There are certain triggers, or things that can make heart failure symptoms worse. When a heart failure patient’s condition gets worse to the point that a visit to the hospital may be required, this is known as acute heart failure or acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF). The word “decompensated” is a medical term that means a patient’s condition has gotten worse.

A trigger that leads to ADHF can be as simple as eating too much salt or drinking too much water or liquid, or having an upper respiratory infection (or “head cold”).

This is why it is very important to pay close attention to your symptoms every day and get treated for them right away. This is also why it is important to work with your clinician to create a plan to help control your symptoms every day in order to help stop them from getting worse. Learn about the four ways every day you can help manage your heart failure.