Cardiovascular Conditions

Review of some terms… Ischemia: lack of blood flow to the heart Fibrillation: rapid, uncoordinated movement of the heart muscle due to ischemia Cardiac Arrest: blood flow to body ceases, leads to death

Conditions Arteriosclerosis Atherosclerosis Any hardening of arteries, which leads to narrowing of artery lumen, and so insufficient blood supply to the organ it feeds Atherosclerosis Hardening specifically due to plaque buildup

A Balloon Angioplasty or a Stent can be used to treat the previous conditions

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Angioplasty/Angioplas ty_All.html

Conditions Thrombosis: blood clot in an intact blood vessel Can happen in arteries or veins Most common in veins of the legs Compression stocking and anticoagulants can help

Conditions Embolism: occurs when a thrombosis migrates from one part of the body to another (via circulation) and causes a blockage

Conditions Pulmonary Embolism: when an embolism blocks the pulmonary arteries specifically http://video.about.com/quitsmo king/Pulmonary-Embolism.htm

Conditions Varicose Veins: veins have become enlarged and twisted Can happen as blood pressure in veins increases and gets blocked around the valves More common in women; linked with heredity; becomes worse with obesity and prolonged standing http://video.about.com/senior health/Varicose-Veins.htm

Conditions Hypertension: high blood pressure Systolic above 140 and diastolic above 90 Can indicate other issues http://video.about.com/highbloodpressure/Blood-Pressure.htm

Your chances of developing high blood pressure are also higher if you: Are overweight Are a man over the age of 45 / woman over 55 Have a family history of high blood pressure Other things that can raise blood pressure include: Dehydration Drinking too much alcohol Not getting enough potassium in your diet Not doing enough physical activity Taking certain medicines Having long-lasting stress Smoking

Conditions Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) End result of plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the myocardium with oxygen #1 killer in the US Often leads to myocardial infarction Angina (heart pains) can indicate CAD

Conditions Myocardial Infarction AKA Heart Attack A coronary artery is blocked, and so the heart muscle itself is starves of oxygen ischemia  fibrillation  cardiac arrest  death If the person survives, their muscle tissue can be severely damaged

For your information… 1.5 million heart attacks suffered in the United States each year 500,000 will be fatal The total direct and indirect cost of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke in the United States for 2008 is an estimated $448.5 Billion. By comparison, in 2007, the estimated cost of all cancer related costs, both benign and malignant was only $219 billion.

http://video.about.com/heartdisease/Heart-Attack.htm http://video.about.com/heartdisease/Heart-Bypass.htm http://video.about.com/heartdisease/LV-Assist-Device.htm

Conditions Congestive Heart Failure The heart muscle is weakened (due to CAD, myocardial infarctions, hypertension, viral infections, or stresses such as childbirth & chemo/radiation) Decline in pumping efficiency Inadequate circulation in body – leading to cyanosis and swelling of limbs/abdomen Because blood not being pumped to body, can get backed up in lungs, causing shortness of breath

http://video.about.com/heartdisease/Congestive-Heart-Failure.htm

Conditions Aneurysm Blood filled bulge of blood vessel Usually an artery Caused by disease or weak vessel wall Base of brain and aorta most common places to happen When it bursts = BAD.

Conditions Heart Block Damage to SA and/or AV nodes causing atria and ventricles to beat at their own rates, which is slower than normal and not necessarily in sync with each other. ischemia  fibrillation  cardiac arrest  death Pacemaker can be implemented

Conditions Hemophilia The body’s ability to control blood clotting is impaired, as missing factors prevent fibrin formation in a clot Sex-linked, x-chromosome disorder; usually shows up in males, but inherited from the mother Patients can be regularly infused with clotting factor

Hemophilia in European royalty is featured prominently and thus is sometimes known as "the royal disease". Queen Victoria passed the mutation to her son Leopold and, through several of her daughters, to various royals across the continent, including the royal families of Spain, Germany, and Russia.

Conditions Anemia Blood has abnormally low oxygen-carrying capacity Different types include… Aplastic anemia – destruction or inhibition of red bone marrow Hemorrhagic anemia – result of acute or chronic loss of blood Sickle-Cell anemia – cells take on abnormal shape, which decreases the cell’s flexibility and oxygen capacity