How can you tell the difference between right and left-sided heart failure?
Christopher Anderson
Published Mar 18, 2026
How can you tell the difference between right and left-sided heart failure?
Left-sided systolic heart failure develops from damage, weakness, or stiffness to the muscles of your left atrium and left ventricle. Likewise, right-sided heart failure develops due to weakening of the muscles in your right atrium and right ventricle.
What are signs of right-sided heart failure?
Symptoms you may have are:
- Fainting spells during activity.
- Chest discomfort, usually in the front of the chest.
- Chest pain.
- Swelling of the feet or ankles.
- Symptoms of lung disorders, such as wheezing or coughing or phlegm production.
- Bluish lips and fingers (cyanosis)
What are signs and symptoms of left heart failure?
Left-sided heart failure symptoms include: Awakening at night with shortness of breath. Shortness of breath during exercise or when lying flat. Chronic coughing or wheezing.
What’s the difference between heart failure and congestive heart failure?
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic progressive condition that affects the pumping power of your heart muscle. While often referred to simply as heart failure, CHF specifically refers to the stage in which fluid builds up within the heart and causes it to pump inefficiently. You have four heart chambers.
Which is more serious left or right-sided heart failure?
Right-sided heart failure: Often has more severe symptoms than left-sided heart failure. Can occur as a result of left-sided heart failure.
Which comes first left or right-sided heart failure?
Left-sided heart failure is usually caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), a heart attack or long-term high blood pressure. Right-sided heart failure generally develops as a result of advanced left-sided heart failure, and is then treated in the same way.
Why does left-sided heart failure often lead to right-sided heart failure?
Right-sided or right ventricular (RV) heart failure usually occurs as a result of left-sided failure. When the left ventricle fails, increased fluid pressure is, in effect, transferred back through the lungs, ultimately damaging the heart’s right side.
What is left-sided heart failure called?
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), also called systolic failure: The left ventricle loses its ability to contract normally.
What happens if the left side of the heart fails?
When the left side of the heart is failing, it can’t handle the blood it is getting from the lungs. Pressure then builds up in the veins of the lungs, causing fluid to leak into the lung tissues. This may be referred to as congestive heart failure. This causes you to feel short of breath, weak, or dizzy.
What is the most common cause of left-sided heart failure?
Left-sided heart failure is usually caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), a heart attack or long-term high blood pressure.
Which is worse right or left-sided heart failure?
The right side of the heart usually becomes weaker in response to failure on the left side. The right side of the heart brings in the circulated blood from the body and sends it to the lungs for oxygen. When the left side of the heart weakens, the right side of the heart has to work harder to compensate.
What happens when the left side of the heart fails?
