The epidemiology of pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale) accounts for 7% of all heart disease in the U.S. According to Weitzenblum, et al., the mortality that is related to cor pulmonale is not easy to ascertain, as it is a complication of COPD.

The prognosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO Group I) has an "untreated" median survival of 2–3 years from time of diagnosis, with the cause of death usually being right ventricular failure (cor pulmonale). A recent outcome study of those patients who had started treatment with bosentan (Tracleer) showed that 89% patients were alive at 2 years. With new therapies, survival rates are increasing. For 2,635 patients enrolled in The Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-term Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Disease Management (REVEAL Registry) from March 2006 to December 2009, 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year survival rates were 85%, 68%, 57%, and 49%, respectively. For patients with idiopathic/familial PAH, survival rates were 91%, 74%, 65%, and 59%. Levels of mortality are very high in pregnant women with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO Group I). Pregnancy is sometimes described as contraindicated in these women.

The epidemiology of IPAH is about 125–150 deaths per year in the U.S., and worldwide the incidence is similar to the U.S. at 4 cases per million. However, in parts of Europe (France) indications are 6 cases per million of IPAH. Females have a higher incidence rate than males (2–9:1).

Other forms of PH are far more common. In systemic scleroderma, the incidence has been estimated to be 8 to 12% of all patients; in rheumatoid arthritis it is rare. However, in systemic lupus erythematosus it is 4 to 14%, and in sickle cell disease, it ranges from 20 to 40%. Up to 4% of people who suffer a pulmonary embolism go on to develop chronic thromboembolic disease including pulmonary hypertension. A small percentage of patients with COPD develop pulmonary hypertension with no other disease to explain the high pressure. On the other hand, obesity-hypoventilation syndrome is very commonly associated with right heart failure due to pulmonary hypertension.

The causes of pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale) are the following:

The primary risk factor for COPD globally is tobacco smoking. Of those who smoke, about 20% will get COPD, and of those who are lifelong smokers, about half will get COPD. In the United States and United Kingdom, of those with COPD, 80–95% are either current smokers or previously smoked. The likelihood of developing COPD increases with the total smoke exposure. Additionally, women are more susceptible to the harmful effects of smoke than men. In nonsmokers, secondhand smoke is the cause of about 20% of cases. Other types of smoke, such as, marijuana, cigar, and water-pipe smoke, also confer a risk. Water-pipe smoke appears to be as harmful as smoking cigarettes. Problems from marijuana smoke may only be with heavy use. Women who smoke during pregnancy may increase the risk of COPD in their child. For the same amount of cigarette smoking, women have a higher risk of COPD than men.

Poorly ventilated cooking fires, often fueled by coal or biomass fuels such as wood and dung, lead to indoor air pollution and are one of the most common causes of COPD in developing countries. These fires are a method of cooking and heating for nearly 3 billion people, with their health effects being greater among women due to more exposure. They are used as the main source of energy in 80% of homes in India, China and sub-Saharan Africa.

People who live in large cities have a higher rate of COPD compared to people who live in rural areas. While urban air pollution is a contributing factor in exacerbations, its overall role as a cause of COPD is unclear. Areas with poor outdoor air quality, including that from exhaust gas, generally have higher rates of COPD. The overall effect in relation to smoking, however, is believed to be small.

Bilharzial cor pulmonale is the condition of right sided heart failure secondary to fibrosis and sclerosis of the pulmonary artery branches. It results from shifting of the "Schistosoma haematobium" ova from the pelvic and vescial plexus to the pulmonary artery branches where they settle and produce granuloma and fibrosis.

Bilharzial cor pulmonale occurs in "Schistosoma mansoni", when the portal pressure rises more than the systemic pressure. So blood will pass from the portal circulation to the systemic circulation carrying "Schistosoma mansoni" ova to reach the lungs.

This condition leads to Pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy and failure.

Pulmonary emboli occur in more than 600,000 people in the United States each year. It results in between 50,000 and 200,000 deaths per year in the United States. The risk in those who are hospitalized is around 1%. The rate of fatal pulmonary emboli has declined from 6% to 2% over the last 25 years in the United States.

Pulmonary embolism may be preventable in those with risk factors. People admitted to hospital may receive preventative medication, including unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), or fondaparinux, and anti-thrombosis stockings to reduce the risk of a DVT in the leg that could dislodge and migrate to the lungs.

Following the completion of warfarin in those with prior PE, long-term aspirin is useful to prevent recurrence.

In 2015 heart failure affected about 40 million people globally. Overall around 2% of adults have heart failure and in those over the age of 65, this increases to 6–10%. Above 75 years old rates are greater than 10%.

Rates are predicted to increase. Increasing rates are mostly because of increasing life span, but also because of increased risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity) and improved survival rates from other types of cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, valvular disease, and arrhythmias). Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.

A number of medications may cause or worsen the disease. This includes NSAIDS, a number of anesthetic agents such as ketamine, thiazolidinediones, a number of cancer medications, salbutamol, and tamsulosin among others.

It may result in death, and it is one of the most common causes of death for people with sickle cell anemia.

Respiratory disease is a common and significant cause of illness and death around the world. In the US, approximately 1 billion "common colds" occur each year. A study found that in 2010, there were approximately 6.8 million emergency department visits for respiratory disorders in the U.S. for patients under the age of 18. In 2012, respiratory conditions were the most frequent reasons for hospital stays among children.

In the UK, approximately 1 in 7 individuals are affected by some form of chronic lung disease, most commonly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Respiratory diseases (including lung cancer) are responsible for over 10% of hospitalizations and over 16% of deaths in Canada.

In 2011, respiratory disease with ventilator support accounted for 93.3% of ICU utilization in the United States.

There are several causes of acute pericarditis. In developed nations, the cause of most (80–90%) cases of acute pericarditis is unknown but a viral cause is suspected in the majority of such cases. The other 10–20% of acute pericarditis cases have various causes including connective tissue diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus), cancer, or involve an inflammatory reaction of the pericardium following trauma to the heart such as after a heart attack such as Dressler's syndrome. Familial mediterranean fever and TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome are rare inherited autoimmune diseases capable of causing recurring episodes of acute pericarditis.

Pulmonary diseases may also impact newborns, such as pulmonary hyperplasia, pulmonary interstitial emphysema (usually preterm births), and infant respiratory distress syndrome,

Sixty percent of people with acute interstitial pneumonitis will die in the first six months of illness. The median survival is 1½ months.

However, most people who have one episode do not have a second. People who survive often recover lung function completely.

The prognosis of tricuspid insufficiency is less favorable for males than females. Furthermore, increased tricuspid insufficiency (regurgitation) severity is an indication of a poorer prognosis according to Nath, et al. It is also important to note that since tricuspid insufficiency most often arises from left heart failure or pulmonary hypertension, the person's prognosis is usually dictated by the prognosis of the latter conditions and not by the tricuspid insufficiency "per se".

Hydroxyurea is a medication that can help to prevent acute chest syndrome. It may cause a low white blood cell count, which can predispose the person to some types of infection.

Clinical presentation of diseases of pericardium may vary between:

- Acute and recurrent pericarditis

- Pericardial effusion without major hemodynamic compromise

- Cardiac tamponade

- Constrictive pericarditis

- Effusive-constrictive pericarditis

Cor bovinum refers to a massive hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the heart due to volume overload, usually in earlier times in the context of tertiary syphilis but currently more often due to chronic aortic regurgitation, hypertensive and ischaemic heart disease.

Acute interstitial pneumonitis occurs most frequently among people older than forty years old. It affects men and women equally. There are no known risk factors; in particular, smoking is not associated with increased risk.

Due to Syphilitic aortitis (a complication of tertiary syphilis) the aortic valve ring becomes dilated. The free margins of valve cusps no longer approximate leading to aortic valve insufficiency. As blood regurgitates into the left ventricle between each systole, volume overload ensues and the ventricular wall hypertrophies in an attempt to maintain cardiac output and blood pressure. The massive ventricle can lead to a heart weighing over 1000 grams (the weight of a normal heart is about 350 grams), referred to as "Cor Bovinum" [Latin for cow's heart.]

Fluri and Gebbers define cor bovinum as a heart exceeding 500 g in weight. Looking through autopsies on Internal Medicine patients at the Kantonsspital Luzern, they found 415 cases out of 1181 autopsies in the two periods 1978-81 and 1997-2000. Cor bovinum was found in 25.3% of cases in the earlier period, with mean age at death 67.7 years, and in the later period 20.6% with mean age 74.3 years. The male female ratio was 4:1. "In 93% of all patients with CB, we found coronary atherosclerosis as a sign of high blood pressure and in 79% a COPD."

In 84% of cases the cause of death was directly related to the cor bovinum, but in 37% the cause of death was still unclear. They concluded that cor bovinum was a decreasing but still frequent autopsy finding. High blood pressure, COPD and male sex were the main risk factors. The decreasing incidence was ascribed to improved medical management: they mention treatments for high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, which suggests that "COPD" in their abstract refers to the latter.

The rate of BPD varies among institutions, which may reflect neonatal risk factors, care practices (e.g., target levels for acceptable oxygen saturation), and differences in the clinical definitions of BPD.

The pleural space can be invaded by fluid, air, and particles from different parts of the body which fairly complicates the diagnosis. Viral infection (coxsackie B virus, HRSV, CMV, adenovirus, EBV, parainfluenza, influenza) is the most common cause of pleurisy. However, many other different conditions can cause pleuritic chest pain:

- Aortic dissections

- Autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (or drug-induced lupus erythematosus), Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), rheumatoid arthritis and Behçet's disease.

- Bacterial infections associated with pneumonia and tuberculosis

- Chest injuries (blunt or penetrating)

- Familial Mediterranean fever, an inherited condition that often causes fever and swelling in the abdomen or the lungs

- Fungal or parasitic infections

- Heart surgery, especially coronary-artery bypass grafting

- Cardiac problems (ischemia, pericarditis)

- Inflammatory bowel disease

- Lung cancer and lymphoma

- Other lung diseases like cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, asbestosis, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and mesothelioma

- Pneumothorax

- Pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots that enter the lungs

When the space between the pleurae starts to fill with fluid, as in pleural effusion, the chest pain can be eased but a shortness of breath can result, since the lungs need room to expand during breathing. Some cases of pleuritic chest pain are idiopathic, which means that the exact cause cannot be determined.