Heart failure means the heart has become less effective in pumping blood around the body. This puts pressure on the damaged heart and causes it to work harder to provide the nutrients and oxygen your body needs.

It is usually a long-term condition that needs to be managed rather than cured. Medical treatments for heart failure are very effective and can often improve, or help to control, your symptoms.

Symptoms of heart failure can include:

• Shortness of breath when you are being active or at rest
• Swollen feet, ankles, stomach and around the lower back area
• Feeling unusually tired or weak.

The most common causes of heart failure are:

• A heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle).

Heart failure can also be caused by heart problems you are born with (congenital heart conditions), excessive alcohol consumption, anaemia and some cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy).