How bad is it to have classlll congestive heart failure with cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is a way of saying there is damage to the heart. Either a thinning of the heart walls (dilated) or a thickening of the heart wall (hypertrophic) keeps the heart from working as effectively. The heart is a muscle, so a thin muscle can’t pump out well, a thick muscle can’t relax well to allow blood to flow into the heart. Congestive heart failure means the blood is not being adequately oxygenated, either through damage to the lungs (such as emphysema) or damage to heart. Because the blood is not going through the lungs in the normal way, the lungs accumulate fluid (congestion). There are four levels, with class IV being the worst, showing symptoms even on resting (no activity). Class III shows symptoms with light activity. The prognosis for congestive heart failure is grave, but there are medications to make the patient more comfortable.
