Through experience and Investigation I have found that COPD sufferers have a very high risk of heart failure.

[Kad21]

This will probably get us before the lungs give in, are there any ways to help protect the heart other that the inhalers?

[tintin49]

I have had so many heart scans. I was admitted to hospital with an irregular regular heratbeat they have found scrarring and I had anatherr scan this week where they injected me with edinosene to find out more stuff. I also have high cholesterol something I have never had in my life. I wonder if its the plaquenil. I kkep sweating all the time and am quite worried

[Purpletop in reply to tintin49]

I doubt it is the plaquenil, it is more likely that it is your lupus causing this, maybe a stronger medication than Plaquenil is needed. Your rheumatologist might suggest it once the test results are back - something to dampen down the immune system.

[Purpletop]

As I'm sure you know, the heart and lungs work together in ensuring that nutrients are carried in the blood through the blood vessels to the cells and that the refuse from the cells is similarly carried out. If the lungs don't function well enough, that puts pressure on the heart, so the heart will start suffering. To protect the heart you need to improve the lung function and you are already doing that through the medication/inhalers you take for copd. I'm not sure there is anything that you can do to make the heart able to work under strain - but then I'm not a doctor, so don't take my word for it! I would focus on managing the copd, that will help the heart a lot more.

[tintin49]

thanks purpletop I may try the alternative to plaquenil its quinine based hoping nothing too bad with the heart scan results