Contents:
- Medical Video: Adult-Onset Asthma Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Disease
- The difference is asthma in children and adults
- What is the relationship between asthma and heart disease?
- Chances are, asthma medication is the culprit
- Other risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease in people with asthma
- What should I do if I have asthma?
Medical Video: Adult-Onset Asthma Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Disease
At first glance, asthma and cardiovascular disease seem to have no relationship, because asthma occurs in the respiratory tract while cardiovascular disease in blood vessels. But many recent studies suggest that adults who have asthma experience an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. How come?
The difference is asthma in children and adults
Asthma is generally found at the age of children and can improve with age, but some cases of asthma are also found in adults. Asthma itself is a disorder of the lungs triggered by an allergic reaction or the presence of inflammation. In general, asthma in adults is caused due to inflammation.
Asthma with an allergic reaction is caused by contraction of the lung muscles due to irritants, while asthma caused by inflammation is usually caused due to swelling of the airways that is filled with fluid and secretes mucus. Asthma caused by allergic reactions also tends to subside more easily when exposure to irritants in the respiratory tract is lost. In addition to shortness of breath, symptoms of asthma due to inflammation are also accompanied by difficulty breathing and coughing up phlegm.
What is the relationship between asthma and heart disease?
Cardiovascular disease is caused by barriers to blood flow, whether triggered by cholesterol or inflammation of blood vessels. While asthma can be caused by inflammation of the respiratory tract of the lungs. The inflammatory process itself is a damage to an organ or tissue that might spread from one organ to another.
One study in 2012 showed that the risk of various cardiovascular diseases significantly increased the likelihood of developing heart failure twice, and also increased the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 40% and 20%. However, the researchers also stated that this increased risk of cardiovascular disease only occurs in people with asthma who take drugs, but it does not occur in people with asthma triggered by allergies.
Chances are, asthma medication is the culprit
"Some drugs used by people with asthma can affect the work of the heart," said an allergist, Russell B. Leftwich (as reported everyday HEALTH) He also explained some asthma medications beta-agonists immediate release can increase the risk of heart blood vessel disorders. "Asthma drugs also reduce levels of potassium in the blood, which can cause a disturbance in heart rhythm," he added.
Other types of drugs such as high-dose corticosteroids are also widely used to relieve asthma. This type of drug causes the heart rhythm to be abnormal because it increases the heart rate of the heart to be faster. A study shows that the use of corticosteroid drugs can increase levels of protein markers of inflammation C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in asthmatics who take asthma medication.
Asthma drug users also have the possibility of surviving from cardiovascular disease that is smaller than those with asthma who do not take drugs and who are not asthma sufferers. However, this study found no significant difference in the incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients taking asthma drugs and those who did not.
Other risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease in people with asthma
Besides age, cardiovascular disease has the same risk factors as asthma, one of which is obesity. Although it does not affect the same way, obesity causes asthma to be more difficult to control and makes asthma sufferers more often experience symptoms of shortness of breath. It can also encourage asthma sufferers to use drugs more often or not according to the rules of use, thus triggering a heart rhythm disorder which can result in the development of cardiovascular disease.
Some other risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are also found in asthma sufferers include smoking and lack of physical activity. Air pollution from smoke and smoking behavior can also worsen the condition of asthma and cardiovascular disease simultaneously. Asthma sufferers may also limit their physical activity, so they tend to be less active. This is precisely a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
What should I do if I have asthma?
Cardiovascular disease develops slowly, so applying a healthy lifestyle is still beneficial even though you have been diagnosed with the disease. Preventive measures are the most appropriate effort before asthma sufferers are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, or prevent it from getting worse by avoiding various risk factors and starting routine exercise. Maintaining an ideal body weight in people with asthma is also needed to overcome shortness of breath and reduce airway obstruction.
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