As we get older, our heart naturally loses some of its pumping power. For people with heart failure, that power loss can lead to serious health problems.

Heart failure is usually caused by an underlying heart problem. The most common causes are hypertension and coronary artery disease. Because of this, risk for heart failure is linked to other traditional risk factors. These include:

• Diabetes
• High cholesterol levels
• Obesity
• Smoking

Many Possible Symptoms
Heart failure usually develops slowly, and symptoms may not appear for years. There are a number of possible symptoms. Some of the most common ones include the following:

• Shortness of breath
• Excessive fatigue
• Chronic coughing
• Swelling of the feet, hands, legs, ankles, and sometimes the abdomen, caused by fluid retention
• Sudden weight gain, which also can result from fluid retention
• Waking during the night with a choking feeling

How to Cut Your Risk
The following strategies can lower the risk of developing heart failure:

• Managing diabetes and blood pressure
• Controlling cholesterol levels
• Not smoking
• Avoiding alcohol, or drinking only in moderation
• Staying at a healthy weight
• Keeping active
• Eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and following any other special dietary instructions your physician has given you. For example, physicians usually recommend that patients at risk for heart failure limit their intake of fats and salt.