Treatment of heart failure in pregnancy

Many people may not know much about heart failure during pregnancy, but the incidence of this disease is increasing, which poses a great threat to our health. If effective methods are not taken in time for heart failure, it is very easy to develop a series of diseases such as heart disease. Many of us may not know much about the solutions. Let us learn about the treatment of heart failure during pregnancy.

1. Diuretics: Their function is to eliminate excess water in the body through urination. Combined with water intake restriction, they can effectively eliminate the patient's edema symptoms, such as lower limb edema, abdominal distension, and difficulty breathing. Generally speaking, the more severe the heart failure, the larger the dose of diuretics required. However, if diuretics are taken in excess, it will cause dehydration in the body, leading to dizziness, nausea, and weakness in the limbs. Diuretics not only eliminate water but also important minerals in the body, such as potassium. Patients who lack potassium will feel tired, weak, have muscle cramps, and palpitations. Therefore, patients taking diuretics generally need to take potassium supplements (Potassium chloride) at the same time.

2. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)/angiotensin II receptor antagonists (AngiotensinⅡantagnists) These two types of drugs can improve ventricular function, prevent heart enlargement, reduce the number of hospitalizations due to worsening heart failure and increase survival rate. They are the first-line drugs for the treatment of heart failure and the two can be used alternately. If there are no special conditions, patients with heart failure should take the medicine for a long time. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors may cause dry cough as a side effect in 30% of Chinese people, while angiotensin II receptor antagonists rarely cause dry cough. Other side effects include dizziness, fatigue, and changes in taste.

3. Beta-blockers: These drugs improve heart function in the long term by reducing the workload on the heart and the body's need for oxygen, thereby increasing survival rates. Unless there are contraindications or intolerance, beta-blockers, like angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor antagonists, are long-term, must-take drugs for patients with heart failure. Because these drugs lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate, doctors recommend starting with a very small dose and then gradually increasing the dose to make sure the patient's body can tolerate it. Its common side effects include fatigue, dizziness, cold hands and feet, asthma, nightmares, impotence, etc.

4. Aldosterone receptor antagonists: This drug also has a diuretic effect, eliminating excess water from the body, but more importantly, it can reverse cardiac dilatation and reduce the rate of hospitalization for heart failure. Its common side effect is breast tenderness in men. In addition, this drug is not suitable for patients with obvious renal insufficiency.

Pregnant mothers need to pay great attention to the treatment methods of gestational heart failure mentioned above to avoid causing more unnecessary harm to our bodies. Pregnant mothers must do a good job of daily care to reduce the threat of some diseases, which is very helpful for our normal childbirth.