Do you get short of breath when you bend forward, such as to tie your shoelaces or put on a sock?

If so, health expert, Karen Owoc, spoke to KRON 4’s Marty Gonzalez about what this symptom could mean and why you shouldn’t ignore it.

Karen says If you bend forward and get short of breath, do NOT ignore this symptom! This symptom was recently coined as “bendopnea.”
* This symptom could be a sign of heart failure.
* A study of 102 heart failure patients showed bendopnea was present in 28% of their subjects (29 out of 102 subjects).
* When bending over, the average time it took for these symptoms to appear was eight seconds.
* Some patients thought their bendopnea was due to being out of shape or overweight, but were more likely to have other symptoms of advanced disease.

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure, often referred to as congestive heart failure or (CHF), is a serious condition, but people often mistakenly think that it means that the heart has stopped beating.
Heart failure occurs when one or more chambers of the heart “fail” to keep up with the volume of blood blowing through them.
Need.

First Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure

• Shortness of breath (worse with exertion and/or while lying down)
• Excessive fatigue (feeling tired or weak)
• Fluid buildup and swelling in the legs, ankles, feet

Treating Heart Failure

Although heart failure is a serious condition that progressively gets worse over time, there are a number of treatments that can relieve symptoms or even reverse heart failure or at least stop or slow the gradual worsening of the condition:
* Taking medications
* Reducing sodium in the diet
* Getting daily physical exercise

The Takeaway:

If you have bendopnea, be sure to tell your physician! It can be difficult to assess when you are retaining fluid. This assessment is a simple and noninvasive tool to diagnose excessive fluid retention and compromised blood flow.

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