Causes of Congestive Heart Failure

There are several causes of congestive heart failure, a syndrome brought about by the weakening of the heart. Some of these are:

Damage to the heart muscles.
Damaged heart valves.
Blockage of the coronary arteries, resulting in a lower supply of blood to the heart muscles. This can result in heart attacks.
Repeated exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke, alcohol and cocaine.
Infection.
High blood pressure or hypertension which results in a thickening of the heart muscle (left ventricular hypertrophy)
Congenital heart diseases
Pericardial disease that does not allow the heart to fill completely
Heart arrhythmias
Often it is not one single factor which causes congestive heart failure but a combination of factors. There are times when there is no specific underlying cause. This is known as idiopathic cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease of unknown origin.

Risk Factors