Most people are accustomed to the fact that a cough is a companion to a cold or allergy. Could a cough be caused by the heart? Yes, because with cardiac pathologies, the synchronous functioning of the ventricles of the heart may be disrupted. The right one actively fills the lung tissue with blood, while the left one pumps it out more slowly. This provokes poor blood circulation and increased pressure in the lungs, which causes hypoxia. The patient constantly wants to cough and inhale more air, and most often the cough is dry. In such cases they talk about cardiac cough.
Causes of cardiac cough
One of the common symptoms of heart pathologies associated with lung function is shortness of breath. It can be felt already in the early stages of the disease. You can often notice that people with shortness of breath during physical or emotional stress begin to cough. This is the so-called “cough from the heart.”
This type of cough owes its origin to functional disorders of the heart muscle. Coughing in heart disease is a fairly common occurrence, because the heart muscle and its main vessels are closely connected to the lungs and bronchi.
Disturbances in blood flow in the pulmonary circulation can manifest themselves to varying degrees: at an early stage they can cause a slight cough, and in an advanced state – pulmonary edema. This is the most severe manifestation of heart failure and is associated with cough. In this case, the patient requires urgent medical attention. Now you have a unique opportunity to undergo a free consultation with a specialist and a set of preparatory examinations when enrolling in a course of enhanced external counterpulsation or shock wave therapy of the heart:
Promotion
Just until the end of autumn, undergo a free consultation and a set of preparatory examinations* when registering for a course of enhanced external counterpulsation or shock wave therapy of the heart.**
Send a request
* Check the details of the Promotion by phone. **Has contraindications; consultation with a doctor is required.
Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) Cardiac shock wave therapy (SWTS)
Hurry up to apply, the promotion period is limited.
Comparison criterion 2 - cough character
Paroxysmal cough
most often occurs in the first days of illness, becoming more active in the evening and at night.
The attacks follow one after another, there is no way to clear the throat, and between these moments it can be difficult to take a breath. The cause of the problem is dry airways and lack of mucus. The throat becomes irritated and attacks occur again and again. A recurrent cough
can occur suddenly and persist for both short and long periods.
If you notice that you cough from time to time, but for quite some time, then you need to find the reason. It could be an allergy to animals, dust or flowers, sometimes even to the presence of a certain person or to a certain situation. This cough is usually called psychosomatic. A short or one-time cough
can occur when you inhale smoke or any other irritants or when pieces of food get into the respiratory tract.
How does cough occur in heart disease?
Weak functioning of the left ventricle and the pathological processes occurring in it are the main cause of cardiac cough. In this case we talk about left ventricular failure. It leads to deterioration of blood circulation in the pulmonary arteries, sclerosis of small vessels, and increased pressure in the lungs. Their tissues do not have enough oxygen - this is why the patient experiences shortness of breath and suffocates. In turn, problems in the pulmonary circulation aggravate the condition of the heart muscle.
One of the symptoms of cough in heart failure is hemoptysis. This phenomenon also has its own reason: since the volume of blood in the lungs exceeds the normal level, its excess accumulates and comes out of the bronchi when coughing. After all, a cough is a natural reaction of the body when the lungs, bronchi, and alveoli become overfilled with fluid or a foreign body enters them.
A cardiac cough almost always manifests itself at moments when the patient is exposed to physical exertion. However, if the cardiac dysfunction is quite severe, the patient only needs to take a lying position to start choking from coughing. In this case, excess fluid begins to intensively fill the lungs, causing irritation and continuous coughing.
Diagnostics
Symptoms of congestive heart failure are observed by the therapist when examining the patient and listening to heart sounds. He refers the patient to a cardiologist. A number of studies are being carried out:
- ECG;
- ECHOCG
- HMEKG
- Radiography
- Coronary angiography
- MRI, MSCT
Research is being conducted on the characteristics of the heartbeat during physical activity. To do this, the patient is asked to perform a series of simple exercises, such as squats. After this, monitor the change and restoration of the pulse. More in-depth examinations of this kind are performed using a treadmill or exercise bike.
Cough due to heart failure
Heart failure is an extremely common disease associated with blood stagnation due to impaired circulation in large vessels. In most patients, this pathology is accompanied by shortness of breath and cough, which has the origin described above.
The nature of the cough can be different:
- paroxysmal and dry;
- exhausting and loud;
- irritating dry;
- sharp and short.
A cardiac cough can be a persistent problem for people with chronic heart failure . It occurs during times of physical or emotional stress and is usually characterized as dry and jerky.
In acute heart failure, a cough may begin with shortness of breath at night, which turns into suffocation due to the overfilling of the lungs with fluid. When breathing, the lungs begin to make bubbling sounds. The patient may cough producing bloody, frothy sputum due to a rapid increase in sputum volume in the lungs.
Acute phase
An acute heart attack is characterized by symptoms such as severe weakness, dizziness, and acute pain in the chest. In this case, it can radiate to the shoulder blade, neck or jaw. The pain does not go away after taking the pills. Indirect evidence of the development of cardiac pathology in such a situation can be cold sweat, shortness of breath and weakness.
The effect of surprise. Who is at risk for sudden cardiac death syndrome Read more
Symptoms of cardiac cough
Most often, patients in the early stages of developing heart pathologies are alarmed by a dry cough that lasts a long time and is not associated with colds. Pain in the heart when coughing is a clear sign of problems in the functioning of this organ and a signal about the need to start treatment.
Subsequently, coughing attacks begin to overcome the patient even with minimal physical exertion and at night, often accompanied by the release of foamy sputum with traces of blood. This is why many heart patients sleep sitting up.
Other common symptoms include:
- increased heart rate;
- weakness and loss of consciousness;
- lack of air;
- swelling of the veins in the neck;
- bubbling in the lungs audible from a distance.
As already mentioned, a cardiac cough is almost always accompanied by shortness of breath. Unlike bronchitis, a cardiac cough rarely produces sputum. It also differs from a smoker's cough, which has a barking character.
Causes and course of the attack
A heart attack is essentially a violation of the blood circulation of the myocardium, when necrosis of the muscle tissue of the heart can subsequently develop. The attack can be lightning fast - in this case, serious complications appear that require immediate resuscitation measures. Depending on the degree of narrowing of the coronary arteries, the attack may last longer.
As a rule, most often a heart attack develops due to problems with the cardiovascular system. First of all, this is atherosclerotic damage to the arteries. Age is an important factor; in the elderly, the risks of developing pathology increase significantly, as functional changes in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels affect. Although recently there has been a rejuvenation of cardiac incidents. An attack lasting more than 30 minutes can be considered a manifestation of myocardial infarction.
Before and after the disaster. What to do if you have a heart attack Read more
A heart attack can develop against the background of angina pectoris. This is one of the forms of coronary disease, in which paroxysmal pain appears in the heart area. They develop against the background of insufficient blood supply to the myocardium. Angina is provoked by a number of reasons: physical and emotional overload, bad habits (especially smoking, alcohol).
In addition, factors such as diabetes and long-term use of a number of drugs, including non-steroidal ones, can trigger a heart attack.
Comparison criterion 5 – degree of cough exacerbation
Acute cough
usually lasts no more than three weeks.
The reasons can be varied, most often it is ARVI, that is, viral infections of the nose, nasopharynx and throat. If the cough is infectious, an important symptom is an increase in temperature. An acute cough can also accompany diseases such as bronchitis, allergies, pneumonia; it can occur due to something caught in the respiratory tract, due to dust and irritating gases. If the cough is of a cold nature, then at first it is dry, and then For several days it turns into a wet type, which is a sign of the beginning of recovery. A lingering cough
sometimes lasts for months and can become chronic.
It should seriously alert the patient, as it may indicate a serious illness. In such a situation, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Chronic cough
can last more than 3-8 weeks, which, as a rule, is very exhausting and debilitating. Sometimes, in the chronic form, the head begins to feel dizzy or hurt, and weakness occurs. The causes may be various diseases caused by infections, for example, bronchial asthma. Chronic cough often occurs in adults who actively smoke, so it is commonly called smoker's bronchitis. The best way to cure it is to quit smoking.
Comparison criterion 4 - time of cough onset
Morning cough
occurs in chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
It is especially common for smokers. This type is caused by the accumulation of sputum during the night, which does not clear and provokes a cough in the morning. Evening or night cough
occurs due to the fact that a person lying down accumulates phlegm, which does not clear the throat for a long time during sleep. Moreover, sputum in a horizontal position can accumulate in the larynx, provoking attacks.
Soothing collection of medicinal herbs: lemon balm, yarrow, valerian
All components are thoroughly crushed and combined in one container. As needed, the decoction is prepared as follows: 1 tbsp. l. pour 0.5 liters of water at room temperature into the mixture and leave for 4 hours. Then the container is placed on the fire, the liquid is boiled, and filtered. Take a sip during the day, daily dose - 1 glass, course - 1 month.
- Pumpkin pulp to eliminate swelling or prevent it.
Grind 500 g of the fruit and eat it raw or drink the squeezed juice. Regular consumption of pumpkin is indicated for elderly patients with heart pathologies.
- Lemon garlic syrup.
Pass 5 heads of the spicy vegetable plant through a press, squeeze 5 citrus fruits into the resulting pulp, add 500 g of honey, seal, and put in the pantry for 10 days. Use 1 tsp. before meals 4 times a day.
