Cardiac Asthma: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Cardiac Asthma

• Although the name might suggest otherwise, cardiac asthma is not a type of asthma.
• It refers to complications that result from cardiac failure.
• Cardiac asthma is a very dangerous condition.
• It can often be misdiagnosed as asthma because of similar symptoms, which can potentially be life-threatening.
• Let’s take a deeper look at cardiac asthma:

Causes

• Cardiac asthma is caused by a fluid build-up in the lungs as a result of cardiac failure.
• Congestive heart failure can create complications in the left ventricle of the heart.
• The left ventricle is the heart’s chamber that is responsible for sending blood throughout the body.
• The heart is not able to pump blood out of the left ventricle and might have extensive pressure on it as well.
• Because of that, blood accumulates in the heart and leaks out, which can lead to fluid build up.
• In such cases, cardiac asthma is an indication of congestive heart failure but is often not treated that way because of the symptoms a patient shows.
• Other health problems such as an abnormal heart rhythm, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism can also cause cardiac asthma.

Signs and Symptoms

• The common signs of cardiac asthma include:

1. Trouble in breathing
2. Wheezing
3. Rapid breathing
4. Coughing
5. Bloody or frothy sputum
6. Grunting
7. Orthopnoea, which is a shortness of breath felt when laying down
8. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea or waking up a night gasping for air
9. Abnormal sounds coming from the chest known as rales

• These symptoms are the same as the ones found in asthma.
• A lot of times there is no sign that helps differentiate between the two.
• Cardiac asthma is often the very first sign of congestive heart failure.
• However, it can also show up with symptoms of heart failure, such as:

1. Fainting
2. Chest pain
3. Fatigue
4. Skin with a bluish hue
5. Irregular heart rate
6. Swelling in the feet, legs, or ankles
7. Increased urination during the nighttime
8. Increased fluid retention, which causes weight gain

Diagnosis

• Diagnosing cardiac asthma is crucial as it signals congestive heart disease.
• And it is quite difficult to diagnose because of the signs matching those of asthma.
• Because of this, cardiac asthma is often misdiagnosed, which can prove to be fatal.
• The diagnosis starts from the medical history.
• If there is no history of asthma, doctors might suspect cardiac asthma and run procedures such as a physical exam followed by blood tests and tests such as an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram.
• Furthermore, a chest X-ray may also be taken to look for any enlargement in the heart.
• CT scans or MRIs may follow to develop a clearer idea of the problem.

Treatment

• Proper treatment for cardiac asthma involves finding the problem causing it and treating that.
• However, some medications, such as morphine, nitro-glycerine, or diuretics, may also be administered to relieve the asthmatic symptoms.
• Further treatment can include aiding breathing with a non-invasive ventilator.
• A breathing tube may be used in serious cases.
• Lastly, surgeries such as an angioplasty or a coronary bypass may be performed in case a heart attack is apparent.