Heart DISEASES
Congenital Disorders
Range of minor to serious congenital disorders are very evident at
or
shortly after birth.
Ventricular Septal Defect
Ventricular Septal Defect is most common for heart malformation. An
infant
born with a defect has an opening between the lower chambers (ventricles)
of its heart so there is an increased blood flow from the left side
to the
right side because the left side has more pressure than right side.
The
lungs at this state are under very high in pressure.
Treatment for this disease depends on it size of defect. About 30%-50%
of
small defects close spontaneously during the first year of life.
Artrial Septal Defect
Atrial Septal defect is a opening which is high in the heart between
the
upper chambers (atria). This disease is more common in female infants
than in male infants, and it often occurs with children who have Down
syndrome.
Disorders of Heart Rate and Rhythm
The control mechanism for heart rate involves electrical impulses.
One
of the four chambers, right atrium, contains group cells called sinus
node. The sinus node acts as a pacemaker, which produces electrical
impulses that signal the muscle of the heart to expand and to contract
in the pumping cycle. The heart rate of a human can get up to 200
beats
a minute if you exert yourself. If something goes wrong with the sinus
node and normal pacing of heart is disturbed or bothered, one of a
number
of rhythmic disorders can happen.
Too rapid or fast of a heartbeat is called tachycardia, and too slow
of a
heartbeat is called bradycardia. The heart can also be affected by
tobacco or use of other drugs.
Heart Arrhythmias
Here are some signs of this disease: None, skipped heartbeats,
light-headedness, chest discomfort, and shortness of breath. If the
rhythm of heart beat is disturbed problem is arrhythmia. You maybe
unaware
of the problem.
Heart Murmurs
Heart murmurs can be heard by a physician as a soft hissing sound
which follow the normal sounds of heart action. Heart murmurs can
tell
you if that blood is leaking out through a valve and can signal a
serious
heart problem. Heart murmurs can sometimes fix themselves.
Myocardial Infarction
Myocardial infarction is a disease of myocardium muscle in the heart.
Heart muscle and it's linings can get a disease for instance myocardial
infarction. You might not have done anything wrong even though, but
it
still could happen. Myocardium gets blood from the coronary artery.
When
not enough blood reaches the this muscle it is called myocardial
infarction. It is usually rare, but it can damage the heart muscle
very
badly.
Cardiomyopathy
Here are some signs for this disease: short times of fast heartbeats,
breathlessness, weakness, chest pain, fainting, and fluid retention.
Fluid retention is also known as redema. Redema means swelling of
body
tissues due to excessive fluid. When the muscle of the heart is damaged
or defective it could led to a disease known as cardiomyopathy. This
could happen by bacteria or enlargement of the wall.
Diseases and Disorders for Heart Valves
Each valve consists of 2 or 3 thin folds of tissues. When closed valve
prevents blood from flowing to the next chamber or from returning
from
the previous one. When a valve opening is narrowed and flow through
is
limited, the condition is stenosis. Each valve may be subject to stenosis
or obstruction. In some cases a valve will lose its shape or sag
(prolapse) or fail to close which causes a back flow of blood
(regurgitation) could also be caused by infection or congenital problems.
Tachycardia
Tachycardia occurs normally during and after exercise or during stress
and represents no danger to healthy individuals. In some cases, however,
tachycardia occurs without apparent cause.The heart can beat as many
as
240 times per minute in tachycardia. Tachycardia can be ended by lying
down.
Vascular System and Diseases of It
The vascular system consists of blood vessels in the body.
The vessels become smaller as they extend farther from the heart.
The aorta delivers its flow to large arteries into smaller vessels.
Arterioles supply tiny capillaries which nourish tissues. Oxygen is
going from the capillaries to the tissues, and carbon dioxide from
tissues taken up into the capillaries. Arteries have to be strong
as
well as flexible because of the pressure of the blood being pumped
through the venous system. Veins get bigger when they get closer to
the heart.
Disorders of Blood Vessels
A disease or a disorder for the blood vessels can be fatal.
Coronary Artery Disease
The coronary arteries supply and maintain the myocardium. Coronary
artery disease can cause a heart attack or hypertension when blood
vessels get small or filled up with cholesterol, scar tissue, or
calcium. Other problems can happen also. For instance disorders for
the
heart valves or for the heart muscle and pericardium.
Conclusion
The heart is something you need every day you can't live with out
it.
Exercise, eat a balanced diet, and always have checkups. People don't
think a checkup will really do anything, but believe it because it
will.
You might not know you have something wrong with your heart or something
else in your body and then you might get ill. So, don't eat junky
foods
too often. Keep your heart safe and healthy as long as you can.
