Saturday, March 26, 2011


What is congestive heart failure?

Posted by Elizabeth Comeau March 23, 2011 09:59 AM

Hollywood icon and actress Elizabeth Taylor died today  ( March 23)  in Los Angeles. She was 79 and had congestive heart failure. Just what does that mean?


According to the American Heart Association, congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to the body's other organs.


The condition can result from a past heart attack, high blood pressure, heart defects present at birth, and coronary artery disease.


Heart failure tends to be more prevalent in older people, affecting 1% of people aged 50, about 5% of those aged 75 or older and 25% of those aged 85 years or older.


Doctors can treat congestive heart failure through rest, diet, and medications, but in some cases a heart can become so damaged over time that a person may need a heart transplant.


(boston.com Dailydose)


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