- With Mayo Clinic cardiologist
Martha Grogan, M.D.
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Martha Grogan, M.D.
Martha Grogan, M.D.
Dr. Martha Grogan is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. She is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Grogan has been on staff at Mayo Clinic since 1995 and is a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
Dr. Grogan is a noninvasive cardiologist specializing in heart failure, adult congenital heart disease and echocardiography. She has witnessed firsthand the importance of patient education in the treatment of diseases such as congestive heart failure and is excited about the tremendous educational opportunities now available through the Internet.
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Question
Cardiac asthma: What causes it?
What is cardiac asthma?
Answer
from Martha Grogan, M.D.
The term "cardiac asthma" refers to wheezing associated with heart failure. It isn't true asthma. Depending on how severe your symptoms are, this wheezing can be a medical emergency.
As a result of heart failure, fluid can build up in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and in your airways. This causes signs and symptoms — such as shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing — that may mimic asthma. True asthma is a chronic condition caused by inflammation of the airways, which can lead to breathing difficulties.
The distinction is important because treatments for asthma and heart failure are very different. Treatments for heart failure, including medications, can help improve your symptoms for both the heart failure and the cardiac asthma. Overusing treatments for true asthma, such as rescue inhalers, may actually worsen your symptoms and could cause dangerous heart rhythms.
- Jorge S, et al. Cardiac asthma in elderly patients: Incidence, clinical presentation and outcome. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 2007;7:16.
- Heart Failure. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hf/HF_All.html. Accessed Feb. 13, 2009.
