The excessive salt and fluid cause swelling of the ankles, called edema. Fluid may build up in the abdominal organs, mostly the liver, which will enlarge and cause the abdomen to bulge. In a more advanced case, free fluid may accumulate in the abdominal cavity, a condition called ascites. Fluid also builds up in the lungs and may cause a variety of symptoms by interfering with breathing. Shortness of breath, called dyspnea, may occur only with exercise or, in an advanced case, may be present even at rest.
Orthopnea is a particular type of shortness of breath that occurs when lying down flat.
Someone with this symptom must sleep propped up on pillows. Chronic cough is also a common symptom. If such a precipitating condition can be found and treated, the heart failure may subside. In the past few years, new medical and surgical treatments for heart failure have been developed. Although the surgical treatment, removing part of the deteriorated left ventricle to improve overall function is still experimental, the new medical treatments which include the use of one of a class of drugs known as ACE inhibitors and a drug from the class known as beta blockers have brought about great improvements in the treatment of this condition.