What You Need to Know About Diastolic Heart Failure?

By Dr. Johan Rizwal Ismail, Consultant Cardiologist & Internal Medicine

What is Diastolic Heart Failure?

Diastolic heart failure occurs when the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, becomes stiff and cannot fill with blood properly. As a result, your heart struggles to pump enough blood to your body.

How Does Your Heart Work?

Your heart has four chambers – the right atrium and left atrium on the top, and the right ventricle and left ventricle on the bottom. The right ventricle pumps blood to your lungs, while the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of your body. The left ventricle is the strongest part of your heart.

Understanding Blood Pressure

Blood pressure has two numbers. The systolic pressure is the force when your heart squeezes to pump blood, and the diastolic pressure is the pressure when your heart rests between beats.

What Happens in Diastolic Heart Failure?

When the left ventricle becomes stiff, it can't relax properly and doesn't fill with enough blood. As a result, less blood is pumped out to your body. This can cause:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Difficulty breathing at night
• Swelling in your belly or legs
  

Causes of Diastolic Heart Failure 

• Atrial fibrillation (Afib)
• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Obesity
• Chronic kidney disease
• Certain heart diseases like cardiac amyloidosis
• Other infiltrative heart diseases
  

Symptoms of Diastolic Heart Failure

• Coughing or wheezing
• Dizziness
• Swelling (especially in legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen)
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Shortness of breath, especially when lying flat or with activity
• Reduced ability to exercise

To diagnose diastolic heart failure, a cardiologist will ask about your symptoms and family health history as well as perform tests:

• Conduct a physical exam and listen to your heart with a stethoscope
• Blood tests
• Chest X-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Echocardiogram
• Exercise stress test
• Cardiac catheterization
  

Managing Diastolic Heart Failure

Diastolic heart failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are two types of left-side heart failure. While there is no cure for diastolic heart failure, you can manage the symptoms by changing your lifestyle or taking heart medications.

Many people with diastolic heart failure live full and active lives. Your risk of developing this condition increases with age and if you have conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.

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