Cardiovascular+Problems

 


**Cardiovascular Problems: An Overview of the Various Problems** Cardiovascular Disease or Heart Disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis. They all have similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments.

The hardening and loss of elasticity of medium or large arteries.
 * Arteriosclerosis  **

The hardening and loss of elasticity of arterioles. An arteriole is a small blood vessel that branches from an artery and leads to the capillaries.
 * Arteriolosclerosis**

A specific type of arteriosclerosis. It is the hardening of an artery specifically due to the buildup of fats in and on artery walls. These buildups, also called plaques, can restrict blood flow and occur anywhere in the body
 * Atherosclerosis**

**Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)** 
 * Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)**, also known as **Coronary Artery Disease(CAD)**, is one of the most common and deadliest heart conditions. It is a chronic disease in which plaque builds up inside the the coronary arteries, causing them to gradually harden and narrow. This occurs through the processes of **atherosclerosis**. Blood normally flows quickly and this current of blood helps to keep blood vessels clear. However, where the artery bends, tiny eddies form and here bits of cholesterol and fat can seep into the artery wall and oxidize. The immune system sends macrophages to consume cholesterol and these bloated macrophages become foam cells. The foam cells accumulate and serve as a major component of plaque. The smooth muscle cells form a cap in order to keep the arterial wall slick while the plaque secretes chemicals that weaken the cap. 



<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If plaque ruptures, causing the artery wall to crack, plaque seeps into the blood stream, triggering the blood to clot in an attempt to seal the wound. This clotted blood blocks the artery and stops the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart's tissues, causing the tissue to weaken and eventually stop pumping. **Coronary Heart Disease(CHD)** can lead cause a heart attack and arrhythmia.

Atherosclerosis Animation - <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/health/20070408_HEART_FEATURE/index.html = = ** Arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rate. It is caused by a disturbance in the electrical nerve impules in the heart. Tachycardia is where the rate is faster than 100 beats per minute, and bradycardias is where the rate is slower than 60 beats per minute. The most common cause is arteriosclerosis. Stress, smoking, heavy alcohol use, heavy exercise, use of certain drugs and medications, or too much caffeine or nicotine can lead to arrhythmia in some people. They occur more frequently after a heart attack.There are four main types of arrthymia: premature (extra) beats, supraventricular arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Premature (Extra) Beats** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 84.5pt;">Premature beats are the most common type of arrhythmia. They are harmless most of the time, occuring naturally and not due to heart disease. They only occassionaly cause symptoms such as a fluttering in the chest or a sensation of a skipped beat. Most times these have no need for treatment. Premature beats that occur in the atria are called premature atrial contractions, or PACs. Premature beats that occur in the ventricles are called premature ventricular contractions, or PVCs. They can sometimes be triggered by stress, too much exercise, too much caffeine or too much nicotine.
 * Arrhythmia

Supraventricular arrhythmias are tachycardias that start in the atria or the atrioventricular node. Types of supraventricular arrhythmias include atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), and Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
 * Supraventricular Arrhythmias **

Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 84.5pt;">AF is the most common type of serious arrhythmia. It’s a very fast and irregular contraction of the atria. AF occurs when the heart’s electrical signal begins in a different part of the atrium than the sinoatrial node or when the signal is conducted abnormally. When this occurs, the electrical signal does not travel through the normal pathways in the atria, but instead may spread throughout the atria in a fast and disorganized manner. This causes the walls of the atria to quiver very fast instead of beating normally. As a result, the atria cannot to pump blood into the ventricles the way they should. It is not usually life threatening, but chronic AF can lead to stroke heart failure. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 84.5pt;">Atrial Fibrillation Animation: <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/arr/arr_types.html <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 84.5pt;"> (scroll down to first animation) Atrial flutter is similar to atrial fibrillation, but instead of the electrical signals spreading through the atria in a fast and irregular rhythm, they travel in a fast and regular rhythm. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
 * Atrial Flutter**

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia(PSVT)** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> PSVT is a very fast heart rate that begins and ends suddenly. It is due to problems with the electrical connection between the atria and the ventricles. In PSVT, electrical signals that begin in the atria and travel to the ventricles can reenter the atria, causing extra heartbeats. This type of arrhythmia is not usually dangerous and tends to occur in young people. It can happen during vigorous exercise.

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WPW is a type of PSVT and a condition in which the heart’s electrical signals travel along an extra pathway from the atria to the ventricles. This extra pathway disrupts the timing of the heart’s electrical signals and can cause the ventricles to beat very fast. This type of arrhythmia can be life threatening.

WPW Syndrome animation  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-   <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/arr/arr_types.html <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(scroll down to second animation)

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">** Ventricular Arrhythmias Ventricular Arrythmias ** are arrhythmias that start in the ventricles. They can be very dangerous and usually need immediate medical attention. Ventricular arrhythmias include **ventricular tachycardia** and **ventricular fibrillation (v-fib)**. Coronary artery disease, heart attack,  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> weakened heart muscle, and other problems can cause ventricular arrhythmias.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Ventricular Tachycardia

 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ventricular tachycardia  **<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a fast, regular beating of the ventricles that may last for only a few seconds or for much longer. Epidsodes longer than several seconds can be dangerous and turn into more dangerous arrthymias.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">** Ventricular Fibrillation ** animation:  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/arr/arr_types.html <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (scroll down to third animation)
 * Ventricular Fibrillation (V-fib)**  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
 * V-fib ** occurs when disorganized electrical signals make the ventricles quiver instead of pump normally. Without the ventricles pumping blood out to the body, a person will lose consciousness within seconds and will die within minutes if not treated. To prevent death, the condition must be treated immediately with defibrillation, an electric shock to the heart. V-fib may happen during or after a heart attack, or in a heart that is already weak because of another condition.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Bradyarrhythmias are arrhythmias in which the heart rate is slower than normal. If the heart rate is too slow, not enough blood reaches the brain, and the person can lose consciousness. In adults, a heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute is considered a bradyarrhythmia. Bradyarrhythmias can be caused by heart attack, conditions that harm or change the heart’s electrical system (such as underactive thyroid gland or aging), an imbalance of chemicals or other substances (such as potassium) in the blood, or even some medicines (such as beta blockers). Bradyarrhythmias also can happen as a result of severe bundle branch block in which the electrical signal traveling down either or both of the bundle branches is delayed or blocked. When this happens, the ventricles do not contract at exactly the same time, as they should, and the heart has to work harder to pump blood to the body.
 * Bradyarrythmias**

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Angina** Angina is a heavy, tight squeezing pain in the chest caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the heart (low blood flow to the heart). It generally occurs when the heart is working harder than normal, ultimately resulting in a need for more oxygen. This includes during exercise, at times of stress, in extreme temperatures, and right after eating a meal. Typically the pain develops at the same point in daily activity: on stairs climbing to the office, at a certain point in the daily walk, etc. The pain often radiates through the left shoulder, arm, or jaw and can last for up to 20 minutes. For some the pain might be intense, while others may feel only a mild discomfort--sometimes thinking they are only experiencing indigestion. Some individuals have no symptoms at all--"A Silent Heart Attack." Other symptoms include sweating, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, shortness of breath, ringing in the ears, loss of speech, dizziness, fainting. Even if the pain is very mild, any angina is extremely dangerous because it is often a precursor sign to a full heart attack.

A **heart attack** (also known as a myocardial infarction) is the __death of the heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot__. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen.Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen,causing injury to the heart muscle. Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and pressure. If blood flow is not restored within 20 to 40 minutes,irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for 6-8 hours at which time the heart attack usually is "complete." The dead heart muscle is replaced by scar tissue. A **stroke** (also known as a cerebrovascular accident or CVA) is the sudden __death of brain cells due to a problem with the blood supply__. When blood flow to the brain is impaired, oxygen and important nutrients cannot be delivered. The result is abnormal brain function. Blood flow to the brain can be disrupted by either a blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. There are many causes for a stroke, as shown in the table and discussed below.
 * Heart Attack v. Stroke**

Heart Attack Animation -  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.healthscout.com/animation/68/13/main.html

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An **Aortic Aneurysm** is a weakened and bulging area in the aorta. The aorta is about the thickness of a garden hose and is the major blood vessel running through the body's abdomen. Because the aorta provides oxygen enriched blood to both the entire body including the brain, a ruptured Aortic Aneurysm can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. You may never know you have an Aortic Aneurysm because there are no symptoms associated with it. Small, slow-growing aneurysms typically don't rupture however, large fast growing ones may. Depending on size and rate of growth treatment can range from careful monitoring to risky emergency surgery. Once found doctors will monitor the abeurysm so that surgery can be planned if needed. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Aortitis: An inflammation of the aorta something causing an aneurysm or occlusion. This disorder is caused by several connective tissue diseases (eg, Takayasu's arteritis, temporal arteritis, ankylosing spondylitis, relapsing polychondritis) or an infection such as (eg, bacterial endocarditis, syphilis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, fungal infections). Inflammation affects all layers of the aorta possibly causing occlusion or a structural weakening of the arterial wall resulting in an aneurysm. May cause fibrous thickening leading to reduced or absent pulses or low blood pressure in the arms. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Peripheral artery disease (PAD)** is a condition similar to coronary artery disease and carotid artery disease. Fatty deposits accumulate in the inner linings of the artery walls. These blockages restrict blood circulation, primarily in arteries leading to the kidneys, stomach, arms, legs, and feet. In its early stages a common symptom is cramping or fatigue in the legs and buttocks during activity which subsides with rest. This is intermittent claudication. Peripheral artery disease can ultimately lead to open sores that do not heal and infection of the leg and feet. **Critical limb ischemia**, the most serious state of the condition can cause gangrene and the need for amputation of the affected limb. As Peripheral artery disease is caused atherosclerosis in arteries leading to these limbs, it indicates that the arteries of the heart may also be somewhat clogged. Thus, those with peripheral artery disease are at a higher risk for coronary artery disease and stroke. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">
 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aortic Aneurysm  **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peripheral Artery Disease  **

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heart failure, or congestive heart failure, means the heart is unable to pump as much blood as the body needs. It does not mean that the heart has stopped. Because the heart cant pump as well, the body makes up for it by retaining water and salts (increases amount of blood in bloodstream), forcing the heart to beat faster, and increasing the size of the heart. Many people don't realize that they have the diseaes because their body makes up for it so well, but at some point, the heart will no longer be able to keep up resulting in an accumulation of fluid, called congestion.
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heart Failure  **<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">

Cardiomyopathy** means diseases of the heart muscle. Some types of cardiomyopathy are genetic, while others occur for reasons that are less well understood. Types of cardiomyopathy include ischemic, which is caused by loss of heart muscle from reduced coronary blood flow; dilated, which means the heart chambers are enlarged; hypertrophic, which means the heart muscle is thickened; and idiopathic, which means the cause is unknown. One of the most common types of cardiomyopathy is idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy — an enlarged heart without a known cause. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**High blood pressure (hypertension)** is the excessive force of blood pumping through your blood vessels. It's perhaps the most common form of cardiovascular disease in the Western world, affecting about one in four Americans. Although potentially life-threatening, it's one of the most preventable and treatable types of cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure also causes many other types of cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and heart failure.
 * Cardiomyopathy
 * Hypertension**

Pericardial Disease** or **Pericarditis** is a swelling and irritation of the pericardium, the thin sac-like membrane that surrounds your heart. Pericarditis often causes chest pain and sometimes other symptoms. Pericarditis may be acute or chronic. The sharp chest pain associated with acute pericarditis occurs when the pericardium rubs against the heart's outer layer. Mild cases may improve on their own. Treatment for more-severe cases may include medications and, rarely, surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment may help to reduce the risk of long-term complications.
 * Pericardial Disease

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