COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which affects the lungs and eventually the heart as well. The heart is not affected equally. The right side will start to fail due to high heart rate creating more pressure and swelling. As the heart rate increases the stroke input drops as does the cardiac output.
I being female ave 5 liters of blood to pump through my body. My heart beats approximately 80 times per minute. 5=80xSV. In doing the math my heart pumps 1.3 L every minute. So it takes 3.8 min for my heart to pump 5 L of blood.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants, such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust, also may contribute to COPD.
ReplyDeleteIn COPD, less air flows in and out of the airways because of one or more of these reasons, 1. The airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality. 2. The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed. 3.The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed. 4. The airways make more mucus than usual, which tends to clog the airways and makes it harder to breath.