Circulatory System Diseases

Coronary Artery Disease (aka Coronary Heart Disease) -occurs when major coronary arteries become damaged or diseased affecting the heart’s ability to obtain blood rich in nutrients and oxygen -there are three main types: obstructive, non- obstructive, spontaneous coronary artery dissection -the main cause is plaque building up in the arteries over an extended period of time Obstructive- blood vessels are significantly narrowed or blocked Non-obstructive- blood vessels have narrowed because they have branched off to smaller vessels or is due to the heart muscle squeezing too tightly on the vessels. SCAD- tearing of vessels in the heart

Coronary Artery Disease common symptoms: fatigue, dizziness, and pain -to determine if this is the disease, ECG, chest x-rays, and angiogram -there is no cure but there are various treatment options: -medications -surgery -lifestyle changes

Stroke -this occurs when blood stops flowing to any part of the brain, as a result brain cells become damaged -how damaging a stroke is depends on what part of the brain blood stops flowing to -it can be caused by a complete blockage of an artery (ischemic stroke) or a leaking/bursting blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke) Ischemic stroke- over 80% are this kind, most of the time the blockage is again fatty deposits like plaque clogging up your artery Hemorrhagic stroke- can be caused by consistently high blood pressure, aneurysms (weak spots in your blood vessel walls) or blood thinners

Stroke -you can usually identify if someone is having a stroke by using the acronym FAST -symptoms usually are a good clear indication that an individual is having a stroke but further testing needs to be done to identify exactly what type of stroke they had, they can do this through CT scan, MRI or cerebral angiogram -treatment for ischemic strokes requires restoration of blood flow back to the brain which is usually done through intravenous medications -treatment for hemorrhagic strokes requires bleeding to be controlled within the brain and surgical blood vessel repair is often needed F- Face- is it drooping, can they smile? A- Arms- can they lift their arms up over head S- Speech- is there speech slurred and is the one side of their mouth drooping? T - time- if someone is experiencing all those symptoms it is imperative you call 911 immediately Cerebral angiogram- a catheter is usually inserted up through the groin which guides up into the major arteries. Dye is inserted allowing blood vessels to be visible in x-rays

Hypertension -aka high blood pressure -this is when there has been force applied to arterial walls for an extended period of time -most times people with high blood pressure have no symptoms -it is difficult to identify the causes of primary hypertension as it tends to develop over years -secondary hypertension comes more suddenly which can be caused by various conditions or medications

Hypertension -most of the time it is diagnosed by having your blood pressure monitored by your doctor on a consistent basis -sometimes doctors with have you where an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device for a 24 hour period -the common recommended treatment for individuals with high blood pressure is to make lifestyle changes -sometimes these changes aren’t enough and a doctor will recommend taking medications as well Treatment options- lifestyle changes consist of increased exercise, eating less salt in your diet (salt increases blood volume in return increases the pressure in the blood vessels), limiting alcohol consumption and losing weight if over weight medications - ACE inhibitors help blood vessels relax, thiazide diuretics sometimes called water pills, are medications that act on your kidneys to help your body eliminate sodium and water, reducing blood volume.

Aneurysm -this is when part of an arterial wall weakens causing it to balloon up and widen -the most common type of aneurysms are aortic aneurysm and cerebral aneurysm -many times the cause of an aneurysm is unknown as sometimes they are congenital or develop after many years -it is not until the aneurysm either expands rapidly or bursts that it is usually diagnosed because this is when individuals may have symptoms Symptoms could include feeling faint, rapid drop in blood pressure, rapid heart rate

Aneurysm -an official diagnosis is usually done through using a CT scan, angiogram or ultrasound depending on the location of the aneurysm -if diagnosed before the vessel ruptures, they can put in a stent to reinforce the wall of the weakened artery -if the arterial wall has ruptured, this could require an emergency surgery to repair the ruptured arterial wall

Heart Attack -this occurs when the heart is unable to get adequate blood flow due to a complete or partial blockage in the coronary artery -this means the heart is unable to get sufficient oxygen and can cause mild to severe damage to the heart -heart attack vs. cardiac arrest -the most common symptom would be extreme chest discomfort but other symptoms include: nausea, sweating, shortness of breath, lightheadedness Coronary artery disease and hypertension can lead to a heart attack Blockage is usually caused by atherosclerosis which is a build of cholesterol plaque in the arterial wall If the damage isn’t fixed quickly and parts of the heart are without oxygen for extended periods of time it is likely that parts of the heart will begin to die

Heart Attack -the most common diagnostic tool would be an ECG -when a heart attack occurs, early treatment is critical to minimize the damage done to the heart muscle -after a heart attack has occured, treatment include things such as medication like blood thinners, surgery and lifestyle changes -Medications could include blood thinners to help blood flow more easily, surgery a stent could be put in to widen the artery and lifestyle changes to help lower blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure