How Can A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) Affects The Vascular System (Right Sided Heart Failure)?
COPD may cause high blood pressure in the arteries that bring blood to your lungs. Pulmonary hypertension occurs when the small arteries of the lung become narrow, which makes it hard for blood to flow. Blood pressure increases. The right side of the heart must work harder to pump blood, and may eventually become enlarged. Eventually, right sided heart failure may develop. Right-sided heart failure occurs in about 1 in 20 people. Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure in the United States, but it can be a complication of other conditions. Heart failure may affect the right side of the heart (right ventricle), the left side (left ventricle), or both sides. In right-sided heart failure, the right ventricle loses its pumping function, and blood may back up into other areas of the body, producing congestion. Congestion affects the liver, the gastrointestinal tract, and the limbs. In addition, the right ventricle may be unable to pump blood efficiently to the lung
