Chronic Pulmonary Heart Disease
Chronic cor pulmonale is a heart disease in which damage to the structure and function of the lungs from various causes leads to right-sided heart damage. Its main pathological change is right ventricular hypertrophy. It generally takes 10–20 years for underlying lung disease to progress to cor pulmonale. Acute exacerbations are more common in winter and spring, and acute respiratory tract infections are a major trigger of cardiopulmonary failure. Chronic cor pulmonale often recurs and worsens acutely. As lung function deteriorates, the condition gradually progresses. The prognosis is poor for many patients, and the mortality rate is 10%–15%. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this condition falls within the categories of “dyspnea,” “lung distension,” “phlegm-fluid retention,” and “edema.”
TCM Pattern Identification and Medication Reference
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Cough with copious, thin, white sputum; shortness of breath and wheezing. Pale tongue with a white coating; fine pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Coughing with a lot of thin, white sputum
- Shortness of breath and a tendency to feel winded
- A pale-looking tongue with a thin, white coating
- A fine pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Disperse wind and pathogenic influences; warm and disperse phlegm-fluids.
Plain-language explanation:
- Disperse external “wind” influences and ease discomfort after exposure to cold, such as chills, aches in the head and body, nasal congestion, and a runny nose.
- Use warming methods to disperse thin phlegm-fluids that have accumulated in the body, making sputum less abundant and easier to cough up and easing cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and rattling phlegm sounds.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Coughing and wheezing with a sensation of fullness; copious, sticky sputum; chest tightness and difficulty breathing; nausea and poor appetite. White, thick, greasy tongue coating; slippery pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Coughing, with a feeling of being short of breath and a sense of fullness in the chest
- Copious, very sticky sputum that is difficult to cough up
- Chest tightness and difficulty breathing
- Nausea and poor appetite or difficulty eating
- A white, relatively thick, sticky-looking tongue coating
- A slippery-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Transform phlegm and direct qi downward; strengthen the spleen and boost qi.
Plain-language explanation:
- Break up sticky phlegm so it is thinner and easier to cough up; direct qi downward to ease coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing.
- Regulate digestion and support energy, with the aim of reducing the formation of “damp phlegm” and easing poor appetite, fatigue, and recurrent coughing.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Coughing and wheezing with a sensation of fullness; unable to lie flat; yellow or white, sticky sputum that is difficult to cough up; possibly fever, thirst, and dry stools. Yellow or greasy tongue coating; wiry or slippery, rapid pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Coughing, with a feeling of being short of breath and a sense of fullness in the chest
- Worse when lying flat; needs to rest in a semi-seated position
- Yellow or white, very sticky sputum that is difficult to cough up
- Possible fever and thirst
- Dry, hard stools or constipation
- A yellow or relatively thick, sticky-looking tongue coating
- A pulse that feels tense or slippery and relatively fast (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Clear heat and diffuse the lung; transform phlegm and promote fluid metabolism.
Plain-language explanation:
- Clear heat and help qi flow through the lungs, with the aim of easing fever, sore throat, chest tightness, and shortness of breath so breathing feels more comfortable.
- Break up sticky phlegm so it is easier to cough up; also promote urination to help remove excess fluid from the body, easing copious phlegm, sticky nasal discharge, swelling, and a feeling of heaviness.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Rapid, labored breathing and shortness of breath; tightness and distension in the chest and flanks; irritability and easy anger; bluish-purple lips and nails. Red tongue, thin yellow coating, wiry pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Rapid breathing and a tendency to feel short of breath
- Tightness or fullness in the chest and along the ribs
- Irritability or a tendency to get angry
- Bluish-purple lips and nails
- A reddish-looking tongue
- A thin yellow tongue coating
- A tense-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Invigorate blood and resolve stasis; boost qi and unblock yang.
Plain-language explanation:
- Promote blood circulation and address stasis, with the aim of easing distension, pain, and bluish or dark discoloration and supporting affected areas.
- Support energy and warm yang to address fatigue, feeling cold, shortness of breath, and cold hands and feet.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Drowsiness or coma; rattling phlegm sounds in the throat; abdominal distension and constipation; bluish-purple lips and nails. Dark purplish tongue, greasy coating, slippery pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Drowsiness; in severe cases, reduced consciousness or near-coma
- A sensation of phlegm blocking the throat, with rattling or gurgling sounds
- Abdominal discomfort and bloating, with a tendency toward constipation
- Bluish-purple lips and nails
- A dark purplish-looking tongue
- A relatively thick, sticky-looking tongue coating
- A slippery-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Dispel phlegm, open the orifices, and restore consciousness.
Plain-language explanation:
- Clear sticky phlegm and open passages that feel blocked by phlegm, with the aim of easing rattling sounds in the throat and chest congestion.
- Promote alertness and ease discomfort associated with phlegm obstruction, such as confusion, drowsiness, and slowed responses.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Dull, dark complexion; cold extremities; lower-limb edema; scanty urination; unable to lie flat. Pale, swollen tongue with a slippery, greasy coating; deep, fine, slippery pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- A dull, grayish complexion
- Cold hands and feet
- Swelling in the lower legs or ankles that leaves an indentation when pressed
- Passing small amounts of urine
- Discomfort when lying flat; needs to sit partly upright
- A pale, slightly swollen-looking tongue
- A relatively thick, sticky, slippery-looking tongue coating
- A deep, fine, slippery-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Warm the kidneys and strengthen the spleen; transform dampness and promote urination.
Plain-language explanation:
- Warm and support kidney qi and regulate digestion, with the aim of easing feeling cold, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, fatigue, poor appetite, abdominal bloating, and loose stools.
- Address excess “dampness” and promote urination, with the aim of reducing swelling, heaviness, a sticky feeling in the mouth, and copious phlegm.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Exhalation predominates over inhalation, with breaths not connecting; cold body and limbs; profuse, oily-feeling sweat. Pale tongue; deep, fine pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Exhaling more than inhaling, with a feeling of not being able to catch one’s breath
- Very short, interrupted breaths
- Feeling cold all over, with cold hands and feet
- Profuse sweating, as if sweat were oozing out like oil
- A pale-looking tongue
- A deep, fine pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Restore yang and rescue collapse; boost qi and secure collapse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Rapidly warm and support yang in a critical state of declining function, with the aim of addressing cold hands and feet, a pale complexion, weak or interrupted breathing, and profuse sweating.
- Support strength and vital qi and stabilize breathing and heartbeat, with the aim of reducing the risk of collapse or further deterioration and helping the body through a critical period.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Wheezing and shortness of breath, worse with activity; chest tightness, palpitations, pounding heartbeat, fatigue, worsening shortness of breath, fatigue, and palpitations with activity; low energy, spontaneous sweating, and susceptibility to colds. Pale tongue with a white coating.
Plain-language explanation:
- Shortness of breath that becomes more noticeable with activity
- Chest tightness and shortness of breath
- Palpitations or a heartbeat that speeds up or varies in pace
- Feeling easily startled or unsettled
- Easy fatigue and lack of strength, worse with activity
- Low energy and a tendency to feel drowsy
- Easy sweating even when not active
- Susceptibility to colds
- A pale-looking tongue with a white coating
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify the heart and lungs.
Plain-language explanation:
- Support heart and lung function, strength, and qi, with the aim of improving stamina and resistance.
- Ease shortness of breath and fatigue, palpitations, chest tightness, easy sweating, dizziness, and tiredness, with the aim of supporting steadier breathing and heartbeat.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, worse with activity; cough; swelling of the face; dizziness; low energy and fatigue; susceptibility to colds; soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees; frequent urination and increased urination at night. Pale tongue with a white coating; deep, weak pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Shortness of breath, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing, more noticeable with activity
- Cough
- Swelling of the face, including the eyelids
- Dizziness or a feeling of pressure in the head
- Low energy, easy fatigue, and susceptibility to colds
- Soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees
- Frequent urination and getting up often to urinate at night
- A pale-looking tongue with a white coating
- A deep, weak-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify the kidneys and benefit the lungs; help the kidneys grasp qi and calm wheezing.
Plain-language explanation:
- Support kidney and lung function, strength, and resistance, with the aim of easing chronic cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and feeling cold.
- Help the body “hold” inhaled qi and support steadier breathing, with the aim of easing wheezing and the feeling of not being able to catch one’s breath.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical description:
Wheezing and shortness of breath, worse with activity; unable to lie flat; difficulty catching the breath; chest tightness; cough with little sputum that is difficult to expectorate; spontaneous sweating and night sweats; low energy and fatigue; susceptibility to colds; heat in the palms and soles; soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees. Red tongue with little coating; rapid, deep, fine, weak pulse.
Plain-language explanation:
- Shortness of breath that becomes more noticeable with activity
- Worse when lying flat; needs to rest in a semi-seated position
- Often feels unable to catch a breath, with interrupted breathing
- Chest tightness
- Cough with little sputum and a persistent feeling that it has not all been cleared
- Easy sweating and night sweats
- Low energy and easy fatigue
- Susceptibility to colds
- Heat in the palms and soles
- Soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees
- A reddish-looking tongue with very little coating
- A rapid, deep, fine, weak-feeling pulse (a finding noted during a clinician’s examination)
|Treatment Approach
Clinical description:
Tonify the lungs and nourish the kidneys; help the kidneys grasp qi and settle wheezing.
Plain-language explanation:
- Support lung function and nourish kidney qi, strength, and resistance, with the aim of easing chronic cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and feeling cold.
- Help the body “hold” inhaled qi and support steadier breathing, with the aim of reducing wheezing and the feeling of not being able to catch one’s breath.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product leaflet, and use under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
References
- Lu Zaiying, Zhong Nanshan. Internal Medicine [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2008.
- Li Suyin, Zhang Juxiang, Gao Xiuling. Clinical observation of Danhong Injection in the treatment of chronic cor pulmonale [J]. Journal of Clinical Pulmonary Medicine, 2012, 17(4): 650–651.
- Wang Huan, Hu Houxiang, Zhang Jiangbo, et al. Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Shuxuening in chronic cor pulmonale [J]. Sichuan Medical Journal, 2015(4): 456–460.
- Lin Wanyong, Tan Yaping. Analysis of the efficacy of modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang in treating chronic cor pulmonale during the remission phase [J]. Electronic Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2015(9).
- Hao Jianping, Liu Xiaocheng, Ma Xiaojuan. Observation of the efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in treating 26 cases of cor pulmonale [J]. Journal of Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010, 11(5): 39–40.
- Yang Yingjuan, Cai Xinlong, Zhuang Yixian, et al. Observation of the efficacy of Xingnaojing in the acute exacerbation phase of chronic cor pulmonale [J]. Chinese Journal of General Practice, 2006, 22(3): 202–204.
- Liu Sumei, Jin Wenjun, Wang Xianzhong. Clinical observation of Shenfu Injection in treating 78 cases of chronic cor pulmonale in the acute phase [J]. Journal of Emergency in Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2014, 23(1): 177–178.
- Xie Yuanyuan, Wei Yanjun, Ren Yang. Effects of Shengmai Injection in patients with COPD complicated by chronic cor pulmonale [J]. Journal of Clinical Pulmonary Medicine, 2013, 18(9): 1689–1690.
- Wei Mengling. Clinical observation of Buxinqi Oral Liquid combined with Western medicine in treating chronic heart failure with heart qi deficiency [J]. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine on Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease, 2012, 10(11): 1284–1286.
- Guo Jie, Wu Lei, Tian Zhenfeng, et al. Observation of the efficacy of Bufei Huoxue Capsules in patients with stable COPD [J]. Modern Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2015(4): 373–374.
- Huang Sunai. Analysis of the intervention effects of Guben Kechuan Capsules on acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Rational Drug Use, 2013, 6(36): 120–121.