Heart disease

organ in this system is the heart, containing four chambers; the left and right atrium and the left and right ventricle, which will be described in further detail later on. Although this system is very important, problems can occur that disrupt the normal routine. One of these we will be focusing on today is known as Reyes Syndrome. (Next Slide) The Cardiovascular, or Circulatory system consists of three main components; the heart, blood vessels and blood itself. The heart is a fist sized organ…

Contractility is affected by a number of components, three of which are: heart rate, preload and afterload. Heart rate is a factor when calculating cardiac output and cardiac index. Preload is the stretching of cardiac myocytes prior to contraction. With preload comes a law of physiology called Frank Staring’s law. Starling’s law describes…

Heart murmurs are constantly diagnosed in people, but what do heart murmurs do? Does it harm the host? It all depends on the type. From there, we dig deeper. According to http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1999-08/933633819.Me.r.html, Heart murmur is the sound that is made because the blood passing through the heart’s valves and chambers make a sound. Sometimes, the valve doesn’t open entirely, and the blood goes back to the chamber it just left. When that happens, it makes a swishing noise,…

caused by any systemic or functional impairment of ventricular filling or blood discharge (Yancy et al., pp. 246, 2013), for instance, from injury to the myocardium causing decreased CO. Patient X’s HF is due to IHD, hypertension and smoking. Valvular disease, cardiomyopathy, infections and diabetes can also cause HF. As CO decreases, dyspnoea, peripheral oedema, ascites and fatigue may occur. There are several compensatory mechanisms which occur due to decreased CO (Kemp & Conte, 2012). The…

The patient with systolic heart failure, or systolic ventricular dysfunction, would present to the clinic with very different symptoms from the patient with diastolic heart failure. In systolic heart failure, the heart is incapable of producing enough cardiac output to supply vital tissues. Because of this insufficiency, the hard must work harder to provide adequate blood supply to its vital organs and tissues. Cardiac output is determined by heart rate, how fast the heart is beating, and…

Running is a very beneficial and healthy activity for your body. It can boost your mood, strengthens your bones, and improves your brain function. Your mood is improved while running due to the hormones called endocannabinoids, which are released during exercise. Runners generally have stronger bones than non-runners. This is due to the fact that bones, just like muscles, get stronger each time they are used. Contrary to most opinions, rather than causing any injury or wear to your knees,…

oxygen and nutrients to all organs in the body during the heart pulses. During the blood circulation a pressure is exerted on the walls of the blood vessels or arteries. The case where the ability of such walls to expand or contract in response to blood pressure changes is called Arterial Stiffness (AS). Arteries need to be flexible to expand when oxygen is needed by muscles and heart, and stiffening of the arteries place an extra load on heart which can lead to hypertension. Globally,…

(secondary hypertension) or from an underlying pathophysiologic mechanism of unknown etiology (primary or essential hypertension). Secondary hypertension accounts for fewer than 10% of cases, and most of these are caused by chronic kidney disease or renovascular disease. Other conditions causing secondary hypertension include pheochromocytoma, Cushing’s syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, primary aldosteronism, pregnancy, obstructive sleep apnea, and coarctation of the aorta. …

Cardiovascular Disease Identifying the cardiovascular disease risk factors and to understand how these risk factors, when decreased, can reduce my risk of developing a major cardiovascular problem. The five risk factors for cardiovascular disease that can be changed are: Smoking, uncontrolled stress and anger, diabetes, being physically inactive, and an unhealthy diet. An important modifiable risk factor for me is controlling my diabetes. Diabetes can change everything about your body if it is…

food restaurants use processed products, high fats and a lot of sugar/salt to make their food tastier. According to World Heart Federation (2016), “Frequent consumption of high-energy foods, such as processed foods that are high in fats and sugars, promotes obesity compared to low-energy foods. High consumption of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids is linked to heart disease.” Diet lacking essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can cause malnutrition, fatigue and a host of physical…