Link between COPD and heart disease
- In Germany, up to five million people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD for short.
- Many of these patients do not know that they also suffer from a heart disease such as heart failure.
- Almost a third of those affected by cardiac insufficiency also have COPD.
- In addition to smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes are common risk factors.
COPD, also known colloquially as smoker’s cough or smoker’s lung is one of the most common diseases worldwide, explains the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on its website. In Germany alone, up to five million people suffer from it. Many COPD patients do not know that they also suffer from heart diseases such as heart failure.
If you are short of breath, seek medical help at rest
who shortness of breath If you feel at rest or suddenly and unusually have shortness of breath during physical exertion, you should definitely see a doctor. She is according to a recent Message of the German Heart Foundation the leading symptom for a pulmonary or heart disease and it usually occurs when there are pathological changes in our “life engines” heart and lungs.
Shortness of breath can be a warning sign of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or a heart condition such as heart failure (cardiac insufficiency or myocardial insufficiency). Therefore, these diseases are easily confused and it is not uncommon for one of the two diseases to be overlooked. Shortness of breath is caused by a narrowing of the airways.
“Unfortunately, we experience once more and once more that shortness of breath is attributed either solely to cardiac insufficiency or to COPD. However, heart and lung disease often occur together,” explains heart specialist Prof. Dr. medical Thomas Voigtländer, CEO of the German Heart Foundation.
“If a doctor diagnoses COPD, he should definitely also look for a heart condition such as cardiac insufficiency or coronary artery disease and vice versa,” emphasizes the cardiologist and intensive care physician at the Bethanien Cardioangiology Center (CCB) in Frankfurt am Main.
treat diseases early
Almost a third of patients with heart failure also have COPD. If both diseases are present at the same time in those affected, this has an accelerating effect on the organic stress and thus the loss of strength in them. It is therefore all the more important to treat both diseases at an early stage.
Cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure that like that coronary heart disease (CHD) and the heart attack often coincide with COPD, lead the cause of death statistics in this country. Diseases of the respiratory system rank third following cancer.
Common risk factors
The fact that COPD and cardiovascular diseases such as CHD often occur together can be explained by common risk factors, above all smoking: “Both diseases can be caused or aggravated by smoking,” explains Prof. Dr. med. Claus F. VogelmeierDirector of the Clinic for Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital Marburg (UKGM).
“On the one hand, smoking leads to chronic inflammation of the airways, on the other hand, smoking damages the blood vessels. High blood pressure, peripheral arterial occlusive disease/PAD, heart attacks and cardiac insufficiency are the consequences,” says Vogelmeier, who is also a member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and Chairman of the German Lung Foundation (DLS).
According to the expert, almost all COPD patients have at least one concomitant disease (“comorbidity”), and more than half even have several additional diseases such as dyslipidemia (high cholesterol), high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus.
Heart failure treatment can improve the course of COPD
As stated in the press release, a study was able to show that almost a fifth of COPD patients suffer from CHD or cardiac insufficiency or have suffered a heart attack.
“Amazingly, among the patients with impaired heart function, there was a remarkable proportion who were not aware of the heart failure or another heart disease, which means that the heart disease was not treated,” says Prof. Dr. medical Peter Alter, Senior Physician at the Clinic for Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Intensive Care Medicine at UKGM and DZL member.
“It is well known that treating cardiac insufficiency can significantly improve the long-term course of COPD. Therefore, when the medical history is taken by the doctor, the other should always be taken into account in the case of both diseases, COPD and cardiac insufficiency. The key symptom of shortness of breath is an elementary warning sign here,” adds Alter.
Shortness of breath as a result of a lung disease such as COPD can present itself in a similar way to cardiovascular disease: with greater physical exertion and, depending on the severity, even at rest. Interactions of both diseases can increase shortness of breath. (ad)
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the specifications of medical specialist literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical professionals.
Important NOTE:
This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.
