This eventually leads to a thickening of the heart muscle, which further weakens the ability of the heart to pump. As a matter of fact, there are some purely genetic cases of heart failure, where no heart attack exists. The problem usually shows up when the patients are older. The inherited form of the disease is relatively rare, though. Doctors are getting away from using the term 'congestive' heart failure because it really refers to a symptom of the disease, where the person has retained fluid in the lungs, abdomen or legs.
Doctors prescribe diuretics and a drug called digitalis to treat symptoms like fluid retention.
And we've recently learned that ACE inhibitors and beta blockers can slow the progression of the disease, but that's all. In my opinion, anyone with heart failure should be on a combination of ACE inhibitors and a beta blocker. The condition can remain stable for a period of time, but it will inevitably get worse. Ultimately, the only cure is a heart transplant. We assume that all organs have a finite life span, but nobody knows for sure.