The New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification provides a simple way of classifying the extent of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. It places patients in one of four categories based on how much they are limited during physical activity; the limitations/symptoms are in regard to normal breathing and varying degrees in

shortness of breath Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that con ...

and/or

angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of parti ...

. It originated in 1928, when no measurements of cardiac function were possible, to provide a common language for physicians to communicate. Despite difficulties in applying it, such as the challenge of consistently classifying patients in class II or III, because functional capacity is such a powerful determinant of outcome, it remains arguably the most important prognostic marker in routine clinical use in heart failure today. With time the classification system evolved and updated multiple times. Presently, the ninth edition of the NYHA classification is being used in the clinical practice released in the year 1994 by the Criteria Committee of the American Heart Association, New York City Affiliate. Another frequently used functional classification of

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...

is the

Canadian Cardiovascular Society grading of angina pectoris The Canadian Cardiovascular Society grading of angina pectoris (sometimes referred to as the CCS Angina Grading Scale or the CCS Functional Classification of Angina) is a classification system used to grade the severity of exertional angina. Me ...

References

{{reflist Diagnostic cardiology

See also

References