Posts Tagged ‘arteriosclerosis’

• Understanding Heart Disease

  Date: 2007.08.21 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS OF YOUR HEART AND HEART DISEASE

  Understand the basics associated with your heart and blood vessels. Here you will get an understanding of all the different types of cardiovascular disease that can be confusing. Get a basic overview of cardiovascular disease and the conditions that can affect your heart and blood vessels.

  You probably hear a lot about preventing heart disease. But maybe you’re not sure what heart disease is. Is it the same thing as cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease or other heart terms you sometimes see?

  With many medical terms related to the heart and blood vessels, it’s no wonder you may be puzzled or confused. Here you will have a chance to brush up on some basic terms about cardiovascular disease (CVD) that can help you stay more informed. This can then help you when you’re watching the news or meeting with your doctor.

  The first term to know is Cardiovascular Disease or CVD. CVD is a broad term. CVD is a large collection of diseases and conditions.

  If you want to be technical, CVD refers to any disorder in any of the various parts of your heart system. Your cardiovascular system consists of your heart and all the blood vessels throughout your whole body.

  Cardiovascular disease has two main mechanisms:

  Diseases of the Heart (cardio)

  Diseases of the Blood Vessels (vascular)

  Everything from an aneurysm to a heart attack to varicose veins are all types of CVD. You may be born with a type of CVD (congenital) or you may acquire others later on in life possibly from a lifetime of unhealthy habits, lack of exercise, smoking, and other factors.

  Here’s a closer look at the two mechanisms of cardiovascular disease.

  Diseases of the Heart

  The diseases and conditions that affect the heart are in a group known as heart disease. The heart consists of a muscle that pumps blood. Arteries supply blood to the heart muscle, and the valves make sure that the blood within the heart is pumped in the right direction. Problems can occur in any of these areas.

  Just like CVD, Heart Disease is a broad term.

  Here are the specific types of heart disease:

  **Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

  **Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

  **Cardiomyopathy

  **Valvular heart disease

  **Pericardial disease

  **Congenital heart disease

  **Heart failure (CHF)

  Diseases of the Blood Vessels

  Blood vessels are in basic terms hollow tubes that carry blood to the organs and tissues throughout your body.

  There are 4 basic types of blood vessels:

  Arteries. These blood vessels carry oxygenated blood to all parts of the body

  Veins. These blood vessels carry deoxygenated blood back to your heart. That is why they have a bluish cast to their color

  Capillaries. These are tiny vessels that connect your arteries and veins.

  Lymphatics. Fluid that leaks out of your capillaries in order to bathe your cells.

  Here are some types of blood vessel disorders:

  **Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis

  **High blood pressure (HBP) or Hypertension (HTN)

  **Stroke

  **Aneurysm

  **Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and claudication

  **Vasculitis

  **Venous incompetence

  **Venous thrombosis or blood clot

  **Varicose veins

  **Lymphedema

  Heart Disease is a serious condition. Watch your fatty food intake, smoking, as well as your sweet tooth intake. Both can cause serious heart problems.

  It is best to start out slow when changing your diet. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to start.

  About the author:

  F. Kuhn, RN specializing in cardiac and diabetic teaching

  http://www.heartnewscenter.com

  http://www.diabetestestingcenter.com

  Written By: F. Kuhn, RN

• What you need to know about heart diseases

  Date: 2007.08.11 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  Heart is the most significant organ of the body. It controls and regulates the entire body. An individual can survive the loss of other organs of body but not of a heart. The moment heart ceases pumping blood to the body, it results in a heart stroke and there are chances that the person may die.

  But people are often negligent in taking care of this undeniably crucial organ of their body. This is made evident by the studies that reveal the escalating deaths due to cardiac arrests every year. It is not just the elderly who are gripped by cardiac seizures due to their age, which implicates a declining health but also young children, and even infants who are inflicted by heart ailments.

  The purpose of this article is to make its readers aware of some of the most common cardiac problems, few possible preventions and cures to them and the measures one should adopt to enjoy a healthy heart.

  1.Heart diseases- human heart starts malfunctioning due to many reasons. In other words there are different diseases that affect human heart.

  Congenital Heart Disease is a very common one. It leads to malformation of heart during prenatal development and other severe complications. Chromosomal abnormalities, transfer of infected genes and environment are the main attributed causes to congenital heart disease.

  Coronary Artery Disease is one where heart simply stops pumping blood to the arteries. The blockages or difficulty in the blood flow to the main source of oxygen to the heart muscle i.e. coronary arteries is deemed to be the primary factor that results in this disease. Apart from this the thickening of the arteries called arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and other problems like asthma, diabetes etc. are the causes of CAD. CAD produces a heart attack and so even the death of the concerned individual.

  A viral infection that attacks the pericardium pouch enveloping the heart is the ground for the Pericardial heart disorder.

  2.The Roots of Heart Ailment- in most of the cases the individuals themselves are responsible for their cardiac troubles.

  Over stress is the biggest threat to a healthy life so much so that it affects even ones heart.

  Faulty food habits i.e. eating more of junk and fattening food rich in cholesterol is the primary reason for a heart attack.

  Obesity and lack of physical labor also accentuates cardiac problems.

  Heart problems are also hereditary.

  Blood pressure patients are more prone to heart attacks.

  Alcoholics, smokers and drug addicts have acute possibilities of heart failure.

  3.Some Common Cures- it is not likely to prevent every heart problem especially those malformations or diseases that are innate or since the time of birth. They can at best be treated with the aid of surgeries.

  Watch your eating and drinking habits. Avoid cholesterol abounding food like butter, cheese, creams, cakes and pastries etc.

  Aspirin is deemed to be a potential medicine to ward off cardiac snags. According to physicians aspirin thins the blood and aids in its transfer from heart to other parts of the body.

  Pregnant women are advised to keep away from hard drinks, cigarettes and narcotics. Negligence in this regard can be a source of incurable congenital heart disease to the baby.

  If you are a sedentary worker, make it a point to exercise daily in order to maintain a healthy living.

  Endeavor your best to have a nutritious and balanced diet.

  If you suffer from diabetes, blood pressure, asthma or any such disease, go for regular medical check ups to know about the functioning of the internal organs of your body.

  Last but not the least, avoid doing things that petrify you and do not favor your health. For instance if altitude or great height scares you, it is not a prudent choice to go for mountain climbing.

  About the Author

  Mansi gupta writes about heart diseases topics.

  Written By: Mansi gupta