High blood pressure causes your heart's walls to thicken, which increases your risk of congestive heart failure (CHF). Coronary artery disease decreases blood flow and can weaken your heart over time. Yahoo: Options for treating congestive heart failure are as varied as the causes Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

Understanding the Context

TUPELO โ€” The key to treating congestive heart failure is addressing the underlying causes, and treatment is highly tailored to ... Options for treating congestive heart failure are as varied as the causes Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Blood often backs up and causes fluid to build up in the lungs and in the legs. The fluid buildup can cause shortness of breath and swelling of the legs and feet.

Key Insights

Poor blood flow may cause the skin to look blue or gray. Depending on your skin color, these color changes may be harder or easier to see. Some types ... Congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure causes one or both of the heart's lower chambers stop pumping blood well.

Final Thoughts

As a result, blood can back up in the legs, ankles and feet, causing edema. Congestive heart failure can also cause swelling in the stomach area. This condition also can cause fluid to build up in the lungs. This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain when walking, called claudication. Atherosclerosis can lead to peripheral artery disease. Sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of heart activity, breathing and consciousness. It's usually due to a problem with the heart's electrical system. Complications Mitral valve disease can cause many complications. Severe mitral valve regurgitation, for example, causes the heart to work harder, which can cause the left ventricle to enlarge and the heart muscle to weaken.