Why does heart failure come from pulmonary embolism in the right upper lobe of the lung in arteriosclerosis?
469793
The embolus is a clot caused by a buildup of cholesterol, etc. (the arteriosclerosis) which in this case breaks free and lodges in the right upper lobe of the lung. This blockage of blood prevents oxygenated blood from flowing back to the heart and entering the left atrium. Because no oxygen is reaching the heart, the heart weakens and eventaully fails. \n\nThe short easy answer - The clot blocks oxygenated blood from reaching the heart which suffocates and fails.
664852
This is serious, that artery is a main artery from your heart and you should definitely talk to your MD for more info.  You don't want this to become loose, an embolus where it can travel to your heart, lungs, or brain.
55152
Are you talking about atherosclerotic vascular disease? If so I beleive it means the clogging and hardening of the arteries. Sclerosis means scarring and Athero has to do with the arteries vascular just means anything that is a "tube" in your body (veins, vas deferens, etc"
449158
Etiology(cause) of atherosclerosis is theorized to be damage to the blood vessel inner layer which is called endothelium.  This can happen in "normal" person (those with no obvious disease/health problems) - though hypertension can contribute to increased likelihood of damage.  On top of this the blood contains much fatty stuff (cholesterol etc) which gets deposited on the injury site.  So there's no agent that spreads from a diseased person to another, blood transfusion might be an artificial way to contract the "risk factors" but this is insignificant and wouldn't make it contagious
614065
with emphysema you lose the elasticity in your lungs. like a balloon that will not expand, you cannot get enough air in , no air, no oxygen, leads to light dementia, confusion, not always caused by smoking, but is the no.  one cause
308012
Hi, catherine - It sounds like your question basically boils down to semantics.  When someone is in congestive heart failure, their level of activity is limited by shortness of breath or fatigue.  Usually this is a result of abnormal heart function (a 'cardiomyopathy'), but once they are adequately treated and feel back to normal again, they are technically no longer IN congestive heart failure.  But they still have a cardiomyopathy because the underlying problem has not changed.  So you COULD say that congestive heart failure is a clinical condition, but the cardiomyopathy is the underlying disease.  You could argue that either way, though...
129927
There is an Alpha1 Antitrypsin Deficiency that is a genetic protien deficiency that casues non smokers to have emphysema. It is very rare but i have had some patients with it as a respiratory therapist. Basicly at 40 your lungs look and act as if you have smoked for 50+ years \ntwo of the patients that i cared for had to have whole lung lobes removed
281406
The cause is of paramount concern.\n\nIf new, and from acute coronary disease, then there are great treatment options.  Stenting at your grandfather's age would be a solid option, if multiple vessel disease, may require coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg, we say cabbage).\n\nIf from prolonged hypertension... viral disease... prolonged alcohol abuse... others.. then his heart muscle may be unrecoverable, and he's in bad shape.  Medications to reduce symptoms and increase function work, but ultimately limited by the amount of living/functioning tissue, and more complex things like exactly "how" that tissue is working.\n\nIf from dead tissue due to prior heart attack, more radical surgeries are possible... you'd need an absolute expert, look to a university setting if this is the case.\n\nIf no surgical options, and there is a vast amount of tissue dead or useless... his mortality is in the months (could be days, hours, is he in the ICU?, sorry to scare you).  Transplant can do amazing things if an organ is available, he's sick enough to get the organ, but well enought to survive....\n\nIf he's walking, and just has a cough, and swelling in the legs; with weight loss, excercise, lots of medications, he can nearly restore his mortality to normal (depending on co-existing conditions).
823987
Basically, it's plaque buildup in your aorta.  Atheromas can cause embolisms, stroke, etc.
985470
Emphysema begins with the destruction of air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs where oxygen from the air is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood. The walls of the air sacs are thin and fragile. Damage to the air sacs is irreversible and results in permanent "holes" in the tissues of the lower lungs.\n\nAs air sacs are destroyed, the lungs are able to transfer less and less oxygen to the bloodstream, causing shortness of breath. The lungs also lose their elasticity, which is important to keep airways open.  The patient experiences great difficulty exhaling.\n\nEmphysema doesn't develop suddenly.  It comes on very gradually. Years of exposure to the irritation of cigarette smoke usually precede the development of emphysema.\n\nA person may initially visit the doctor because he or she has begun to feel short of breath during activity or exercise. As the disease progresses, a brief walk can be enough to bring on difficulty in breathing. Some people may have had chronic bronchitis before developing emphysema.
780534
In normal breathing, air is drawn in through the bronchial passages and down into the increasingly fine network of tubing in the lungs called the alveoli, which are many thousands of tiny sacs surrounded by capillaries. These absorb the oxygen and transfer it into the blood. When toxins such as smoke are breathed into the lungs, the particles are trapped by the hairs and cannot be exhaled, leading to a localised inflammatory response. Chemicals released during the inflammatory response (trypsin, elastase, etc.) begin to break down the walls of alveoli (alveolar septum). This leads to fewer but larger alveoli, with a decreased surface area and a decreased ability to take up oxygen and lose carbon dioxide. The activity of another molecule called alpha 1-antitrypsin normally neutralizes the destructive action of one of these damaging molecules.\n\nAfter a prolonged period, hyperventilation becomes inadequate to maintain high enough oxygen levels in the blood, and the body compensates by vasoconstricting appropriate vessels. This leads to pulmonary hypertension. This leads to enlargement and increased strain on the right side of the heart, which in turn leads to peripheral edema (swelling of the peripherals) as blood gets backed up in the systemic circulation, causing fluid to leave the circulatory system and accumulate in the tissues.\n\nEmphysema occurs in a higher proportion in patient with decreased alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT) levels (alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, A1AD). In A1AD, inflammatory enzymes (such as elastase) are able to destroy the alveolar tissue (the elastin fibre, for example). Most A1AD patients do not develop clinically significant emphysema, but smoking and severely decreased A1AT levels (10-15%) can cause emphysema at a young age. In all, A1AD causes about 2% of all emphysema. However, smokers with A1AD are in the highest risk category for emphysema.
433078
I am confused by your question.  Specifically in your use of the word "pulmonary" (which means lung).  There are three things that come to mind with this term and heart disease - all very different.\n\n1.  Congenital pulmonary valve defect - the valve going out of your heart on the way to the lungs is not working correctly.\n\n2.  Primary pulmonary hypertension - the blood pressure within the vessels going to and coming from the lungs is higher than normal putting abnormal pressures on the chambers of the heart to pump blood.\n\n3.  Chronic Obustructive Pulmonary Disease - like emphysema or chronic bronchitis.  Hyperinflation of the lungs can have a similiar effect as well as the blood not getting adequate oxygenation, impairing the heart further.\n\nDo you know anything else about her condition?  Was it sudden?  What she a smoker?  Did she require oxygen before she passed?  Did she have a heart murmur?  How old was she?  I'm not sure what to think about the cause of death but more information would be helpful in answering your question.
1124699
In the RN program we were taught that COPD can be caused by embolisms resulting from obesity. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
446043
He suffered from heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy, a disease in which areas of heart muscle enlarge and thicken.
202023
This is a broad topic with a lot of variables depending on the particular nature of the source of the problem, your age, how much damage is present currently, as well as some presenting characteristics of your disorder.  So any average number might not be too helpful to you as YOUR condition may not be average at all.  \n\n"Estimation of mortality rates is affected by the same factors that make estimation of incidence difficult. In the series of 99 patients discussed above, the probability of surviving 24, 48, or 60 months was 83%, 72%, and 64%, respectively. Mean survival interval from onset in this group of patients was 47 months. Factors associated with poor outcome were the presence of pulmonary hypertension at the time of diagnosis and a final diagnosis of DIP or pulmonary vascular disease. Other smaller series also suggest that patients with DIP have a very poor prognosis, particularly infants. This is in marked contrast to adult ILD, in which DIP diagnosed histologically indicates steroid responsiveness and a better prognosis."  Quotation from the second reference.\n\nCheck out the references below for more information.  Print them out and discuss the parts that are not so clear, with your physician.  Most doctors are pleased that their patient is becoming well informed on their illness and will be happy to help.  Good luck.
88911
it affects everything.\nfor example CVA or Cereborvascular Arrest or Stroke - it damages the brain tissue, brought about by the obstruction of the arterioles by fat deposits, a condition called artherosclerosis, leading to rupture then, brain hemorrhage or the so-called intracerebral hemorrhage. Then it causes an increased intracranial pressure, brought about by the change of volume inside the rigid skull by the obstructed CSF, blood and tissue itself. If untreated, it will damage the respiratory center, the "Medulla Oblongata". \nNow, CVA depending on which side of the brain it has damaged. Damage on the left hemisphere leads to a right-sided heart failure. Right sided heart failure causes pitting edema on the extremities, which is brought by the inadequate supply of blood by the Enlarged Left ventricle of the heart. I almost forgot, that the risk factor of this is hypertension. Damage on the right hemisphere leads to left-sided heart failure, then in turn causes pulmonary edema. \nSee, a simple thickening of blood can cause all that. But you may ask 'why everything'? Now, read and study the anatomy and physiology of the brain. Brain is the 'control center' to be simple. It has connections and recieves information from other parts of the body. It is the main reason why we think, why we feel hungry, why we feel love(it is not the heart), why we move, why we do whatever we do. \n\nNow, imagine it damaged.\n\nDo your body a favor, stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Lower cholesterol intake, Too much LDLs are bad. Regular exercise, and diet modification is important.
978935
Heart failure, linked to his steriod use.\n\nhttp://www.pwtorch.com/artman/exec/view.cgi/24/15543\nhttp://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3403.asp