Your heart has four chambers. The lower right chamber, called the right ventricle, pumps blood to the lungs.
Chronic pulmonary heart disease happens when the right ventricle has to work too hard to pump blood to lungs that have been damaged. The lungs may have been damaged by a condition like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), blood clots in the lung, or sleep apnea. As time goes by, the right ventricle may get weaker and not pump blood as well as normal.
Over time, chronic pulmonary heart disease can cause fluid to build up in your body. This buildup can cause fatigue, swelling in the legs and body, and other problems. The damage to your lungs may cause shortness of breath.
You can take steps to feel better and live longer with this disease. These steps include taking medicines regularly, getting oxygen therapy if your doctor recommends it, having a heart-healthy lifestyle, and not smoking.
Cor pulmonale is failure of the right side of the heart, the side that pumps blood to the lungs. This problem occurs when the heart has to work harder to pump blood through damaged lungs, such as when a person's lungs are damaged because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
People with cor pulmonale are short of breath because of their damaged lungs. They may have swollen legs and a swollen abdomen because of fluid retention (edema).
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