Heart failure

Heart failure means the heart muscle does not function normally, resulting in blood or fluid backup in the body. The term “heart failure” frightens many people, probably because it sounds like a condition in which the heart is ready to give up or fail to do its job of keeping us alive.

Cardiomyopathy, which means a dysfunction or disease of the heart muscle, is a less frightening and more accurate term to describe this condition. While heart failure cannot be cured, it can be successfully managed with diet, exercise and medication.