The heart is divided into a right and left side. The left side pumps oxygenated blood to the organs of the body. The right side pumps blood to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is taken up. Cor Pulmonale is the condition in which there is enlargement of the right ventricle, or chamber of the heart that pumps blood to the lungs. More than half of the people who suffer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have Cor Pulmonale. Cor Pulmonale can occur in an acute as well as a chronic form.
Causes of Cor Pulmonale
Cor Pulmonale is secondary to diseases of the lung, thorax and pulmonary circulation. Chronic forms are caused by severe, chronic obstructive lung disease, such as emphysema. Recurrent infections with pneumonia, bronchiectasis, silicosis, lung cancer, tuberculosis or collagen diseases, can all lead to chronic increased in resistance to blood that is pumped from the right side of the heart. Pulmonary emboli, which are blood clots that travel from another part of the body site (usually a deep vein in the calf of the leg) to the lung, is the most common form of acute Cor Pulmonale. Here, there is a rapid rise is the resistance to blood flowing through the vessels of the lung. The pressure in the right side of the heart rapidly increases.
Signs and Symptoms of Cor Pulmonale
Early changes of chronic Cor Pulmonale may not produce symptoms. Later stages produce shortness of breath with exertion and frequent fainting. Swelling of the ankles, feet and distended neck veins, are due to right heart failure, where blood backs up in the veins. Also, heart failure can lead to discomfort of the right upper abdomen from swelling of the liver and generalized abdominal swelling. Chest pain may occur. Pallor of the skin may occur, or the skin may appear bluish. Rapid breathing may occur as well as rapid pulse. Acute Cor Pulmonale produces symptoms similar to above, except that develop rapidly, most commonly after a pulmonary embolism.
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Medical Content Last Updated on 07/12/2008
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