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Please submit an essay explaining the signs and early detection of heart disease. (Mr. Ronald Stokes, whom this scholarship is in memory of, passed away from heart disease).
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. In 2009, there were more men dying of heart disease than women according to the CDC. In the United States, every year there is an expected 1 in every 4 deaths due to heart disease. This disease is so severe and critical that every 43 seconds someone will have a heart attack; and someone dies each minute in the United States from a heart disease-related event. In the United States, heart disease plays a key role among ethnicity, more than ever in the African American community. …show more content…
Technology has advanced significantly that now a simple cholesterol test or Electrocardiogram (EKG) is not sufficient to help people who may experience a heart attack in spite results of normal cholesterol. Newer imaging technology such as, CT scans, MRI, 3-dimensional echocardiography (3-D echo) and PET/CT scans have changed the game by being less invasive and less expensive. Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is a diagnostic tool used for early detection to find small blockages in coronary arteries. CTA is so great that doctors can rule in or out significant heart disease in a matter of minutes with a 95% accuracy rate. Echocardiography is another detector involving ultrasound to evaluate the functions of heart muscle and valves. There are three types of echocardiographies: portable echo, 3-dimensional echo, and intracardiac echo. Cardiac MRI is a third type of detection of heart disease that surpasses the echocardiography and stress test by showing more such as, the heart’s shape, size, volume, and function. With cardiac MRI’s doctors can see if there is a valve disease, heart abnormalities, heart tumors, clots in the heart and anything to do with anatomy and function. A fourth detection method is Positron emission tomography (PET scan) combined with CTA, which is said to be the future of heart disease detection, but is also up for debate due to the risk …show more content…
My aunt, who is in her 40s, suffered a heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital on three different occasions. The first time she experienced a heart attack she felt a sharp pain in her legs that caused spasms where she could not move. She was rushed to the emergency room. At the time she did not know she was threatening a heart attack. Due to her complaining about her legs having spasms; the doctor’s prognosis was muscle spasms. There were no further test ran, therefore she was discharged from the hospital with muscle relaxers the same night. About two weeks later, she was out running errands and began feeling nauseous and feverish. This time the pain was worse, it spread from her legs up to her arms. She was taken to a different hospital. They ran a test on her showing signs of a heart attack and that she may have been threatening another one. We were told by the doctor that if she had not vomited up the food she had eaten she would be dead due to choking. She was transferred to another hospital that could better treat the condition. They had to do emergency surgery and apply a stent after discovering three blockages and plaque around the heart. A month later she was at church and had to be rushed to the hospital only to find that she had a blood clot in her leg and would have to undergo another procedure. Thankfully, due to her signs and symptoms, doctors were able to detect the
Please submit an essay explaining the signs and early detection of heart disease. (Mr. Ronald Stokes, whom this scholarship is in memory of, passed away from heart disease).
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. In 2009, there were more men dying of heart disease than women according to the CDC. In the United States, every year there is an expected 1 in every 4 deaths due to heart disease. This disease is so severe and critical that every 43 seconds someone will have a heart attack; and someone dies each minute in the United States from a heart disease-related event. In the United States, heart disease plays a key role among ethnicity, more than ever in the African American community. …show more content…
Technology has advanced significantly that now a simple cholesterol test or Electrocardiogram (EKG) is not sufficient to help people who may experience a heart attack in spite results of normal cholesterol. Newer imaging technology such as, CT scans, MRI, 3-dimensional echocardiography (3-D echo) and PET/CT scans have changed the game by being less invasive and less expensive. Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is a diagnostic tool used for early detection to find small blockages in coronary arteries. CTA is so great that doctors can rule in or out significant heart disease in a matter of minutes with a 95% accuracy rate. Echocardiography is another detector involving ultrasound to evaluate the functions of heart muscle and valves. There are three types of echocardiographies: portable echo, 3-dimensional echo, and intracardiac echo. Cardiac MRI is a third type of detection of heart disease that surpasses the echocardiography and stress test by showing more such as, the heart’s shape, size, volume, and function. With cardiac MRI’s doctors can see if there is a valve disease, heart abnormalities, heart tumors, clots in the heart and anything to do with anatomy and function. A fourth detection method is Positron emission tomography (PET scan) combined with CTA, which is said to be the future of heart disease detection, but is also up for debate due to the risk …show more content…
My aunt, who is in her 40s, suffered a heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital on three different occasions. The first time she experienced a heart attack she felt a sharp pain in her legs that caused spasms where she could not move. She was rushed to the emergency room. At the time she did not know she was threatening a heart attack. Due to her complaining about her legs having spasms; the doctor’s prognosis was muscle spasms. There were no further test ran, therefore she was discharged from the hospital with muscle relaxers the same night. About two weeks later, she was out running errands and began feeling nauseous and feverish. This time the pain was worse, it spread from her legs up to her arms. She was taken to a different hospital. They ran a test on her showing signs of a heart attack and that she may have been threatening another one. We were told by the doctor that if she had not vomited up the food she had eaten she would be dead due to choking. She was transferred to another hospital that could better treat the condition. They had to do emergency surgery and apply a stent after discovering three blockages and plaque around the heart. A month later she was at church and had to be rushed to the hospital only to find that she had a blood clot in her leg and would have to undergo another procedure. Thankfully, due to her signs and symptoms, doctors were able to detect the