Heart Disease Aggravated By Respiratory Condition

[militarynurse]

Hi. Looking for any approved claim decisions showing a nexus link between a service-connected respiratory dysfunction that aggravated or caused to develop heart disease as a secondary condition. Anyone ever file a claim on this topic? Any and all assistance appreciated.

[Rockhound]

You may not feel it now, but if you are the point that you need the assistance of oxygen for your lung problem, their most certainly will be respirtory hypertension to some degree present and with respirtory hypertension, you will have some degree of heart issues, if not only in their earliest development.

A complete cardio workup along with a complete respirtory workup is in order, not only for your benefit, but to get a beginning baseline of possible heart involvement. This is mostly for your benefit, since whether or not you have a claim, your health come first and foremost.

The last time I had a heart stress test, because of my HBP and weight issue, I had to have a neuclear test done because I could not be tested on a treadmill. If it hadn't been for this test, which turned out to be a false possitive for an ischemic lower heart reading, I wouldn't have know of the beginnings of respiratory hypertension in my artery to my lungs. I now have a baseline for any problems in the future, to help me keep and eye on things.

The only problem with finding this out, is that I had to have a cardiac cath done to get the results. The procedure is not all that complicated, but it does have its own risks, having it done.

Your PCP can give you the proper referal, so that they can evaluate you, to see if you are a good candidate for this procedure, but if they say it is marginal, I would consider very long and hard before doing any procedure, that at this time may not bring you more than very limited information, of course I doubt the VA would do this procedure unless they suspect your need is more than marginal.

In the mean time, keep your eye on your blood pressure and your pulse rate, whether or not you get fatigued more than usual or you find yourself gasping for breath and your BP and pulse run out of control. Then it is time to consider another heart stress test or at the very least, a heart to heart talk with you PCP on whether it is time for futher testing of the sort I mentioned above.

Rockhound Rider B)

[jbasser]

Service connected pulmonary condition with Pulmonary HTN is 100 percent. Permanent and total as there is no cure.

This disease is a bad one. I have had it since 2003.

J