Causes
Cardiac asthma is majorly caused by heart failure. The most popular cause of heart failure in adults is coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease [3] is a condition that occurs when the vessel sending blood to the heart gets narrow or blocked. It loses its ability to supply blood and closes completely due to a heart attack. It is mostly caused by atherosclerosis or the accumulation of cholesterol and plaque in the blood vessels.
Certain factors help to differentiate between asthma and cardiac asthma. These factors that can cause or contribute to the occurrence of heart failures include:
- Diabetes [4]
- Heart valve disorders
- Myocarditis [5]
- Sleep apnea [6]
- Past heart attacks
- Sleep anemia
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart conditions present from birth
- Severe lung disease
- Obesity
- Irregular high blood pressure
- Hyperthyroidism
- Abnormal heart rhythm
Left-sided heart failure happens when reduced cardiac output causes fluid to build up in the body. The flowing of fluid into the lungs (called pulmonary edema) can occur with breathing difficulties because the airways and tiny air sacs of the lungs are filled with fluid.
These effects may seem to resemble the ones that occur with asthma, but they occur because of inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Asthma can be found in the healthiest people.