Why do people with COPD have fluctuating weight gain and fluid retention?
October 29th, 2009 | by admin |Why do some people with lung disease often die of heart failure?
When the lungs are damaged they don’t expand as they should. In COPD the tiny air sacs lose the walls separating them and join together, causing a loss of surface area.
The loss of surface area means les oxygen is getting into the blood so the body responds by pumping more blood faster.
This puts strain on the heart causing it to enlarge, but over time weaken. As it struggles to cope and the normal mechanisms of pressure that clear fluid from the lungs and the rest of the body cease to function properly and fluid accumulates.
This is usually especially a problem when sleeping at night, and patients need to be propped up to breathe properly.
It is the extra work load placed on the heart that causes it to fail.
One Response to “Why do people with COPD have fluctuating weight gain and fluid retention?”
By Menthoids on Oct 30, 2009 | Reply
When the lungs are damaged they don’t expand as they should. In COPD the tiny air sacs lose the walls separating them and join together, causing a loss of surface area.
The loss of surface area means les oxygen is getting into the blood so the body responds by pumping more blood faster.
This puts strain on the heart causing it to enlarge, but over time weaken. As it struggles to cope and the normal mechanisms of pressure that clear fluid from the lungs and the rest of the body cease to function properly and fluid accumulates.
This is usually especially a problem when sleeping at night, and patients need to be propped up to breathe properly.
It is the extra work load placed on the heart that causes it to fail.
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