Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Heart Failure?Can It Be Reversed?How to Reverse ItMedicationPreventionOutlookFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Heart Failure?
Can It Be Reversed?
How to Reverse It
Medication
Prevention
Outlook
Frequently Asked Questions
Heart failureis a chronic condition that, if untreated, typically gets progressively worse over time. With advances in medical technology and more knowledge about how heart failure develops, most people no longer receive one-size-fits-all treatment for heart failure.
A combination of aggressive lifestyle changes and medical care aimed at optimizing your cardiac function and minimizing your symptoms can stop heart failure in its tracks and even reverse it.
This article will discuss heart failure, how it can be prevented or reversed, and the outlook for people with the condition.
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Heart failure occurs when the heart fails to adequately perform its job of pumping blood throughout the body. As a result, the body’s tissues and organs may not get enough nutrients and oxygen.
The body’s typical response to heart failure is to cause sodium retention and excess fluid buildup (accumulation). This leads to swelling of the lower extremities (edema) and lung congestion. In these cases, heart failure is commonly referred to ascongestive heart failure (CHF).
Causes
Can Heart Failure Be Reversed?
Heart failure typically gets worse over time if it’s not untreated. However, research has shown that medical therapy can strengthen the heart. True reversal of heart failure comes from optimizing the powerful medical therapy that has been developed over the last 40 years.
For some people who fail to respond to these treatments, procedures ranging from special pacemakers to open-heart surgery might be considered.
How Is Heart Failure Reversed?
The following strategies can be used to try to reverse heart failure.
Coupling heart-healthy lifestyle habits with medication and strict blood pressure and blood sugar control can lead to greater reversals of your heart failure symptoms.
You and your cardiologist will determine the best treatment plan for you based on the type of heart failure you have, the severity of the condition, and the possible side effects of treatment. They will also explain how to take the medication, specifically how often and in what dosage.
If you are diagnosed with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF), you are likely to be prescribed one of four very effective medications: beta blockers, renin-angiotensin blockers, diuretics (specifically, spironolactone), and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors. These medications can help improve your heart’s function.
Not only have medications in these four drug classes been shown to improve heart pump function, but they also reduce hospitalizations and can help reduce your risk of dying from heart failure.
Beta Blockers
Threebeta blockers—Coreg (carvedilol), Toprol (metoprolol succinate), and Zebeta (bisoprolol)—have been proven to be effective in reducing symptoms, readmissions, and mortality in people living with chronic HFrEF.
There is no consensus on the exact mechanism of action behind the effectiveness of beta blockers, but one pathway shows that they are particularly effective at reversing the neurohumoral effects of the sympathetic nervous system that often contribute to damage and weakening of the heart.
Side effects of beta blockers include fatigue, lightheadedness, weight gain, cold hands and feet, and difficulty sleeping.
Renin-Angiotensin System Blockers
Therenin-angiotensin systemregulates blood pressure through a group of related hormones that influence each other and work together with the kidneys. Drugs that affect this system can be used in heart failure.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors)
Over time, angiotensin can damage the heart and worsen the organ’s ability to pump blood effectively throughout the body.ACE inhibitorsblock the action of angiotensin, an enzyme that narrows heart vessels and forces the heart to work harder. They also widen blood vessels which allows blood to flow more freely in the heart.
ACE inhibitors also reduce the production of angiotensin II, which signals the release of blood-pressure-raising hormones. Side effects of these drugs include fatigue, headache, chronic cough, and dizziness from a drop in blood pressure.
Angiotensin II Blockers (ARBs)
ARBswork similarly to ACE inhibitors and block angiotensin II from attaching to angiotensin II receptors. This helps lower blood pressure as well as the likelihood of damage occurring to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. The side effects of these drugs include dizziness, angioedema, and a rise in potassium blood levels (hyperkalemia).
Of note, Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan)—a combination of a neprilysin inhibitor and an ARB—has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in people living with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Spironolactone
Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2)
Jardiance (empagliflozin), a diabetes drug in the SGLT-2 inhibitor drug class, has been shown to treat diabetes as well as reverse heart failure in both people living with diabetes and people who do not have diabetes.
Farxiga (dapagliflozin) has also been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure, but not reverse heart failure.
Jardiance vs. Farxiga: Similarities and Differences
Other Medications
Managing any underlying health conditions you have is a mainstay of therapy and is key to relieving your heart failure symptoms. No studies have shown that high blood pressure medications (e.g., beta-blockers, anti-diuretics, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists), antiarrhythmic, or antithyroid medications can undo the damage of heart failure.
Surgery
Surgical treatments likeheart transplantationcan greatly improve your quality of life and may help you live longer, especially when combined with a heart-healthy lifestyle.
If the left side of your heart is damaged or not pumping the way it should,cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)can help your left ventricle contract more normally. In more severe cases, aleft ventricular assist device (LVAD)—a mechanical pump that maintains the heart’s pumping ability—can help reverse heart failure symptoms.
Lifestyle Changes
The followinglifestyle changesare recommended for people living with heart failure:
How to Prevent Heart Failure
Heart failure used to be associated with very high morbidity and mortality. With current treatments, most people living with heart failure can improve and engage in normal daily activities and have a longer lifespan.
Symptoms of advanced heart failure are signs of very low cardiac output. The following signs can mean that someone is dying of heart failure—especially if frequent hospitalizations and specialized treatment regimens are not helping them get better:
Summary
Heart failure typically gets worse over time. However, research has shown that combing surgery, medications, and aggressive lifestyle changes can strengthen the heart and potentially reverse heart failure. Ultimately, your outlook will depend on your overall health, medication compliance, and the way your body responds to treatment.
A Word From Verywell
If you have heart failure, talking with your healthcare provider and getting an early diagnosis will help you start treatment sooner and get a plan in place to help you meet your goals. If you’re living with heart failure, it’s key to take your medications as prescribed, follow your diet plan, and take other steps to stay healthy.
Frequently Asked QuestionsThere is no cure for heart failure but taking medications like diuretics and beta blockers as well as making lifestyle changes like eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising daily, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels within a normal range can help you manage the symptoms of the condition.Learn MoreHow Heart Failure Is TreatedHeart failure is unpredictable. The condition can progress quickly in some people (acute heart failure) or gradually in others (chronic heart failure). Your eating habits, smoking status, and adherence to your treatment plan are among the factors that can play a role in how quickly your heart failure will progress.Learn MoreHeart Failure GuidelinesHaving heart failure does not mean that you can never exercise again, but your exercise capacity will depend on the severity of your symptoms.Learn MoreWalking With Congestive Heart Failure
There is no cure for heart failure but taking medications like diuretics and beta blockers as well as making lifestyle changes like eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising daily, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels within a normal range can help you manage the symptoms of the condition.Learn MoreHow Heart Failure Is Treated
There is no cure for heart failure but taking medications like diuretics and beta blockers as well as making lifestyle changes like eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising daily, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels within a normal range can help you manage the symptoms of the condition.
Learn MoreHow Heart Failure Is Treated
Heart failure is unpredictable. The condition can progress quickly in some people (acute heart failure) or gradually in others (chronic heart failure). Your eating habits, smoking status, and adherence to your treatment plan are among the factors that can play a role in how quickly your heart failure will progress.Learn MoreHeart Failure Guidelines
Heart failure is unpredictable. The condition can progress quickly in some people (acute heart failure) or gradually in others (chronic heart failure). Your eating habits, smoking status, and adherence to your treatment plan are among the factors that can play a role in how quickly your heart failure will progress.
Learn MoreHeart Failure Guidelines
Having heart failure does not mean that you can never exercise again, but your exercise capacity will depend on the severity of your symptoms.Learn MoreWalking With Congestive Heart Failure
Having heart failure does not mean that you can never exercise again, but your exercise capacity will depend on the severity of your symptoms.
Learn MoreWalking With Congestive Heart Failure
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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