What are symptoms of heart failure?

Typically: Shortness of breath, fluid retention (edema) & fatigue.

Shortness of breath: Shortness of breth with activity then at rest. Patients wake up from their sleep with breathing difficulty. To be able to sleep better they keep their head elevated with multiple pillows. They get short of breath when they lay flat. Edema in the legs and fluid retention is another findings. Patients may get tired and have dry cough.

Breathlessness: Below are the more common symptoms but usually starts with breathlessness on exertion and decreased exercise tolerance; Feeling breathless on exertion and when lying flat. waking up in the night breathless. ankle swelling. cough. fatigue. decreased exercise tolerance. confusion in elderly. nausea or abdominal pain.