The circulatory system is a complex system with a lot of complicated and important
pieces and just like any other complex system, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. More
than 600,000 Americans die every year from some sort of heart disease. A few of the major heart
problems amongst Americans include: Coronary heart disease, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias),
congenital heart defects, weak heart muscles (cardiomyopathy), and heart valve problems.
Adding to the risk, heart disease is often referred to as a “silent killer” because many of these
conditions have no symptoms, leading to never having a doctor look closely. Coronary heart
disease (CHD) is a chronic disease accounting for over half of all cases of cardiovascular disease …show more content…
Congenital heart defects deal with the improper structure of the heart.
These defects are present at birth and affect the interior walls and valves of the heart along with
the arteries and veins. These defects can be anywhere on the scale from not interfering with life
to severe life-threating consequences. There are 35,000 babies born with a congenital heart
defect every year in the US. Many of these cases can be fixed through surgery, but patients will
always need to live careful lives. Cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscles become
enlarged, thick, rigid, or in rare cases the muscle tissue is replaced with scar tissue. The severity
of this disease is directly correlated with the strength of the heart; as the disease gets worse, the
heart gets weaker. This disease can be either inherited or developed. Symptoms of this disease
are shortness of breathing, fatigue, swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen.
Cardiomyopathy can also lead to heart valve problems, which are simply when your heart valves
do not work the way they should. Two kinds of heart valve problems are Valvular stenosis is
when a valve is smaller than it should be, making the heart work harder which could lead to …show more content…
The other kind is Valvular insuffiency which is when the valves don’t close as tightly as
they should which leads to blood flowing backwards in the heart, forcing the heart to work
harder to make up for the lost blood flow again leading to heart failure. Although all of these
diseases may seem intimidating, there are preventative steps you can take to decrease your
chance of contracting one of these diseases.
Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is an important aspect of all parts of life,
including circulatory system health. Reducing the amount of sodium and fat in your diet will
reduce your chance of developing Coronary Heart disease as will increasing physical activity and
avoiding smoking. Taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol, irregular
heartbeat, and low blood flow. Monitoring your pulse can give you an idea of where your normal
heartbeat is so you can detect of something is wrong: know your body. Avoiding high levels of
caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and medications can lower your risk of an irregular heartbeat.
Knowing your families medical background can give an idea on if you are at a higher risk for
diseases present at birth or at a higher risk of developing a disease. Make sure you
pieces and just like any other complex system, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. More
than 600,000 Americans die every year from some sort of heart disease. A few of the major heart
problems amongst Americans include: Coronary heart disease, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias),
congenital heart defects, weak heart muscles (cardiomyopathy), and heart valve problems.
Adding to the risk, heart disease is often referred to as a “silent killer” because many of these
conditions have no symptoms, leading to never having a doctor look closely. Coronary heart
disease (CHD) is a chronic disease accounting for over half of all cases of cardiovascular disease …show more content…
Congenital heart defects deal with the improper structure of the heart.
These defects are present at birth and affect the interior walls and valves of the heart along with
the arteries and veins. These defects can be anywhere on the scale from not interfering with life
to severe life-threating consequences. There are 35,000 babies born with a congenital heart
defect every year in the US. Many of these cases can be fixed through surgery, but patients will
always need to live careful lives. Cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscles become
enlarged, thick, rigid, or in rare cases the muscle tissue is replaced with scar tissue. The severity
of this disease is directly correlated with the strength of the heart; as the disease gets worse, the
heart gets weaker. This disease can be either inherited or developed. Symptoms of this disease
are shortness of breathing, fatigue, swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen.
Cardiomyopathy can also lead to heart valve problems, which are simply when your heart valves
do not work the way they should. Two kinds of heart valve problems are Valvular stenosis is
when a valve is smaller than it should be, making the heart work harder which could lead to …show more content…
The other kind is Valvular insuffiency which is when the valves don’t close as tightly as
they should which leads to blood flowing backwards in the heart, forcing the heart to work
harder to make up for the lost blood flow again leading to heart failure. Although all of these
diseases may seem intimidating, there are preventative steps you can take to decrease your
chance of contracting one of these diseases.
Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is an important aspect of all parts of life,
including circulatory system health. Reducing the amount of sodium and fat in your diet will
reduce your chance of developing Coronary Heart disease as will increasing physical activity and
avoiding smoking. Taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol, irregular
heartbeat, and low blood flow. Monitoring your pulse can give you an idea of where your normal
heartbeat is so you can detect of something is wrong: know your body. Avoiding high levels of
caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and medications can lower your risk of an irregular heartbeat.
Knowing your families medical background can give an idea on if you are at a higher risk for
diseases present at birth or at a higher risk of developing a disease. Make sure you