Contents:
- Medical Video: COPD I Nucleus Health
- Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- What are the same symptoms?
- What are the differences?
- Lifestyle and treatment
Medical Video: COPD I Nucleus Health
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) can make you breathe breathlessly. Both of these serious conditions also share symptoms and other common risk factors. However, the causes and treatment of COPD and CHF are very different.
Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
COPD is actually a general term for several types of serious respiratory conditions that affect the small respiratory tract in the lungs, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In bronchitis, the respiratory tract that runs from the trachea to the lungs is irritated. Emphysema occurs when an air bag in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange is severely damaged. Both of these diseases make the lungs unable to work fully, making it difficult for you to breathe.
Congestive heart failure (CHF)
CHF appears when the heart becomes too weak to pump blood along the body. Because blood is not pumped out of the heart effectively, fluid levels can accumulate, which is called "congestive". When blood returns or collects in the heart, the heart tends to beat faster and wider to handle more blood volume, resulting in worsening heart failure. This condition is even more serious because reduced blood to the kidneys causes a buildup of sodium and fluid.
What are the same symptoms?
Short sighs and sighs are symptoms of COPD and CHF. Breathing difficulties are usually experienced after physical activity and tend to develop slowly. For example, you might notice that you are out of breath after climbing a few steps. As COPD and CHF deteriorate, shortness of breath or sighing may appear with little exertion.
Chronic cough is one of the main symptoms of COPD. Coughing sometimes secretes mucus from the affected respiratory tract. However, coughing can be dry. CHF patients also tend to dry cough that produces phlegm. Phlegm is mucus which also contains blood, pus, and / or bacteria.
COPD also causes chest tightness, while CHF does not, but you may feel your heart beating irregularly or quickly.
What are the differences?
Despite having the same symptoms, CHF and COPD have different causes. Heart failure can be caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), blockage of the arteries in the heart and the cause of a heart attack. Other causes include heart valve disease, high blood pressure, and heart muscle disease.
The most common cause of COPD is smoking. Smoking history does not guarantee you will get COPD, but it certainly increases the chances of developing respiratory problems. Smoking is also a risk factor for heart disease and CHF.
Some cases of COPD may be associated with passive smoking or breathing chemicals in the workplace. COPD history in the family can also increase the chances of being affected by the condition.
Lifestyle and treatment
Because smoking can cause COPD and CHF, you may be advised to stop the habit whatever your current health condition is.
Regular physical activity is also important to strengthen the heart and lungs. However, both COPD and CHF can limit the types of exercise you can do. Talk to your doctor about activities that are safe for you, as well as prevention that you must do before and during exercise.
As you would expect, the types of drugs given to COPD and CHF patients are different. Common COPD drugs are bronchodilators, which relax the muscles around the airways, which help you breathe more easily. There is a short-lived bronchodilator, which lasts up to 6 hours. This bronchodilator is usually recommended when you want to be more active. Bronchodilators that last a long time can last up to 12 hours, and are used every day. COPD severity will determine the type of bronchodilator that is best for you.
If you suffer from severe COPD, you may also need inhaled glucocorticosteroids. Steroids help reduce inflammation of the respiratory tract.
CHF can involve several uses of several drugs. Among the main drugs to help the heart are vasodilators, which are useful for dilating blood vessels and reducing blood pressure, and help reduce the burden on the heart. Other key drugs include diuretics. Diuretics reduce the amount of fluid and sodium in the body and can also help lower blood pressure. A drug called digoxin strengthens heart contractions and is very important in the treatment of CHF for many patients.
Anticoagulant drugs may also be beneficial because they can reduce the risk of blood clots. Oxygen therapy, which delivers oxygen to the lungs through a tube inside the nose, is often used in cases of serious CHF and COPD.
