Three Dog Night founding member and lead singer Chuck Negron has died at the age of 83 at his home in California, after battling various health issues, among which was congestive heart failure for months. A statement released by his publicist said Negron was ‘surrounded by family’ when he passed.
However, no formal cause of death has been made public.
Negron had been dealing with heart issues along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the last few months. “Through his six decades of success, and all the ups and downs, his large, unconventional family was most important to him,” his obituary stated.
What is congestive heart failure?
Congestive heart failure, also known as heart failure, is a long-term condition in which your heart is not able to pump blood well enough to meet your body’s needs. Your heart is still working, but since it is not able to handle the amount of blood it should, blood builds up in other parts of your body. Most of the time, it collects in your lungs, legs, and feet.
Types of congestive heart failure include:
- Left-sided heart failure
- Right-sided heart failure
- High-output heart failure, which is a rare type of the condition
According to the CDC, more than 6 million people in the United States have congestive heart failure, which is the leading cause of hospitalization in those older than 65 years of age.
What causes congestive heart failure?
A few causes of congestive heart failure include:
- Coronary artery disease or a heart attack
- Cardiomyopathy
- Congenital heart disease, or heart-related issues present at birth.
- Diabetes and high blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- Arrhythmia
- A body mass index that is higher than 30
- Tobacco and recreational drug use
- Use of alcohol
- Medications like cancer drugs
Left-sided heart failure is the most common cause of right-sided heart failure. When your left ventricle isn’t working correctly, it allows blood to back up. At some point, this backup affects your right ventricle. Other causes include certain lung problems and issues in other organs.
There is no cure for congestive heart failure
Signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure
According to the Cleveland Clinic, many times you may have mild symptoms of congestive heart failure or none at all. However, it does not mean you don’t have it anymore. Symptoms of heart failure can range from mild to severe and may come and go. Unfortunately, congestive heart failure usually gets worse over time. As it worsens, you may have more or different signs or symptoms. A few of the signs include:
- Breathlessness
- Waking up short of breath at night
- Chest pain and palpitations
- Fatigue when you are active
- Swelling in your ankles, legs, and abdomen
- Weight gain
- Need to urinate while resting at night
- A dry, hacking cough
- A full, bloated, or hard stomach
- Loss of appetite or upset stomach
How is congestive heart failure treated?
The treatment for this condition depends on the type of heart failure you have and, in part, what caused it. Medications and lifestyle changes are part of every heart failure treatment plan. Your healthcare provider will talk to you about the best treatment plan for you.
While there is no cure for heart failure, as it gets worse, your heart muscle pumps less blood to your organs, and you move toward the next stage of heart failure. Since you cannot move backward through the heart failure stages, the goal of treatment is to keep you from moving forward through the stages or to slow down the progression of your heart failure.