what is the differnce between copd & congestive?
October 25th, 2009 | by admin |heart disease? Does one lead to the other?
My dr put me on ActosplusMet & I’ve read that if you have congestive heart disease that you shouldn’t take it. She also thinks I might be in the early stages of COPD so I’m pretty concerned. I haven’t seen her since I’ve read about this so I thought I would ask here.
Thanks for any help.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a disorder of the respiratory system. CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) is a disorder of the cardiovascular system, although it can trigger symptoms in the respiratory system.
COPD covers several disorders which usually overlap. The most common presentation I’ve found is a patient who has both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, one usually more progressed than the other. The alveoli (sacs of tissue which oxygen goes into during inspiration and diffuses into the blood stream) become damaged and lose their elasticity causing air to become trapped in them and more difficult to expel (think of a balloon that no longer returns to its normal size when you let the air out). The bronchioles (air passages that lead to the alveoli) also begin to lose their elasticity and become prone to inflammation and excessive mucus production, reducing their ability to allow air through. These symptoms greatly reduce the ability for a person to take in air and expel carbon dioxide, resulting in increased difficulty breathing.
CHF is a disorder where one (or both) sides of the heart lose their ability to pump effectively. A number of things can cause CHF, but the end result is the heart muscle hypertrophies (gets bigger) from pumping against high pressure and begins to fail. It becomes less functional and can’t adapt to high levels of blood entering it (and eventually, normal levels of blood). Blood then begins to back up into the part of the body where it is coming from. If the left side of the heart is failing, the blood backs up into the pulmonary circuit and may diffuse into the lungs, causing difficulty breathing. If the right side of the heart is failing, the blood backs up into the body tissues, causing swelling in the ankles, legs, and abdomen.
COPD may lead to or exacerbate CHF. As the alveoli break down, the blood vessels in those alveoli become unusable. This results in the pulmonary circulatory system having less vessels for blood to enter without a reduction in the amount of blood in the total system. (think of a system of pipes and you suddenly take a branch of the system out but keep flowing the same amount of water into it). This increases the pressure in the pulmonary circuit, which the heart must now beat against, causing it to strain, hypertrophy, and eventually fail. Additionally, chronic hypoxia (low levels of oxygen) in the pulmonary circuit cause the blood vessels there to constrict, also resulting in increased pressure.
One of the side effects of Actoplus Met is fluid retention, which will increase the pressure in your circulatory system, and that is something you don’t want to do if you have a heart that is strained and possibly failing. Additionally, some people have reported an increased incidence of respiratory infections while on it, which can cause episodic worsening of COPD.
If you have concerns, you should talk to your Doctor.
3 Responses to “what is the differnce between copd & congestive?”
By maheswari m on Oct 25, 2009 | Reply
This Patient Guide is written for the loved ones of heart patients who are dealing with the short-term stress that comes with a test, procedure or recent diagnosis of heart disease. It explains why support is so important to a loved one with heart disease. It also offers practical strategies on how to support a loved one while also taking care of yourself.
References :
http://www.heartspecial.com/
By EA on Oct 25, 2009 | Reply
Congestive heart failure; is the hearts inability to pump blood and to keep up its work load. Chronic Obstructive Lung disease which is the combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema causing disrruption of airflow into or out of the lungs
References :
By dmzct on Oct 26, 2009 | Reply
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a disorder of the respiratory system. CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) is a disorder of the cardiovascular system, although it can trigger symptoms in the respiratory system.
COPD covers several disorders which usually overlap. The most common presentation I’ve found is a patient who has both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, one usually more progressed than the other. The alveoli (sacs of tissue which oxygen goes into during inspiration and diffuses into the blood stream) become damaged and lose their elasticity causing air to become trapped in them and more difficult to expel (think of a balloon that no longer returns to its normal size when you let the air out). The bronchioles (air passages that lead to the alveoli) also begin to lose their elasticity and become prone to inflammation and excessive mucus production, reducing their ability to allow air through. These symptoms greatly reduce the ability for a person to take in air and expel carbon dioxide, resulting in increased difficulty breathing.
CHF is a disorder where one (or both) sides of the heart lose their ability to pump effectively. A number of things can cause CHF, but the end result is the heart muscle hypertrophies (gets bigger) from pumping against high pressure and begins to fail. It becomes less functional and can’t adapt to high levels of blood entering it (and eventually, normal levels of blood). Blood then begins to back up into the part of the body where it is coming from. If the left side of the heart is failing, the blood backs up into the pulmonary circuit and may diffuse into the lungs, causing difficulty breathing. If the right side of the heart is failing, the blood backs up into the body tissues, causing swelling in the ankles, legs, and abdomen.
COPD may lead to or exacerbate CHF. As the alveoli break down, the blood vessels in those alveoli become unusable. This results in the pulmonary circulatory system having less vessels for blood to enter without a reduction in the amount of blood in the total system. (think of a system of pipes and you suddenly take a branch of the system out but keep flowing the same amount of water into it). This increases the pressure in the pulmonary circuit, which the heart must now beat against, causing it to strain, hypertrophy, and eventually fail. Additionally, chronic hypoxia (low levels of oxygen) in the pulmonary circuit cause the blood vessels there to constrict, also resulting in increased pressure.
One of the side effects of Actoplus Met is fluid retention, which will increase the pressure in your circulatory system, and that is something you don’t want to do if you have a heart that is strained and possibly failing. Additionally, some people have reported an increased incidence of respiratory infections while on it, which can cause episodic worsening of COPD.
If you have concerns, you should talk to your Doctor.
References :