Diagnosis of CHF
Causes of CHF
Common
• CHD
• Conditions that cause pressure overload (e.g.
hypertension, aortic stenosis)
• Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
Less common
• Volume overload (e.g. mitral valve regurgitation)
• Uncontrolled arrhythmias (e.g. atrial fibrillation
(AF))
• Thyroid dysfunction (e.g. hyperthyroidism,
hypothyroidism)
• Other systemic illness (e.g. amyloidosis,
sarcoidosis, scleroderma, haemochromatosis,
cryoglobulinaemia)
• Idiopathic
Early diagnosis of LV dysfunction is the goal,
because optimal treatment can prevent or slow
CHF progression.
Diagnosis is based on clinical features, chest X-ray
(acute phase) and echocardiography (or plasma
BNP measurement if the echocardiogram can’t be
performed in a timely manner and the diagnosis is
not clear) (see Figure 1 on fold out panel).
Other tests and response to treatment help confirm
the diagnosis, determine prognosis and guide
management (see Table 2 on page five).
Try to distinguish systolic heart failure from HFPSF
(see Table 3 on page six).