It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should. The condition is called "congestive" heart failure (CHF) when this inability leads to heart failure symptoms, such as:

Tiredness
Shortness of breath
Blood and fluid "backing up" into the lungs
Fluid building up in the feet, ankles, and legs.

The leading causes of this condition are coronary artery disease (CAD), high blood pressure, and diabetes.

(For more info, click Heart Failure. This article includes more detailed information about congestive heart failure symptoms and how the condition progresses, as well as statistics on how many people it affects.)

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD

Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD

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