Keeping other medical conditions under control
Your heart failure is considered a chronic medical condition, since you are likely to receive long-term treatment for it. You may also have one or more other chronic medical conditions. This may mean that you have to take medicines or make lifestyle changes additional to those your doctor has advised as part of your heart failure management.
It’s important to manage your other chronic condition(s) as well as possible, as if these are poorly controlled they can make your heart failure worse. Managing several medical conditions can be challenging, so keeping your doctor and nurse informed about your chronic conditions and their treatments will help ensure you achieve the best possible results. This is especially true if you see more than one doctor for different conditions.
The following conditions are often diagnosed or experienced by heart failure patients:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Abnormal heart rhythm such as Atrial Fibrillation
- Lung conditions such as asthma or obstructive airways disease,
- Thyroid problems
- Arthritis, muscle and joint pain
- Diabetes
- Anaemia
- Depression is often a major problem with symptomatic heart failure and should be discussed accordingly with your healthcare professional.
