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When your doctor says that you have heart failure, he or she may say that you have a certain “stage” or “class.” This is how medical people assess and treat patients with heart failure.
Rating by symptom class
If your doctor talks about your heart failure “class,” he or she rates your heart failure by your symptoms and how severe they are:
| Class | Symptoms |
| Class I |
You can perform regular daily activities without feeling tired or short of breath. |
| Class II |
You are comfortable when resting, but ordinary activity makes you tired or short of breath. |
| Class III |
You are comfortable when resting, but even limited physical activity makes you tired or short of breath. |
| Class IV |
You can’t do any physical activity without discomfort. |
Rating by stages
If your doctor talks about your “stage” of heart failure, he or she is using another rating system. This system accepts that people can start getting heart failure, even before they feel symptoms.
| Stage | What It Means |
| Stage A |
You don’t have heart failure now. But you are “at high risk,” unless you stop your heart condition from getting worse. You’re in Stage A if you have a condition that may lead to heart failure like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or hardening of the arteries. |
| Stage B |
You don’t have heart failure symptoms yet, although your heart has been damaged by disease or other factors. |
| Stage C |
Your heart is damaged in some way and now you have heart failure symptoms. |
| Stage D |
You have severe heart failure symptoms that would require specialized care despite treatment. |
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