Cardiorespiratory interactions in health and disease

Abstract

Like dancers in perfect synchrony, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems perform their functions in a coordinated way. Rhythmical oscillations in arterial pressure and heart rate follow inspiration and expiration, contributing to optimizing tissue perfusion and gas exchange processes and supporting the emergence of appropriate cardiorespiratory responses in conditions of elevated metabolic demand. The cardiorespiratory interaction begins at the central nervous system level. The brainstem neurons responsible for breathing generation communicate with neurons that control sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, modulating their firing frequency. Changes in the strength and pattern of respiratory-autonomic interactions have been reported in experimental models of cardiovascular diseases, identifying the respiratory modulation of the cardiovascular function as a relevant therapeutical strategy to be considered in cardiovascular diseases.