Cardiac Asthma
By: Paul FryattTotal Views: 273, Word Count: 544,
Cardiac asthma normally affects elderly people who are suffered from wheezing and shortness of breath due to heart diseases. In these cases, heart is too weak to pump blood effectively; as a result fluid gets accumulated in the lungs. This accumulation of fluid in the lung causes shortness of breath along with wheezing. One can identify the presence of cardiac asthma by taking a chest X-ray. It can also show heart failure by indicating an enlarged heart and presence of fluid in the lung tissue. In this case, heart failure is treated by recommending diuretics pills to reduce the excess fluid and increases the efficiency of muscle pump.
From this, we can say that cardiac asthma is a medically experiencing wheezing due to heart failure.
Causes of Cardiac Asthma
The only cause of cardiac asthma is known to be heart failure as it results into accumulation fluid in the lungs causing wheezing and cardiac asthma.
Types of Symptoms
· The only symptom of cardiac asthma is shortness of breath and coughing.
Diagnosis of Cardiac Asthma
· A chest x-ray reveals the presence of fluid in lungs and indicates the appearance of cardiac asthma.
· So as to diagnose heart failure, doctors take EKG, cardiac stress tests and cardiac imaging techniques, for e.g. echocardiograms along with CT scans.
Treatment of Cardiac Asthma
Cardiac asthma is treated by correcting the function of the heart. This is normally carried out with the help of medications which include ACE inhibitors, digitalis glycosides, diuretics and beta blockers.
Surgery for Cardiac Asthma
In some cases, there is a possibility that cardiac asthma is caused due to hole in the heart. It can also be resulted due to wrong working of the valve of the heart. In these cases, doctors suggest the option of surgery, so as to correct this problem.
Important Aspects of Cardiac Asthma
- It is possible that medications used in treatment of bronchial asthma which includes inhaling of corticosteroids is not enough and can lead to a diagnosis of cardiac asthma.
- Proper diagnosis is the main part of treatment of cardiac asthma. So treatment for cardiac asthma centers force on improving the heart function of the body.
- Surgery may include valve replacement or coronary bypass surgery to fulfill the functioning of the heart.
- Some patient may receive a single or dual chamber pacemaker or in some cases, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, so as to reinstate heart rhythm and pumping ability.
- In emergency situation, when there is need of easing asthmatic symptoms, doctors use supplementary oxygen or bronchodilators along with treatment of heart failure.
- During the process, there may be a need of additional medications to improve the strengthening of heart muscle, so as to regulate its pumping ability.
- Once you experience cardiac asthma, it is important to follow some of the important lifestyle and dietary changes as a part of your treatment regimen.
From this we can conclude that if we diagnose cardiac asthma at the right time, it will be beneficial to cure the symptoms by proper treatment.
About the Author
Paul Fryatt, M.D. has been in this profession from last 24 years. He made great achievements in his profession. He made an initiative to open a Family Allergy Clinic in 1985 to help his patients who were not reacting to traditional allergy treatment programs. Moreover he has explored the treatment to overcome allergy symptoms to reclaim quality of life through his convenient, no-shots therapy.
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