Chronic Heart Failure
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural or functional heart disease. It may result from initial myocardial injury due to various causes (such as myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, inflammation, or excessive hemodynamic load), leading to impaired cardiac contraction and relaxation, reduced ventricular filling and ejection, and cardiac output that is insufficient to meet the metabolic needs of body tissues. It is characterized by pulmonary and/or systemic congestion and inadequate perfusion of organs and tissues. The main manifestations are dyspnea, fatigue, and fluid retention.
TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Shortness of breath and labored breathing, palpitations, cough, chest tightness, fatigue that worsens with exertion, a pale tongue, thin white coating, and a deep, weak pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel short of breath or as if you cannot get enough air.
- You may experience palpitations or feel that your heartbeat is irregular.
- You may have recurrent coughing.
- Your chest may feel heavy or tight, with uncomfortable breathing.
- You may tire easily and quickly run out of energy when doing things.
- These symptoms may become noticeably worse with activity or exertion.
- Your tongue may look pale rather than rosy.
- The tongue coating may be thin and white, rather than thick.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel deep and weak, with little force.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Tonify and nourish the heart and lungs.
In Plain Language:
- In TCM, this approach aims to nourish heart qi and blood to support a stronger, steadier heartbeat and ease symptoms such as palpitations and chest tightness.
- It also aims to supplement qi and nourish the lungs to support breathing and stamina and ease shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing, and wheezing.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Palpitations and shortness of breath, restlessness and heat in the palms, soles, and chest, insomnia with vivid dreams, dizziness and fatigue, dry mouth and tongue, a red tongue with little or no coating, and a thin, rapid pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel palpitations or an unsettled heartbeat, along with shortness of breath.
- Your palms, soles, and chest may feel hot, and you may feel restless.
- You may have difficulty falling asleep or wake easily, and may often dream.
- You may feel dizzy or have blurred vision, and may tire easily or feel weak.
- Your mouth and tongue may feel dry, and you may feel thirsty.
- Your tongue may look redder than usual.
- The tongue may have very little coating or almost none, and may look relatively smooth.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel thin and relatively fast.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Supplement qi and nourish yin.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to replenish qi and support the body’s vitality, which may help ease shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations, and spontaneous sweating.
- It aims to nourish the body’s fluids and yin to ease dry mouth and throat, restlessness and heat in the palms, soles, and chest, night sweats, and insomnia—symptoms traditionally described as “deficiency heat”—and to support a sense of internal moisture and calm.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Palpitations, worsened by exertion; pain in the chest and flanks, like needles, in a fixed location; a bluish, dusky complexion and lips; a dark purple tongue or purplish spots; distended sublingual veins; and a choppy, knotted, or intermittent pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel palpitations or an unsettled heartbeat, sometimes with a sense of alarm or unease.
- These symptoms may become noticeably worse with activity or exertion.
- You may have pain in the chest or along the ribs, like a needle prick, in a relatively fixed spot.
- Your face may look bluish or dusky, and your lips may also appear dark.
- Your tongue may look dark purple, or have purplish spots.
- The veins under your tongue may look prominent, enlarged, and twisted.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel rough or uneven, or may be irregular, with pauses or intermittent beats.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Supplement qi, invigorate blood, and promote urination.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to replenish qi and stamina, which may help ease shortness of breath and fatigue.
- It aims to promote blood circulation and disperse stasis, supporting smoother qi and blood flow and easing pain and feelings of pressure or fullness.
- It aims to support fluid metabolism and the removal of excess fluid, helping ease swelling and feelings of heaviness.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Palpitations, labored breathing, swelling of the limbs, difficulty urinating, aversion to cold and cold extremities, abdominal distension and loose stools, a pale tongue with a thin, white, slippery coating, and a deep, thin pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel palpitations or an unsettled heartbeat, sometimes with a sense of alarm or unease.
- You may have rapid breathing and feel short of breath.
- Your limbs may swell and feel heavy.
- Urination may be difficult, or the amount of urine may be low.
- You may feel very sensitive to cold, with cold hands and feet or cold limbs.
- Your abdomen may feel distended and uncomfortable, and your stools may be loose.
- Your tongue may look pale rather than rosy.
- The tongue coating may be thin and white, and the tongue surface may look moist.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel deep and thin, with reduced strength.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Warm yang and promote urination.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to warm and support yang and dispel internal cold and dampness, supporting the body’s functional activity.
- It aims to support fluid metabolism and remove excess fluid, helping ease difficulty urinating and swelling.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever and thirst, chest tightness and pain, palpitations, cough and wheezing, thick sticky sputum, coarse and labored breathing, possible wheezing sounds, flaring nostrils with hot breath, a red tongue, yellow coating, and a slippery, rapid pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may have a fever and feel thirsty, with a desire to drink more water.
- Your chest may feel tight or uncomfortable, with chest pain.
- You may feel palpitations, along with coughing and wheezing.
- The sputum you cough up may be sticky and difficult to bring up.
- Your breathing may sound coarse, and you may have to breathe with noticeable effort.
- You may have wheezing sounds or a whistling noise when breathing.
- Your nostrils may flare as you breathe, and your breath may feel hot.
- Your tongue may look redder than usual.
- Your tongue coating may look yellow.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel slippery and relatively fast.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Diffuse lung qi, transform phlegm, eliminate retained fluids, and calm wheezing.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to promote the flow of lung qi and transform and expel phlegm, helping support easier breathing.
- It aims to dispel retained fluids and ease wheezing, helping reduce rapid or labored breathing.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Palpitations, aversion to cold, cough and wheezing, chest tightness, copious white sputum that is thin or foamy, a pale, dusky tongue with a white, slippery coating, and a wiry, slippery pulse.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel palpitations or an unsettled heartbeat and a general sense of unease.
- You may feel very sensitive to cold, feel worse in cold conditions, and prefer to stay somewhere warm.
- You may cough and feel short of breath, sometimes as if you cannot catch your breath.
- Your chest may feel heavy or tight, with uncomfortable breathing.
- You may cough up a large amount of white, thin or foamy sputum.
- Your tongue may look pale and dusky rather than rosy.
- Your tongue coating may look white and slippery, and the tongue surface may appear moist.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel taut and wiry, as well as smooth.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Warm the lungs and transform phlegm.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to warm and nourish the lungs and dispel cold in the lungs, supporting the movement of lung qi and helping ease chest tightness and sensitivity to cold.
- It aims to transform and expel phlegm, making it thinner and easier to cough up, supporting easier breathing and helping ease cough and wheezing.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Labored breathing, breathing out more than breathing in, restlessness, open-mouth breathing with raised shoulders, profuse oily perspiration, a dark purple tongue with little or no coating, and an extremely faint, thin pulse that is barely perceptible.
In Plain Language:
- You may feel short of breath or as if you cannot get enough air.
- You may breathe out more than you breathe in and find it especially difficult to inhale.
- You may feel restless, anxious, and unable to settle down.
- You may breathe with your mouth open and shoulders raised, appearing to breathe with great effort.
- You may sweat profusely, with perspiration that looks shiny or oily.
- Your tongue may look dark purple rather than rosy.
- The tongue may have very little coating or almost none.
- On pulse examination, the pulse may feel extremely thin and weak, almost imperceptible.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Secure yin, restore yang, and rescue from collapse.
In Plain Language:
- This TCM approach aims to preserve yin fluids and blood, reduce depletion and leakage, and help stabilize symptoms such as deficiency heat, dry mouth, and night sweats.
- It aims to warm and support weakened yang, helping restore the body’s vitality, warm the limbs, and steady the breathing.
- It aims to address signs of critical deterioration, support the body’s vital functions, and help counter a tendency toward collapse.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
References
- Gu DF, Huang GY, He J, et al. Epidemiological survey of heart failure and its prevalence in China[J]. Chinese Journal of Cardiology, 2003, 31(1): 24-27.
- Cardiovascular Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. A retrospective survey of the pathology of hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure in selected regions of China in 1980, 1990, and 2000[J]. Chinese Journal of Cardiology, 2002, 30(8): 450-454.
- Cardiovascular Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Cardiology. 2014 Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure[J]. Chinese Journal of Cardiology, 2014, 42(2): 98-122.