American Heart Month: How Your Heart Affects Your Breathing

February is American Heart Month. This month, we want to highlight heart health and how your heart can affect your breathing. You may be wondering: what’s the connection? Keep reading to find out how certain heart problems can affect your breathing.

The Heart and Lungs are Connected

The heart and lungs work in tandem to make sure your body has the appropriate blood oxygen levels to keep you healthy and keep your body functioning properly. It all starts with the circulatory system, which consists of the heart, arteries and veins that carry blood throughout the body. There are two types of circulation involved: pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. 

The Pulmonary Loop: This loop of circulation is driven by the right side of the heart which picks up the deoxygenated blood from the body and moves it to the lungs for cleaning and re-oxygenating.

The Systemic Loop: This loop of circulation is driven by the left side of the heart which moves the blood throughout the body once it has been reoxygenated so that every part receives the oxygen it needs.

This connection between the heart and lungs means that when the heart is experiencing problems, it cannot pump efficiently which significantly affects the lungs. There are many cardiac conditions that may cause breathing problems, including:

  • Congestive Heart Failure: This occurs when the heart does not pump blood as well as it should. When this happens, blood often gets backed up and fluid can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath.

  • Arrhythmia: A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Heart rhythm issues occur when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart’s beats do not work properly. The faulty signaling causes the heart to beat too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia) or irregularly. Abnormal electrical activity in the top chambers of the heart (atrial fibrillation) causes a fast and irregular rhythm of the pulse which can lead to breathlessness.

  • Valvular Heart Disease: This illness occurs when any valve (there are four) in the heart has been damaged or is diseased. If the valves do not open properly or are leaky, this can impact the function of the heart and it can become inefficient especially if the valve problem is severe which can, in turn, cause breathlessness.

  • Coronary Heart Disease: A leading cause of death in the United States, this disease develops when the arteries of the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. A common symptom of this disease is angina—which is a pain or discomfort in your chest, arm, neck, stomach or jaw. It can also lead to breathlessness and trouble breathing, as it is your heart's way of indicating that it is not getting enough oxygen when you are under stress or doing something strenuous.

  • Pulmonary Edema: This condition develops when there is extra fluid in your lungs, which makes it hard to breathe and is usually caused by heart problems. If the heart is damaged, it cannot pump out enough of the blood it gets from the lungs. Pressure in the heart builds up and pushes the fluid into the lungs’ air sacs.

When it comes to your heart and lung health, it’s important to recognize signs and mention them to your doctor. Something that you may perceive as ordinary as shortness of breath or feeling fatigued, may be a sign of a heart or lung condition. Watch out for these symptoms that can be part of a heart or lung condition:

  • Unexplained shortness of breath

  • Palpitations

  • Fatigue

  • Near fainting or fainting

  • Chest or arm pains

  • Low oxygen levels

  • Heart Failure

  • Irregular heartbeats

At Trace Medical, our goal is to help patients enhance their quality of life by assisting them in breathing better. We carry a variety of ventilators from top brands such as Philips Respironics, ResMed, Ventec, AffloVest, Vyaire and more. Partner with us today to help yourself or your patient breathe easier knowing they are in good hands when it comes to their lung health!

Elliot Campbell