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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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Heart Failure |
Reducing Symptoms of Cardiomyopathy01/07/2009 |
My brother has an enlarged heart and coughs periodically, is there anything that can be done to stop this coughing? 2. He has a habit of eating salted peanuts, should this habit be discontinued? 3. His feet also swell although he takes water pills, is there anything he can do to reduce the swelling?
It sounds like your brother has a cardiomyopathy-an enlargement or dilation of the heart that impairs the heart's function.
Cardiomyopathies are often accompanied by heart failure and the accumulation of fluid which is manifest by swelling of the feet and ankles. This edema (fluid) is due to the retention of salt and water. The salty peanuts are giving your brother an extra load of salt and causing extra fluid retention. Removing the salty peanuts, other salty foods (pretzels, potato chips, other snack foods, processed meats, anything in a can-especially soups, meats, and vegetables) and any salt at the stove or table would help reduce the swelling. Diuretics (fluid pills) act on the kidneys by causing extra salt to be excreted into the urine and the water follows the salt.
Fluid may also accumulate in the lungs as well as the feet. This fluid impairs the function of the lungs and can lead to shortness of breath and occasionally cough.
In addition, some of the medicines that are used to treat heart failure, especially angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, ACE inhibitors, such as captopril, lisinopril, and others, are associated with cough as a side effect.If the cough is a significant issue for your brother, you and he may want to review his medications with his doctor.
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Ralph Panos, MD Associate Professor Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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