Though the name may sound alarming – like it’s happening immediately – heart failure is typically something that the person has been managing for a while.
In fact, it’s sometimes called “the silent epidemic” because it develops slowly and a person may go along for years without having any symptoms.
However, heart failure tends to get progressively worse as a person ages. That’s because typically, the person’s heart has to work hard over time to deal with the problem. The heart tries to make up for its own weakening by getting larger and forcing itself to pump faster to move more blood through the body.