Though still harmful, right ventricular failure is not as deleterious to the left side. Causes
Since heart failure is a syndrome and not a disease, establishing the underlying cause is vital to diagnosis and treatment.Heart failure is the potential end stage of all heart diseases. Common causes of heart failure include coronary artery disease, including a previous myocardial infarction (heart attack), high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, excess alcohol use, infection, and cardiomyopathy of an unknown cause. In addition, viral infections of the heart can lead to inflammation of the muscular layer of the heart and subsequently contribute to the development of heart failure. Genetic predisposition plays an important role. If more than one cause is present, progression is more likely and prognosis is worse.Heart damage can predispose a person to develop heart failure later in life and has many causes including systemic viral infections (e.g., HIV), chemotherapeutic agents such as daunorubicin, cyclophosphamide, trastuzumab and substance use disorders of substances such as alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine. An uncommon cause is exposure to certain toxins such as lead and cobalt. Additionally, infiltrative disorders such as amyloidosis and connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus have similar consequences. Obstructive sleep apnea (a condition of sleep wherein disordered breathing overlaps with obesity, hypertension, and/or diabetes) is regarded as an independent cause of heart failure. Recent reports from clinical trials have also linked variation in blood pressure to heart failure and cardiac changes that may give rise to heart failure.
Economics
In 2011, nonhypertensive heart failure was one of the 10 most expensive conditions seen during inpatient hospitalizations in the U.S., with aggregate inpatient hospital costs more than $10.5 billion.Heart failure is associated with a high health expenditure, mostly because of the cost of hospitalizations; costs have been estimated to amount to 2% of the total budget of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, and more than $35 billion in the United States. Research directions
Some research indicates that stem cell therapy may help. Although this research indicated benefits of stem cell therapy, other research does not indicate benefit. There is tentative evidence of longer life expectancy and improved left ventricular ejection fraction in persons treated with bone marrow-derived stem cells. Notes
References
External links

Heart failure, American Heart Association – information and resources for treating and living with heart failure
Heart Failure Matters – patient information website of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology
Heart failure in children by Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK
"Heart Failure". MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine.2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure - Guideline Hub at American College of Cardiology, jointly with the American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America. JACC article link, quick references, slides, perspectives, education, apps and tools, and patient resources.