Cardiac Asthma is a health problem that occurs due to heart failure and other cardiac-related issues. The symptoms of this problem are similar to bronchial asthma symptoms. It can be treated through medication drugs, surgery, oxygen and ventilation. Cardiac Asthma leads to several deaths in our world. This problem is caused due to wheezing or coughing in left heart failure.

In comparison with bronchial asthma, it requires different treatment. When this problem is left untreated, it becomes critical for patients. It is important to timely diagnose cardiac asthma to relieve its symptoms and treat heart failure.

Causes of Cardiac Asthma

Heart failure is also known as congestive heart failure or left heart failure. It is an underlying cause of cardiac asthma which leads to diabetes, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure.

The other causes of this condition are as follows:

1. Heart muscle problems

The damage of heart failure increases the risk of heart failure. This problem occurs due to heavy alcohol, illegal drugs, infections etc.

2. Past heart attacks

The occurrence of heart attacks leads to damage in heart muscle tissue. A tissue gets weakened which shows that the heart fails to pump blood properly.

3. Severe lung disease

This problem occurs due to inappropriate working of lungs. A heart provides oxygen into the body when it pumps harder.

Heart failure leads to several symptoms. These are as follows:

Fatigue
Weight gain due to water retention in stomach, legs, ankles and feet
Shortness of breath
Weakness
Breathing problems

If heart failure is not cured or prevented, then it can be managed by medication drugs and lifestyle changes.

4. Heart valve abnormalities

This problem occurs after bacterial endocarditis or congenital disorder. The heart muscle pumps harder if the valve is not open or closed properly during heartbeat. The risk of heart failure is increased due to excessive workload.

Symptoms

This problem causes several symptoms, which are as follows:

Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Rapid breathing
Bloody, frothy sputum
Cold skin
Gasping for breath
Anxiety
Coughing

People suffering from heart failure may experience symptoms of cardiac asthma. These are as follows:

Appetite loss
Pain in abdomen and chest
Fatigue
Swelling in ankles and legs
Nausea
Weight gain
Discoloration in fingers and lips
Sleepiness

Diagnostic Test

There are several tests that can diagnose cardiac asthma are as follows:

Physical Examination

A physical exam needs to be performed for checking rapid heartbeat, abnormal sounds and breathing problems in the lungs. This helps the doctor to diagnose cardiac asthma easily.

Electrocardiogram

ECG helps to diagnose heart failure by reading electrical signals from the heart. It shows abnormality in most people suffering from heart failure.

Breathing test

This test demonstrates the working of lungs. It shows a problem when there is excess fluid in the lungs. Doctor uses a spirometry machine to perform this test.

Echocardiogram

It is an ultrasound test which checks the pumping of blood in the heart’s chambers and valves. If a pumping problem occurs in your heart then it could be a sign and symptom of heart failure.

Stress test

A doctor can perform a stress test by checking the pumping of blood in your heart. This involves certain activity which makes the heart pump harder. The heart rate, electrical activity, oxygen levels etc., are measured throughout the exercise.

Cardiac CT and MRI

Doctors use CT and MRI scans to check the condition of heart chambers, valves and muscles. These tests also discover a congenital heart problem associated with cardiac asthma.

Cardiac Asthma Treatments

Cardiac Asthma can be treated in three ways:

1. Oxygen and Ventilation

When the patient’s body experiences less oxygen during cardiac asthma attack, then this treatment is provided by the doctors to support the patient’s condition. An oxygen therapy can be given in home, nursing home or hospital. It gives extra oxygen to the patient for breathing well. The non-invasive ventilation also provides airway support and helps the patient in breathing.

2. Medications

Morphine, nitroglycerin and furosemide are some medication drugs that treat cardiac asthma in emergency cases. After the symptoms stabilize, the doctor provides ACE inhibitors or beta blockers for another treatment.

ACE inhibitors relaxes blood vessels and relieves heart pressure, whereas beta-blockers reduce heart rate and blood pressure.

3. Surgery

Cardiac asthma requires surgery when medications, drugs and other treatments are gets fail. It includes different surgical treatments which as follows:

Coronary angioplasty or bypass
Heart valve surgery
Repair of congenital heart defects
Ablation of arrhythmia

Prevention Tips For Cardiac Asthma

It is important to lower the risk of heart failure, which helps to prevent cardiac asthma in patients. The steps are as follows:

Avoid recreational drugs.
Maintain a healthy weight as per your age.
Eat fruits, nuts, eggs, vegetables all these are beneficial for your overall health.
Avoid alcohol or tobacco products.
Reduce diabetes and high blood pressure.
Exercise regularly.