Cardiac Asthma Diagnosis

Cardiac asthma is a medical term given to wheezing caused by heart failure. A diagnosis of cardiac asthma is usually given to patients either at the same time or after a diagnosis of heart failure.

Causes

• When you have heart failure, your heart is not able to pump enough blood for your body. This has the potential to cause fluid buildup in your lungs, which leads to wheezing or cardiac asthma, explains the Mayo Clinic.

Types of Symptoms

• The symptoms of cardiac asthma that lead to its diagnosis include shortness of breath and coughing.

Diagnosis

• A chest x-ray usually reveals the presence of fluid in your lungs that indicates your symptoms are caused by cardiac asthma rather than lung or bronchial asthma. To diagnose heart failure, doctors rely on EKG, cardiac stress tests and imaging techniques like echocardiograms and CT scans, explains the National Library of Medicine.

Treatment

• Cardiac asthma is treated by improving the function of your heart. This is typically done through prescription medications like digitalis glycosides, diuretics, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers, though surgery may be needed in some cases, according to the American Heart Association.

Warning

• Medications used to treat bronchial asthma like inhaled corticosteroids are not appropriate treatment if you have a diagnosis of cardiac asthma. In fact, these treatments can actually pose a danger to your health, warns the Mayo Clinic.