19, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Doctors have known that bacterial pneumonia can raise your risk of heart problems , but new research pinpoints why. The bacteria actually invade and kill heart cells, increasing the chances of heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms
Can an upper respiratory infection affect your heart?
URI, especially with fever, may increase the work of the heart , adding strain to persons with suboptimal cardiovascular status, and can lead to cardiovascular decompensation. Myositis or pericarditis may result from viral infection.
Can a lung infection affect the heart?
“An acute infection like pneumonia increases the stress on the heart and can lead to a cardiac event like heart failure, heart attack or arrhythmias,” said Weston Harkness, DO, a cardiology fellow at Samaritan Cardiology – Corvallis. For a healthy person, a case of pneumonia is very unlikely to lead to a cardiac event.
What infections affect the heart?
Endocarditis is usually caused by an infection. Bacteria, fungi or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in your heart. If it’s not treated quickly, endocarditis can damage or destroy your heart valves.
What does your chest feel like when you have pneumonia?
Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms of pneumonia. Chest pain is caused by the membranes in the lungs filling with fluid. This creates pain that can feel like a heaviness or stabbing sensation and usually worsens with coughing, breathing or laughing.
Can pneumonia cause sudden death?
When you have pneumonia, the tiny air sacs in your lungs become inflamed and can fill with fluid or even pus. Pneumonia can range from a mild to serious or life-threatening infection and can sometimes lead to death .
Can a heart infection be cured?
Most cases are mild and improve on their own, but medication or surgery might be necessary in more severe cases. Endocarditis, an infection of the heart’s valves or inner lining. This type of infection can damage your heart and should be treated right away so that it doesn’t become deadly.
How long can a heart infection last?
You will need IV antibiotics for up to eight weeks to clear the infection. A home health service will administer them after you leave the hospital. In severe or persistent cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the source of infection and prevent complications.
Can ECG detect heart infection?
An ECG is used to measure the timing and duration of your heartbeats. It isn’t specifically used to diagnose endocarditis , but it can show your doctor if something is affecting your heart’s electrical activity.
What does a lung infection feel like?
Chest pain caused by a lung infection is often described as sharp or stabbing . The chest pain tends to worsen while coughing or breathing deeply. Sometimes the sharp pains can be felt in your mid to upper back.
Is Vicks VapoRub good for pneumonia?
We are impressed that Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet actually helped a serious cough that signaled pneumonia.
How long does it take for a lung infection to clear up?
Most cases can be treated at home, with medications, to prevent complications from a hospital setting. A healthy person may recover within one to three weeks . Someone with a weakened immune system may take longer before they feel normal again.
What causes death in pneumonia patients?
For patients with pneumonia-related mortality, the most frequent causes of death were respiratory failure and neurological disease , while for patients with pneumonia-unrelated mortality, the most frequent causes of death were malignancy and cardiac disease.
What are the 4 stages of pneumonia?
- Stage 1: Congestion. During the congestion phase, the lungs become very heavy and congested due to infectious fluid that has accumulated in the air sacs. ...
- Stage 2: Red hepatization. ...
- Stage 3: Gray hepatization. ...
- Stage 4: Resolution.
What are the final stages of pneumonia?
feeling more severely out of breath . reducing lung function making breathing harder. having frequent flare-ups. finding it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight due to loss of appetite.
Can an infection cause heart problems?
Endocarditis is usually caused by an infection. Bacteria, fungi or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in your heart. If it’s not treated quickly, endocarditis can damage or destroy your heart valves.
