How will my doctor determine if I have heart failure?
A physician makes the diagnosis of heart failure based on:
- Medical History: talking with you and asking questions about your symptoms and past medical history
- Physical Exam: listening to your heart and lung sounds, looking at and touching your skin, feeling for presence of fluid and signs that may indicate heart or lung problems, and other exams as needed.
- Diagnostic tests: specific tests that are used to evaluate the heart function and/or structure, such as echocardiograms (ultrasound of heart), stress tests, exercise tests, or coronary angiograms. Blood tests also provide useful information about how well your body is functioning.
After completing a medical evaluation and making the diagnosis of heart failure, your doctor will usually classify your symptoms into one of the four stages of heart failure described below. These heart failure stages help guide your medical treatment plan.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association Stages of Heart Failure
Stage A Symptoms: Presence of heart failure risk factors but no heart disease and no symptoms
Stage B Symptoms: Heart disease is present but there are no symptoms (structural changes in heart before symptoms occur)
Stage C Symptoms: Structural heart disease is present AND symptoms have occurred
Stage D Symptoms: Presence of advanced heart disease with continued heart failure symptoms requiring aggressive medical therapy
