Exhale

The official blog of the Lung Institute.

The Connection Between COPD and Hypertension

21 May 2015
| Under Uncategorized | Posted by
| 2 Comments
COPD and Hypertension Lung Institute

Over 50 million United States residents have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Out of those 50 million people, approximately 12.7 million were found to also have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on a 2011 study. Many don’t realize that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension are two closely related health issues. These debilitating conditions have a major symptom overlap; as a result, it can be difficult to diagnose each condition individually. One of the most common symptoms is difficulty breathing. Most patients that suffer from COPD and/or hypertension are frequently restricted on the amount of exercise they can perform, the amount of stairs they can climb and the distance they can walk. These two conditions take a major toll on the body and highly affect a patient’s daily life.

The Connection of COPD and Hypertension

Shortness of Breath

COPD is directly related to lung damage. When the body takes longer to perform the inhalation-exhalation process, it causes air to start coming in before air from the last breath has been exhaled. When this occurs, it results in shortness of breath and potentially hyperventilation. In contrast, hypertension is associated with issues related to the heart. This health issue affects the way blood is pumped throughout the body. When a person is in motion, blood flow is expected to increase, and the heart must pump harder and faster. If the heart is unable to keep up with the sufferer’s actions, blood “backs up” into the lungs. The blood flow backing up into the lungs is what causes shortness of breath.

Weakened Arteries

When a patient has COPD, his or her body wants to produce more red blood cells, which results in the thickening of his or her blood. Hypertension causes arteries to become weaker. When a person’s arteries are weakened, yet his or her blood is thicker than usual, it triggers the need for more oxygen. The lungs, however, have been damaged and cannot keep up. Although both issues affect two different organs in the body, both illnesses overlap with one another and are frequently diagnosed together.

Getting Help with these Conditions

Having both of these illness together is not uncommon. Oftentimes, a patient is diagnosed with either condition and is then later diagnosed with the other. This occurs because of the strong connection between these disorders. Luckily, because of today’s growth in technology, both of these conditions can be treated. Hypertension can be treated with specific medication and some simple lifestyle modifications. While COPD is incurable, new medical advancements like stem cell therapy can help sufferers breathe easier. If you or someone you know suffers from COPD and are interested in learning more about stem cell therapy, contact one of our patient coordinators today at (800) 729-3065 to schedule a free consultation.

 

2 Comments

  1. Cara Tompot

    2 years ago

    Hello Joyce:

    Thank you so much for reaching out. Stem cell therapy may be the right treatment option for you. Unfortunately, medical insurance—including Medicare—does not yet cover stem cell therapy for pulmonary conditions. We hope that will change soon, but until then, patients are turning to fundraising sources such as Help Hope Live to raise money for treatment. To learn more about stem cell therapy, feel free to call one of our patient coordinators at (888) 510-7519.

    Your pulmonologist or primary care doctor can speak with you more about lung transplants (we do not offer lung transplants at the Lung Institute). Your physician will be able to help you determine whether you qualify for a lung transplant or if it is the right choice for you.

  2. Joyce Owens

    2 years ago

    I feel I am near death from COPD and emphysema and wonder if stem cell therapy is right for me, and, if I could be treated at your institution as a Medicare patient. I am concerned Medicare may not cover stem cell therapy? I have also wondered if lung transplant is an option.

Your Comment

Your email address will not be published.



Contact Us

To find out if you qualify, call (800) 729-3065 to talk to a patient coordinator.

Latest Tweets

Are you a candidate for stemcell therapy? (888) 225-0137 Call to find out.

Newsletter

Enter your email below:

Clinic Locations

© Copyright 2016 Lung Institute. All Rights Reserved.

* All treatments performed at Lung Institute utilize autologous stem cells, meaning those derived from a patient's own body. No fetal or embryonic stem cells are utilized in Lung Institute's procedures. Lung Institute aims to improve patients' quality of life and help them breathe easier through the use of autologous stem cell therapy. To learn more about how stem cells work for lung disease, click here.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

Under current FDA guidelines and regulations 1271.10 and 1271.15, the Lung Institute complies with all necessary requirements for operation. Any individual who accesses Lung Institute's website for information is encouraged to speak with his or her primary physician for treatment suggestions and conclusive evidence. All information on this site should be used for educational and informational use only.

Privacy & Security Practices
Internet Privacy Disclosure
×

Privacy & Security Practices

The Lung Institute takes patient privacy seriously. The law requires that our healthcare facilities and medical personnel protect the privacy of your medical record and other health information We are also required to notify you of our privacy practices with regard to your Protected Health Information. This Privacy & Security Notice explains how your medical information is protected under HIPAA and HITECH laws and how your information may be used, disclosed, and accessed.

×

Internet Privacy Disclosure

Download Printable Version

The Information We Collect: The Lung Institute collects information by various methods including information actively provided by its lead providers, customers and information arising from customer surveys and general feedback. The types of personal information we collect include name, contact information, identification information, credit information and other data types as appropriate. Contact information may be added to database for customer outreach and contact. Credit card information is used for billing purposes only. We may record calls to or from our patient care coordinators/customer service representatives for purposes of accuracy, performance reviews, training and general quality assurance.

How We Use This Information: This information is used to aid in the provision of our various products and services, including customer service, accounting, billing, collections and the marketing of other products services. The Lung Institute may use aggregate or anonymous information for various uses for itself and third parties.

Who We Share This Information With: The Lung Institute does not share personal information with any third parties except as disclosed in this policy. The Lung Institute may provide personal information to the Lung Institute’s subcontractors and professional advisers (which shall be bound by privacy obligations) to assist the Lung Institute’s uses disclosed herein.

Security: Personal information is stored in a combination of paper and electronic files. They are protected by security measures appropriate to the nature of the information.

Accessing Information: Individuals may review their personal information contained in the Lung Institute’s files by contacting the Lung Institute’s privacy officer. If an individual believes that any of their personal information is inaccurate, we will make appropriate corrections.

Cookies: Cookies are used by the Lung Institute for the convenience of our users. Cookies automatically authenticate the user. A user can access the Lung Institute’s website with the cookie feature turned off. However, in doing so they may find themselves challenged for username and password information on multiple occasions. The Lung Institute also uses cookies to track user’s visits and uses that information to improve the user’s experience.

This cookie does not in any way identify you or give us access to your computer. In addition to using cookies as described above, we also may permit certain third party companies like Google Analytics to help us tailor advertising that we think may be of interest to users and to collect and use other data about user activities on our Sites and/or Services (e.g., to allow them to tailor ads on third party services). These companies may deliver ads that might also place cookies and otherwise track user behavior. You may choose to opt out of cookies by clicking here.

Links: The Lung Institute’s website may contain links to information at other websites. When you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policy may differ from ours.

Social Media: Lung Institute has multiple social media pages including: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest. Lung Institute social media pages are managed by Lung Institute staff members who post news and other items of interest to be consumed by the public. If you have a social media account, you can log in to your account to post comments, and 'like' or ‘follow’ Lung Institute social media pages and individual entries. If once you click on a lung Institute social media page, you comment or click on the 'like' button, your Protected Identifiable Information (PII) will be visible to Lung Institute staff and other social media site visitors. The amount of visible personal information displayed will depend on your own Social Media privacy settings. You can completely avoid displaying any PII by not creating a Social Media account, not posting comments, not clicking on the 'like' or ‘follow’ options, or interacting with Lung Institute Social Media accounts in any way (i.e., private messaging, sharing Lung Institute posts, etc.). Lung Institute staff does not collect, use or disclose any information about visitors who comment, 'like' or ‘follow’ the Lung Institute Social Media sites. However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the removal from Lung Institute Social Media pages of any comments that contain spam or are improper, inflammatory, or offensive. The information is then saved on a password-protected shared drive accessible to Lung Institute Managers, System Owners, Communications Staff, Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties.

General: The Lung Institute may amend this policy from time to time. If such amendments affect how the Lung Institute uses or discloses personal information already held by the Lung Institute in a material way, the Lung Institute will obtain consent. Notwithstanding the general terms of this policy, the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be made outside of the terms herein to the extent provided for in any applicable privacy or other legislation in effect from time to time. The Lung Institute may disclose personal information to another entity purchasing (including for diligence purposes prior to purchase) the assets of the Lung Institute, provided that entity abides by this or a similar privacy policy.