How Does Asthma Affect Heart Problems?

How Does Asthma Affect Heart Problems?

Health & Fitness

OVERVIEW

Asthma symptoms may increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, having a heart attack, or having a stroke.

How does asthma, an inflammatory lung illness that causes breathing difficulties, affect your heart? 

According to new research, active asthma can double the chance of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, stroke, or associated illness, and taking daily asthma medication can increase the risk of a cardiovascular event by 60% over 10 years.

As it turns out, an inhaler can both save and endanger.

Relationship Between Asthma And Heart Problems

Asthma and heart disease may appear to have little in common at first glance; after all, one affects your respiratory system and the other your circulatory system. However, the two are among the top five most burdensome diseases in the United States, and two studies presented this weekend at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2014 investigated their links.

According to one study, persons with asthma who use daily controller medication are 60% more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack over 10 years. The other discovery may be even more startling. Those who have active asthma or use asthma medications are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who do not have active asthma. However, it is also applicable for those who got treatment for asthma within the previous year.

When researchers controlled for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they discovered that asthma was strongly associated with an elevated risk of a heart attack. The risk was twice in individuals who had active asthma symptoms.

The authors point out that there is a known overlap between asthma and COPD, as well as a link between COPD and the risk of having a heart attack. These findings show that, even in the absence of COPD, doctors should treat the increased risk of cardiac issues in patients who have difficulty breathing.

The second study looked at the occurrence of persistent asthma as well as daily controller drugs such as inhaled and oral corticosteroids. Researchers gathered information from roughly 6,800 participants in a more extensive trial that looked for early symptoms of heart disease.

Researchers discovered that asthmatics who took daily controller drugs for 10 years were up to 60% more likely to develop heart disease than non-asthmatics.

Millions of people suffer from asthma, which is similar to heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, approximately 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic conditions among children in the United States, affecting one out of every ten children. Heart disease is the top cause of death in the United States, according to the CDCTrusted Source.

Inflammation or swelling could be the link between them. Higher levels of inflammation are linked to both asthma and heart disease. Inflammation is the immune system’s attempt to heal injured, infected, or damaged body tissues. Chronic inflammation, which occurs in many illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, nasal allergies, atherosclerosis, and asthma, can cause irreversible harm.

Cardiac Asthma

Contrary to popular belief, cardiac asthma is not a kind of asthma. It refers to difficulty breathing caused by fluid buildup in the lungs as a result of heart failure.

Cardiac asthma can be fatal, therefore getting the right diagnosis is crucial. However, because of the similarity in the symptoms, it can be mistaken for asthma. Coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing are all symptoms of either illness.

This article will help you to learn about cardiac asthma (what causes it, what symptoms it produces, and how it is treated). Wants to buy the best glucometer in UAE.

WHAT IS CARDIAC ASTHMA

Cardiac asthma is a group of asthma-like respiratory symptoms caused by heart failure. Dr. James Hope coined the phrase “cardiac asthma” in medical literature in 1833.

Symptoms of cardiac asthma include coughing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath owing to lung congestion. This is a fluid buildup in your lungs that interferes with your ability to oxygenate your blood.

The left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, and right ventricle are the four chambers of your heart.

Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart cannot efficiently pump blood out of the left ventricle or when the pressure in the ventricle is high. This disturbance in blood flow causes an increase in blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs. It causes leakage and accumulation of fluid.

CAUSES

Heart failure causes cardiac asthma. Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure in adults. Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries that carry blood to the heart become constricted or obstructed, rendering the arteries incapable of delivering blood and even closing entirely as a result of a heart attack. Atherosclerosis, or the development of cholesterol and plaque in the blood arteries, is frequently the cause.

Heart failure can also be caused or exacerbated by the following conditions:

  • past heart attacks
  • abnormal heart rhythm
  • uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • heart valve disorders
  • cardiomyopathy
  • hyperthyroidism
  • myocarditis
  • heart defects present from birth
  • diabetes
  • severe lung disease
  • obesity
  • kidney failure
  • severe anemia
  • sleep apnea

SYMPTOMS

  • Wheezing
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Fast respiration
  • Coughing
  • Coughing
  • Frothy sputum
  • Bloody sputum
  •  Shortness of breath when lying down (Orthopnea)
  • Abnormal sounds from lungs when heard with a stethoscope while breathing
  • Waking up at night gasping for air
  • chest pain
  • fainting
  • fatigue
  • irregular heart rate
  • skin that appears blue
  • swelling in the legs, feet, or ankles
  • weight gain from fluid retention
  • increased need to urinate (often at night)

TREATMENT

​​Traditional asthma drugs, such as bronchodilators, are thought to be ineffective for treating cardiac asthma. However, to treat asthma, heart failure and fluid buildup in the lungs must be addressed.

Medications

Traditional medications for treating an emergency case of cardiac asthma include:

  • Morphine
  • Furosemide or Diuretics to remove fluid
  • Nitroglycerin

To avoid future episodes, you may be given ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, or both after your symptoms have stabilized. Beta-blockers reduce your heart rate and lower your blood pressure, while ACE inhibitors help expand blood channels and unload the heart. Moreover, you can get heart medications online, so, there is no need to worry.

Ventilation and Oxygen

If your body is not getting enough oxygen, you will most likely be given oxygen or placed on a noninvasive ventilator. In severe circumstances, you may require a breathing tube. These therapies, however, aren’t necessary if you can breathe effectively enough to acquire enough oxygen.

Surgery

Some people will require surgical procedures, such as angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery, to improve blood flow to the heart and strengthen the heart. When all other treatments have failed, a heart transplant is the last resort.

Nursing services at home can provide postoperative care benefits

OUTLOOK

Cardiac asthma is a disorder that develops as a result of heart failure. The sooner persons with heart failure receive effective therapy, the better their chances. However, it varies greatly amongst persons.

The life expectancy of someone with cardiac asthma is determined by the severity of their heart failure, the underlying reason, and their overall health.

The mortality rates one year and five years after a heart failure diagnosis are around 22 and 43 percent.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Cardiac asthma is a heart failure-related illness that causes asthma-like symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. It is caused by an accumulation of fluid in the lungs as a result of the heart’s failure to efficiently discharge fluid from the lungs.

Cardiac asthma is frequently mistaken as asthma, but receiving effective treatment and improving your outlook requires a proper diagnosis.

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