CHF
CHF stands for congestive heart failure, a chronic syndrome in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. It is not a single disease but a spectrum of conditions that impair heart function, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and heart valve disorders. It often progresses gradually and can cause fluid buildup in the lungs and other tissues, which gave rise to the term congestive. Common symptoms include shortness of breath (especially with activity or lying flat), fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, and swelling in the legs, ankles, or abdomen. Diagnosis relies on medical history, physical examination, and tests such as echocardiography, chest X-ray, BNP or NT-proBNP blood tests, electrocardiography, and assessments of kidney function. Management aims to relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and slow progression. Treatments typically include medications (diuretics, renin–angiotensin system inhibitors such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and, when appropriate, SGLT2 inhibitors), along with lifestyle changes, sodium restriction, and, in selected cases, device therapies or surgery.
CHF is also the ISO currency code for the Swiss franc, the official currency of Switzerland and