Pulmonary Heart Disease

 by Alexis Kenne

pulmonary heart disease

Pulmonary heart disease - is a very serious form of heart disease. If there is a change in the structure of the right ventricle located in the heart, due to respiratory problems. Pulmonary heart disease affects nearly 1 million people a year. Many things can increase your risk for developing pulmonary heart disease such as smoking, obesity or poor sleeping habits. Pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale) occurs when pulmonary arterial pressure is elevated secondary to dysfunction of the lungs and its vasculature and produces right heart failure.

Pulmonary heart disease is historically known as a chronic condition that has in most instances proved to be incurable and results in a very low survival rate. Today though, there are some new treatment options available that seem to have generally improved the prognosis for pulmonary heart disease. Pulmonary heart disease you are talking about is pulmonary edema. It can occur without any reason or cause, but the most common reason is heart problem, which lasted for a long time and was left untreated. Pulmonary heart disease includes pulmonary valve stenosis and pulmonary valve regurgitation. Both these lesions are rare although pulmonary regurgitation is more common than pulmonary stenosis.

Pulmonary heart disease in clinical practice is often seen as Heart Zang disease with chronic changes in lungs, chest cavity, pulmonary artery, which causes an obstruction of lung circulation. Those changes result in high pressure in pulmonary artery and enlargement of the right half of heart combined with failure of the right half of heart. Pulmonary heart disease occurs when the blood flow into the lungs is slowed or blocked because of lung problems. This circumstance increases the pressure on the lungs and the heart requires working harder to oppose this added pressure, which in the end can become pulmonary heart disease.

Pulmonary heart disease is a change in structure and function of the right ventricle of the heart as a result of a respiratory disorder. Exactly that is a complication of lung disorders where the blood flow into the lungs is slowed or blocked causing increased lung pressure. Pulmonary heart disease includes pulmonary valve stenosis and pulmonary valve regurgitation. Both these lesions are rare although pulmonary regurgitation is more common than pulmonary stenosis.

Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque develops within the arteries that pump blood into the heart. The disease progresses over time, and symptoms are often non - existent until the condition manifests itself in the form of a heart attack. Cor pulmonale may lead to congestive heart failure (CHF), with worsening of respiration due to pulmonary edema, swelling of the legs due to peripheral edema and painful congestive hepatomegaly. This situation requires diuretics (to decrease strain on the heart), sometimes nitrates (to improve blood flow) and occasionally inotropes (to improve heart contractility). Coronary heart disease is the most frequent type of heart disease of all, and is also the leading reason of heart attacks. Coronary heart disease is a term that refers to damage to the heart that happens because its blood supply is decreased, and what happens here is that fatty deposits build up on the linings of the blood vessels that provide the heart muscles with blood, resulting in them narrowing.

Signs vary greatly, depending on the extent to which the lung is involved. Simple, uncomplicated embolism produces such cardiopulmonary signs as dyspnea, tachypnea, persistent cough, pleuritic pain and hemoptysis. Sign up and add some content to the process. This link describes the obvious advantages of opening participation to interested parties.

Treatment is also aimed at the underlying condition that is producing cor pulmonale. Common treatments include antibiotics for respiratory infection; anticoagulants to reduce the risk of thromboembolism; and digitalis, oxygen, and phlebotomy to reduce red blood cell count. Treatment includes bed rest, medications such as digitalis, control of excess salt and water retention, and elimination of the underlying cause. See also congestive heart failure. Treatment is not always successful.

Symptoms and causes of TOF

by Miguel Carlos

• The most common cause of Blue Baby Syndrome; and 
• The most common cyanotic heart defect.

The condition was named after Etienne-Louis Arthur Fallot, a French physician. TOF is more common in men than in women.

Tetralogy of Fallot Signs & Symptoms

Infants with TOF usually develop cyanosis during their first year of life. This includes:

• The lips, mucous membranes and the skin inside the mouth as well as the nose feature a noticeable dusky blue color.
• Infants with severe obstruction of the "right ventricle outflow" turning blue at night.
• If pulmonary stenosis is mild or if the ventricular septal defect is so small or even both, children with TOF never turn blue.
• Children whose cyanosis is subtle, the disease may go undetected for years. 

Symptoms of TOF are:

• A slower growth and development, especially if there is severe pulmonary stenosis. Even puberty can get delayed if left untreated.
• Child gets tired easily and starts panting at the slightest exertion. After playing for a very short time, the child will sit or lie down.
• When the child starts walking, he or she may assume a squatting position just to catch his or her breath before he resumes physical activity. This is since squatting can increase the pressure in the aorta as well as left ventricle transiently. If this is done, less blood flow will move to the left ventricle and more from the pulmonary artery towards the lungs. 
• During the first two to three years of life, the child may show episodes of extreme blue coloring. This is also referred to as "tet spells" or "hypercyanosis". During this stage:
• The child may feel a difficulty in breathing; he or she may turn blue; and he or she may become faint or extremely irritable. 
• These spells are usually experienced by 20% to 70% of children with TOF.
• These spells usually happen during crying, feeding, straining or during waking in the morning.
• These spells can last for a few minutes an even a few hours.

Tetralogy of Fallot Causes

TOF is perceived to be a result of genetic or environmental factors. There are times when it is a combination of these two factors. The condition is also associated with the DiGeorge syndrome and with chromosome 22 deletions. This also includes: NKX2-5, JAG1, ZFPM2 and VEGF.

(Tetralogy of Fallot is a combination of four congenital abnormalities. The four defects are a ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary stenosis, a misplaced aorta and a thickened right ventricular wall (right ventricular hypertrophy). They usually result in an insufficient amount of oxygenated blood reaching the body.--Mayo Clinic Medical)