What is Heart Disease?

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Heart diseases are number of different diseases. The most common are mentioned below:

1. Coronary is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the arteries, that supply the myocardium

2. Ischaemic are those characterized by reduced blood supply.

3. Cardiovascular is a class of disease that involve the heart and blood vessels.

4. Pulmonary a failure of the right side of the heart.

Types of diseases

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

Coronary disease (CHD) is also called coronary artery disease (CAD) and this is end result of the accumulations of atheromatous of the arteries that supply the myocardium of the heart symptoms. Signs of coronary disease are noted in advanced states of the disease as it shows no evidence before the first onset of symptoms often a sudden heart attack finally arises. After decades of progression, some of these atheromatous plaques may rupture and start limiting blood flow to the muscle. The disease is common cause of sudden death.

Ischaemic disease:

Ischaemic disease is a disease characterized by reduction of blood to the muscle. It is the most common cause of death in most western countries. The coronary arteries supply blood to the muscle and no alternative blood supply exists, so a blockage in the coronary arteries reduces the supply of blood.

Cardiovascular disease:

Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart and/or blood vessels. Though the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). It is the number 1 cause of death and disability in most European countries. By the time that problems are detected, the underlying cause is usually quite advanced, having progressed for decades. There is therefore increased emphasis on preventing atherosclerosis by modifying risk factors, such as healthy eating, exercise and avoidance of smoking.

Cor pulmonale:

Cor pulmonale is a term used to describe change in structure and function of the right ventricle of the muscle as a result of a respiratory disorder. RVH (right ventricular hypertrophy) is the predominant change in chronic cor pulmonale, however in acute cases dilation dominates. Both hypertrophy and dilation are the result of increased right ventricular pressure. Dilation is essentially stretching of ventricle, the immediate result of increasing the pressure in an elastic container. Ventricular Hypertrophy is an adaptive response to a long-term increase in pressure. Additional muscle grows to allow for the increased force in contraction required to move the blood against greater resistance.

The Heart of the Matter:

Coughs and colds are probably diseases that we all can pray for. Why, you ask me. That’s because there are some immediate symptoms of these infections. There may be no symptom for diseases like heart diseases. There are many ways to define this disease. It typically is some abnormality with the functioning of the blood pumping muscle. When the normal functioning is hampered by some internal or external agents.

Function of the Heart:

The basic function of this muscle is to act like a pump. Impure blood is pumped into the heart and pure blood gets pumped out. Therefore, if one part of this pump is not behaving as normal, there may be dire implications.

Different Kinds of Heart Disease:

Though we all think that this disease is primarily coronary, there are many more conditions that can afflict a person. Coronary heart disease is heart attack. The rest are:

1. Arrhythmia or problem in heart rhythms

2. Congenital condition or hole in the heart

3. Valve problem

4. Pericardiatis

5. Marfans Syndrome

6. Vascular disease

Some of these conditions are present during birth in people and some develop during the person’s lifetime. In fact, most heart diseases develop due to the individual’s lifestyle.

1. Coronary artery disease is caused when the arteries are blocked or narrowed due to accumulation of plaque.

2. Congenital disease occurs when the heart grows some defect. This could be when the baby is still growing in the foetus or even during adulthood.

3. Valve problem occurs when the valves of the heart stop functioning as per expectation. This may be congenital or can be acquired due to some infection or comprise in immunity.

4. Pericarditis occurs when the lining of the heart gets inflamed due to infection.

5. Marfans syndrome is a genetic condition where the valve’s may function inappropriately leading to death too.

6. Vascular disease occurs when the arteries of the heart develop a problem.

Tips:

Physicians across the world feel that taking care of a few things can impact the growth of heart conditions in global population. These are the things you can do to prevent these conditions:

1. Eat regularly and eat fibrous vegetables.

2. Drink a lot of water.

3. Do aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, every day for a minimum of 15 minutes.

4. Keep low stress levels by doing meditation or some form of stress-free games or activities.

More articles below about heart disease

Artheriosclerotis
Atherosclerosis is a common disorder of the arteries.The word atherosclerosis comes from two Greek words athero (meaning paste) and sclerosis (hardness). It means in plain language hardening of Blood vessels....more

Causes
If you think you may have diabetes but are not sure, see your doctor for tests. Obesity and overweight means extra weight is thought to lead to increased total cholesterol levels of high blood pressure and an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Obesity increases the chances of developing other risk factors for heart disease especially high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. Smoking is most people know that cigarette and tobacco smoking increases your risk of lung cancer but fewer realize that it also greatly increases your risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease....more

Coronary
About 83% of people die of coronary disease are of 65 years of age or older. Men are found to be at a greater risk than women. Heredity can also be one of the risk factors....more

Diabetes and Heart Disease
Insulin uses sugar in the body which is the basic fuel of cells in the body. Insulin provides sugar that is collected from the blood to the cells. Sometimes glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells. Due to this cells may starve of energy and also high blood glucose levels affect the kidneys, eyes, different nerves and heart. This increases the cardiovascular risk that causes heart diseases....more

Effects
Angina occurs when the arteries that supply blood to heart are severely blocked. Although scary, angina does not cause any permanent damage. A heart attack occurs when the arteries that supply blood to heart are completely blocked. A heart attack causes permanent damage....more

Hereditory
Our genes define our identity and they cannot be changed, however the effects of abnormal genes can often be limited by simple measures. Although some inherited genes increase risk of a heart attack, this can be minimized by healthy life style. However, there is a great deal still to be discovered about the genes that either predispose us to, or protect us from attacks....more

Rheumatic
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory kind of fever that first affects your throat. It can gradually start affecting the other connective tissues too. These connective tissues that are affected by rheumatic fever include those that join the heart....more

Stress Related
The current century is the century in which we have made maximum progress. This era is characterized by rapid growth and development. However this has brought with itself some serious problems like unhealthy lifestyles, improper and unhealthy food habits, change in the attitudes of the people and most of all it has led to people being prone to a life that has become over-burdened with work pressures. Such work profiles have subjected individuals to constant stress and mental tension which are responsible to several health problems, especially, heart troubles....more

Valvular
If a valve is narrowed (stenotic) blood has a difficult time crossing the valves, the heart has to work much harder to pump blood across the valve. Valvular Stenosis causes “logging of blood” behind the chamber of valves. This logged blood leads to increased pressure in the heart chambers behind the valve....more

Related links

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