A well-known NHS GP has delved into the most common symptoms of heart failureat a time whenroughly 200,000 cases occur each year in the UK. While it's often assumed that 'heart failure means death', the expert stressed that this is not necessarily the case and explained more about managing the chronic condition.

Dr Suraj Kukadia, also known as Dr Sooj, said in a recent TikTok: "Look, a lot of people think that heart failure means death. It does not, but it does happen when the heart is not pumping blood around the body as well as it used to.

"Some of the common symptoms of it would include getting excessively breathless when exercising or walking. There could be breathlessness at rest. There's usually some form of breathlessness when lying flat.

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"Sometimes people may even wake up in the middle of the night in a huff and a puff. Then there's also ankle swelling or leg swelling, where there's something called pitting oedema. So you can press on the swelling, and it indents."

Besides this, official NHS advice explains that other less common signs of heart failure may include a persistent cough, wheezing and a bloated stomach, along with various other symptoms. These include:

• A persistent cough, which may be worse at night


• Wheezing


• A bloated tummy


• Loss of appetite


• Weight gain or weight loss


• Confusion


• A fast heart rate


• A pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)


• Depression and anxiety

However, Dr Sooj stressed that many of these symptoms are also present in other, potentially less serious conditions. Therefore, it's crucial to rule out these alternative causes when diagnosing heart failure.

In the video, he continued: "For example, lots of people will get swollen ankles when there's really hot weather outside. So if you are, let's say, 20 years old, you're normally fit and well, you're otherwise fit and well, and then you've noticed that you're getting a bit breathless when you're exercising, that doesn't mean that you have heart failure.

"That could be any number of different things. To diagnose it, we take a history, we examine you, we try to understand other things that might be affecting your health, and then we can do some investigations.

"So a blood test, an ultrasound scan of the heart, called an echocardiogram. But the principles of treatment usually focus on slowing down the heart rates, reducing blood pressure, and offloading fluid."

The NHS similarly advises anyone experiencing 'persistent or gradually worsening' symptoms of heart failure to see a GP. If symptoms are extremely severe or suddenly worsen, call 999 or visit your nearest A&E department.

The NHS adds: "Heart failure does not mean your heart has stopped working. It means it needs some support to help it work better. It can occur at any age, but is most common in older people.

"Heart failure is a long-term condition that tends to get gradually worse over time. It cannot usually be cured, but the symptoms can often be controlled for many years."

For more information on heart failure, you can also read more at the NHS website here.