Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens or stiffens, impairing its ability to pump blood effectively. Key underlying causes include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and arterial blockage. Additionally, a history of heart attack or stent placement, atrial fibrillation, congenital heart defects, and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) are significant contributing factors. Lifestyle and other influencing elements comprise unhealthy diet, diabetes, smoking and alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, infections such as influenza, and genetic predispositions.