Pulmonary Dysfunction and Heart Failure

In patients with heart failure (HF), particularly in elderly patients, pulmonary dysfunction is frequent. There might be bidirectional interaction in between pulmonary dysfunction and HF. One is from HF to pulmonary dysfunction, possibly through the enlarged heart and pulmonary congestion in association with HF. The other is from pulmonary dysfunction and/or respiratory-control disorders associated with comorbid pulmonary diseases to HF. Among such comorbid pulmonary diseases, chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are particularly important in elderly patients with HF, since in general, both of them are more prevalent in elderly compared with young age, and since a presence of either COPD or SDB in patients with HF is known to be associated with poor clinical outcomes.
Source: Journal of Cardiac Failure - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research