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WHAT IS CARDIOTOXICITY ? Cardiotoxicity is any sort of damage to the heart muscle that keeps the muscle from pumping blood through the body. The damage is often due to chemotherapy drugs but can come about from different types of medications, too. Severe cardiotoxicity can lead to cardiomy- opathy, a severe injury to the heart muscle in which the muscle can no longer function to pump blood. Left untreated, cardiomyopathy gener- ally leads to heart failure. If you are undergoing chemo- therapy treatment for cancer, you should be on the lookout for symptoms of cardiotoxicity and cardiomyopathy. Some of these symptoms are: • You may feel fatigued or weak . Carmen Hoffmann reported that when her heart function was low, she had trouble doing simple things like climbing a flight of stairs. • You may be short of breath frequently, whether you are at rest or active. • You may have trouble lying on your back in bed and find yourself more comfortable when you prop yourself up on pillows while sleep- ing. • You may be awakened in the middle of the night by shortness of breath. • You may notice that your legs are swollen , especially your feet and ankles. • You may feel bloated and gain weight easily. • You may notice you are coughing a lot more than usual , particularly if the heart damage has gone on for a long time. (You may be developing congestive heart failure.) If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, particularly if you are undergoing chemotherapy, be sure to let your doctor know right away, and ask him or her to check for heart damage.
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36 NAPLES HEALTH APRIL - JUNE 2019
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