Pathophysiology: Left-Sided Congestive Heart Failure - Essay Example

Common causes of left-sided heart failure include excessive consumption of alcohol, a history of heart attack, bacterial and viral infections to the heart muscles, hypertension, and leaking and narrowing of the cardiac valves. This can be a result of the consumption of poor diets or unhealthy lifestyles (Timby & Smith, 2005).

Disorders leading to left-sided congestive heart failure can be seen in both children and adults. In children, it can be caused by birth defects involving the heart and heart muscles such as abnormal heart valves or blood vessel connection. In adults, such disorders include hypothyroidism and other inherited heart conditions that can lead to cardiomyopathy. High blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and coronary artery diseases are other risk factors for left-sided congestive heart failure (Hobbs & Boyle, 2014).

            According to Robinson, N. E., & Sprayberry (2009), the most common symptom of left-sided heart failure is fatigue, weakness, or faintness as a result of an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body. Other symptoms include shortness of breath due to excess fluid accumulation in the lungs, decreased urine production and abrupt weight gain due to excessive fluid retention, and cough that contains frothy or bloody mucus. Right ventricular systolic dysfunction could occur as a result of left-sided congestive heart failure (204).