Download Diseases of the Circulatory system

Diseases of the Circulatory system
The condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal
quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore,
decreased.
Persons with anemia may feel tired and fatigue easily, appear pale, develop palpitations and
become unusually short of breath. Children with chronic anemia are prone to infections and
learning problems.
Anemia has four basic causes. One or more of these causes must be operating to produce
anemia:
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Hemorrhage -- bleeding
Hemolysis -- excessive destruction of red blood cells
Underproduction of red blood cells
Not enough normal hemoglobin
Women are more likely than men to have anemia because of the loss of blood each month
through menstruation. Iron deficiency anemia is common and in adults is most often due to
chronic blood loss. This can be from menstruation or from small amounts of repeated bleeding
(which can be very subtle) and in children is due mainly to not enough iron in the diet. Anemia is
also often due to gastrointestinal bleeding caused by medications including such very common
drugs as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin).
There are many forms of anemia, some of them common, others rare. They include, for example:
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Aplastic anemia
Benzene poisoning
Fanconi anemia
Hemolytic disease of the newborn
Hereditary spherocytosis
Iron deficiency anemia
Osteopetrosis
Pernicious anemia
Sickle cell disease
Thalassemia
Myelodysplastic syndrome and a host of other bone marrow diseases
Aneurysm: A localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an
aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The word
“aneurysm” comes from the Greek “aneurysma” meaning “a widening.”
Angina: Angina is chest pain that is due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle.
The chest pain of angina is typically severe and crushing. There is a feeling just behind the
breastbone (the sternum) of pressure and suffocation. The word “angina” comes from the Latin
verb “angere” meaning “to choke or throttle.” “Angina” is now the same as “angina pectoris” (the
Latin “pectus” = “chest”). Angina was first described by the English physician William Heberden
(1710- 1801).
Hypertension: High blood pressure or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the
arteries. The arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all of the tissues
and organs of the body. Hypertension does not mean excessive emotional tension, although
emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase the blood pressure. High blood pressure is
generally defined as a level exceeding 140/90 mm Hg that has been confirmed on multiple
occasions. The systolic blood pressure, which is the top number, represents the pressure in the
arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood into the circulation. The diastolic pressure, which
is the bottom number, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the
contraction. The diastolic pressure, therefore, reflects the minimum pressure to which the arteries
are exposed.
Congenital heart disease: A malformation of the heart or the large blood vessels near the heart.
The term “congenital” speaks only to time, not to causation; it means “born with” or “present at
birth.”
Congenital heart disease is the most frequent form of major birth defects in newborns affecting
close to 1% of newborn babies (8 per 1,000).
Atherosclerosis: A process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of mediumsized and large arteries as a result of fat deposits on their inner lining.
Risk factors for atherosclerosis include high levels of "bad" cholesterol, high blood pressure
(hypertension), smoking, diabetes and a genetic family history of atherosclerotic disease.
Atherosclerosis is responsible for much coronary artery disease (angina and heart attacks) and
many strokes
Arteriosclerosis: Hardening and thickening of the walls of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis can
occur because of fatty deposits on the inner lining of arteries (atherosclerosis), calcification of the
wall of the arteries, or thickening of the muscular wall of the arteries from chronically elevated
blood pressure (hypertension).
Angioplasty: Procedure with a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary
artery.
Coronory Bypass surgery- open heart surgery