what is the difference between heart failure and congestive heart failure?

Congestive heart failure can be caused by one of several heart conditions the most common being an enlarged left ventricle. The pumping efficiency of the heart is reduced to the point where fluid builds up in bodily tissues and in the lungs. The excess fluid in the lungs causes breathing problems which only makes the load on the heart that much worse. If caught early enough and properly treated a person can live for decades with the condition.

Some other forms of heart failure can result from a congenital defect, blockages in the arteries that feed blood to heart muscle, heart valve problems, arrhythmia's and infections in and around the heart.

CHF: Congestive heart failure is weakening of the left ventricle for any of several different reasons to a degree that causes blood to back up into the lung and thus the lungs becomes "congested" (normal blood flow is body > right heart > lung > left heart > body).

HF: Heart failure is a general term that does not specify right or left, nor the cause, severity or consequences. Because left heart failure is so much more common the right, people may say HF when referring to left heart failure (in casual medical conversation) and only specifying Right Heart Failure when this is present.

So, once can say that HF is a group of which Right HF and Left HF are subgroups. Then in the Left HF group, there are the subgroups congestive, constrictive and concentric heart failures.

Heart failure- Inability of the heart to perform its proper function of expelling blood from the ventricles.

Congestive heart failure- A condition resulting from cardiac output inadequate for physiologic needs, with shortness of breadth, edema, and abnormal retention of sodium and water in body tissues.

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