REDUCING THE RISKS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Lesson 47

Cardiovascular Disease  Disease of the heart and blood vessels.  Many different types of cardiovascular disease.

Angina Pectoris  Chest pain that results from narrowed coronary arteries (in the heart).  Pain occurs because heart is not getting enough oxygen. – Sudden physical activity, difficult exercise, or excessive stress can cause angina in people with coronary heart disease. – People who have coronary heart disease take nitroglycerin pills to relieve chest pains – Nitroglycerin is a drug that widens the coronary arteries, which allows more oxygen to the heart.

Congestive Heart Failure  condition that occurs when heart’s pumping ability is below normal  fluid typically builds up in the lungs and other areas of the body  Causes: heart attack, birth defects, high blood pressure, rheumatic fever  Solutions: reducing sodium (salt) in the diet is helpful. Usually drugs to assist heart’s pumping ability.

Coronary Heart Disease  a disease in which the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked.  coronary artery is a blood vessel that carries blood to the heart.  constantly feeds heart with blood (oxygen).  plaque- hardened deposits of fat and other materials in the walls of the arteries.

Arteriosclerosis  hardening and thickening of the arteries  tends to occur naturally as people age..  Atherosclerosis- disease in which fat deposits collect on artery walls.  deposits may harden and turn into plaque. Causes: high cholesterol, high fat diet, high blood pressure and smoking

Check Your Heart Rate  Count how many beats in 15 seconds.  Multiply that # by 5.  represents beats per minute.  beats per minute is normal.

Arrhythmia  a heart condition in which the heart may beat very slowly or very fast for no obvious reason.  people who do not improve after taking medications may need to have surgery to implant a pacemaker. -a pacemaker is a device that is implanted in the heart to stimulate normal heart contractions.

Stroke  a condition caused by blocked or broken blood vessel in the brain.  brain cells in the area of the blockage are deprived of oxygen.  the brain cells die within minutes.  the affected area of the brain and the parts of the body controlled by those brain cells cannot function.  Strokes can also happen if an aneurysm bursts. Aneurysm- weakened area of a blood vessel