure solutions to combat fatigue and live an active, exciting life.
1. Eat for Your Heart
If you have congestive heart failure, your doctor has likely already given you guidance for a heart-healthy diet. Generally, that means eating more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff .
2. Renew Your Energy With Exercise
3. Take a Nap
4. Make Time for Mental Health
5. Get Better Sleep
Taking Back Your Day
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Causes And Risk Factors
Some people are born with heart block. It can happen as a result of a heart defect or a condition the babyâs mother had during pregnancy, known as congenital heart block.
However, it is more common for heart block to develop over time. As a person ages, the nerves that connect the top and bottom of the heart may start to fail.
Other factors may also increase a personâs risk of developing heart block, such as:
- a heart attack that results in damage to the heartâs electrical system
- another heart condition, such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or heart failure
- other health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or Lyme disease
- medications that slow the heartâs electrical impulses, such as beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers
- heart surgery that leaves scar tissue in the heart
- electrolyte abnormalities that can cause a temporary disruption to the heartâs electrical system
- degeneration, or aging of the heartâs electrical system
Some people with a milder form of heart block may not experience any symptoms. Others may experience:
- a slow or irregular heartbeat, or palpitation
- shortness of breath
- lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
- chest pain or discomfort
- difficulty with exercise or exertion due to the heart having trouble pumping blood around the body
People with heart block may appear healthy, but they may have an underlying heart problem.
A diagnosis involves a detailed medical history, physical exam, and certain diagnostic tests.
