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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- MedlinePlus: Breathing Difficulty
- American Heart Association: Congestive Heart Failure
- MedlinePlus: Cor Pulmonale
- PubMed.gov: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: why does the heartbeat synchronize with respiratory rhythm?
- PubMed.gov: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: why does the heartbeat synchronize with respiratory rhythm?
- MedlinePlus: Congenital Heart Disease
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
Heart Problems Related to Breathing
The heart and lungs work together to keep a person alive. The heart pumps blood, which has been oxygenated by the lungs, to the rest of the body. The heart and lungs also need an oxygen-rich blood supply to function properly. Breathing problems are often associated with heart disease because of this close relationship between the heart and the lungs.Several heart problems are related to breathing, according to MedlinePlus 135.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Arrest
If the lungs stop functioning, it is called respiratory arrest, and the heart eventually stops too. Conversely, if the heart stops, it is called cardiac arrest, and the lungs also cease functioning. There are several causes of respiratory arrest, such as apnea, suffocation or lung disease.
CHF
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Congestive heart failure, or CHF, can affect breathing and shortness of breath is a major symptom of CHF 2. CHF is a condition where the heart cannot pump blood to the other organs, according to the American Heart Association 2. The patient begins to breathe heavily as the lungs try to supply the body with more oxygen. In addition to carrying oxygen to the cells of the body, blood also carries away toxins and excess fluid. CHF causes fluid to build up in different places in the body, including the lungs. This worsens breathing problems, causing the blood to be even less oxygenated.
- Congestive heart failure, or CHF, can affect breathing and shortness of breath is a major symptom of CHF 2.
- CHF causes fluid to build up in different places in the body, including the lungs.
Cor Pulmonale
Cor pulmonale is a heart condition caused by high blood pressure in the artery that moves blood from the heart to the lungs 3. High blood pressure in this artery is called pulmonary hypertension, and prolonged pulmonary hypertension puts strain on the heart. When the right ventricle of the heart is no longer able to handle pumping against this unusually high pressure, it is called cor pulmonale 3. Almost any chronic lung disease can lead to cor pulmonale, including COPD, apnea and cystic fibrosis 3.
Arrhythmia
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The heart speeds up for a few beats while a person inhales and then slows down as the person exhales. This is known as sinus rhythm and is normal. An abnormal heart rhythm is known as arrhythmia which can cause shortness of breath. About 4 million people in the United States have arrhythmias, according to Texas Heart Institute.
- The heart speeds up for a few beats while a person inhales and then slows down as the person exhales.
- An abnormal heart rhythm is known as arrhythmia which can cause shortness of breath.
Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when blood vessels to the heart are blocked, preventing oxygen-rich blood from reaching the muscles of the heart. The cells in the heart muscle are injured by the lack of oxygen and may begin to die. Shortness of breath is a symptom of heart attack.
Congenital Disease
A person may be born with a medical condition. This is known as a congenital disease 5. Certain congenital diseases may affect the heart and interfere with breathing 5. Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital disease and is responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other congenital disease 5.
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References
- MedlinePlus: Breathing Difficulty
- American Heart Association: Congestive Heart Failure
- MedlinePlus: Cor Pulmonale
- PubMed.gov: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: why does the heartbeat synchronize with respiratory rhythm?
- MedlinePlus: Congenital Heart Disease
- Barreto T. Pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart defects in newborns. Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(7):421-422.
- Rao PS. Management of congenital heart disease: state of the art-part II-cyanotic heart defects. Children (Basel). 2019;6(4):54. doi:10.3390/children6040054
- Rao PS. Management of congenital heart disease: state of the art; part I-acyanotic heart defects. Children (Basel). 2019;6(3):42. doi:10.3390/children6030042
- Cleveland Clinic. Pediatric and congenital heart conditions. Updated January 14, 2011.
- Pierpont ME, Brueckner M, Chung WK, et al. Genetic basis for congenital heart disease: revisited: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018;138(21):e653-e711. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000606
- Nicoll R. Environmental contaminants and congenital heart defects: a re-evaluation of the evidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(10):2096. doi:10.3390/ijerph15102096
- Cleveland Clinic. Pediatric and congenital heart conditions: Diagnosis and tests. Updated January 14, 2011.
- Hunter LE, Seale AN. Educational series in congenital heart disease: prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease. Echo Res Pract. 2018;5(3):R81-R100. doi:10.1530/ERP-18-0027
- Attenhofer Jost CH, Schmidt D, Huebler M, et al. Heart transplantation in congenital heart disease: In whom to consider and when?. J Transplant. 2013;2013:376027. doi:10.1155/2013/376027
- Schwerzmann M, Schwitz F, Thomet C, Kadner A, Pfammatter JP, Wustmann K. Challenges of congenital heart disease in grown-up patients. Swiss Med Wkly. 2017;147:w14495. doi:10.4414/smw.2017.14495
- Mutluer FO, Çeliker A. General concepts in adult congenital heart disease. Balkan Med J. 2018;35(1):18-29. doi:10.4274/balkanmedj.2017.0910
- Oster ME, Watkins S, Hill KD, Knight JH, Meyer RE. Academic outcomes in children with congenital heart defects: a population-based cohort study. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2017;10(2):e003074. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.116.003074
- Pauliks LB. Depression in adults with congenital heart disease-public health challenge in a rapidly expanding new patient population. World J Cardiol. 2013;5(6):186-195. doi:10.4330/wjc.v5.i6.186
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