Cor Pulmonale (Pulmonary Heart Disease) with High Blood Pressure
Cor pulmonale constitutes right ventricular enlargement secondary to pulmonary hypertension caused by disorders that affect either the structure or the function of lungs. It is of two types:
- Acute cor pulmonale: Right ventricular dialation that follows
massive pulmonary embolisation.
- Chronic cor pulmonale: Right ventricular hypertrophy secondary to prolonged pressure overload whether related to narrowness or obstructions of major arteries or compression of septal capillaries.
We are briefly discussing about cor pulmonale.
Pulmonary hypertension is the cause for it. The flow chart
given on the next page shows the terms like cor pulmonale, its cause, the pulmonary hypertension, and its outcome, right ventricular enlargement (here we must remember that left ventricular concentric hypertrophy occurs in hypertensive heart disease, a systemic hypertension manifestation, chronic lung disease.
Here we must know that chronic lung diseases includes the very common COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and the pulmonary vascular diseases includes pulmonary embolism, drugtoxin-radiation, induced vascular sclerosis.
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