Download Circulatory System Diseases

Circulatory System Diseases
Circulatory System Diseases
Atherosclerosis- Literally, “hardening of the fatty stuff.” High fat diets can lead to
formation of fatty plaques lining blood vessels. These fatty areas can become calcified
and hard leading to arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. When blood vessels
become less stretchable, blood pressure rises and can result in heart and kidney damage
and strokes. Double cheese bacon burger, anybody?
Myocardial infarction (MI)- You know we are talking about heart muscle, right,
myocardial? An infarction is blockage of blood flow resulting in death of muscle tissue.
Layman’s language for this is a “heart attack.” The blockage occurs in one of the
arteries of the heart muscle itself, a coronary artery. Depending upon how much tissue
dies, a victim of an MI may survive and undergo cardiac rehabilitation, strengthening
the remaining heart muscle, or may die if too much muscle tissue is destroyed. Did you
exercise at the gym this week?
Mitral prolapse, stenosis, regurgitation- Blood flows through four chambers in the
heart separated by one-way valves. A major valve is the one separating the upper and
lower chambers on the left side of the heart. The left side is especially important
because freshly oxygenated blood returning from the lungs is circulated out of the heart
to the rest of the body. The left valve, called atrioventricular, for the chambers it
separates, is also called the mitral valve, because it is shaped like an upside down
Bishop’s hat, a miter. If the flaps of this valve tear away due to disease, the process is
called prolapse, “a falling forward.” This results in leakage and backward flow called
“regurgitation” (get the picture?). Sometimes a valve is abnormally narrow causing
partial obstruction constricting flow. Stenosis means “a narrowing.”
Angina pectoris- Literally, “pain in the chest.” But, this is a special kind of pain
associated with the heart and is distinctive as “crushing, vise-like”, and often
accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue and nausea. Anginal pain indicates not
enough blood is getting to the heart muscle, and the heart is protesting and begging for
more. People with a history of angina often take nitroglycerine tablets to relieve the
pain by increasing blood flow to the heart muscle.
Arrhythmia/dysrhythmia- Abnormal heart rates and rhythms all have special names
like ventricular tachycardia, fibrillation, but generically are termed arrhythmias or
dysrhythmia, meaning “no rhythm” and “abnormal rhythm.” There are fine distinctions
between the two, but they are often used interchangeably.
Ischemia- Sometimes the heart muscle is not getting enough blood flow, more
importantly, the oxygen the blood carries is insufficient to sustain muscle which has a
very high metabolic rate, and oxygen demand. The term loosely means “not quite
enough blood.” Typically, the patient suffers angina pain (see above) and they may
think they are having a heart attack. And, they may be!
Source: Des Moines University, Online Medical Terminology Course
Anemia – If you have anemia, your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of
your body. The most common cause of anemia is not having enough iron. Your body
needs iron tHyo make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives the red
color to blood. It carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Anemia has
three main causes: blood loss, lack of red blood cell production, and high rates of red
blood cell destruction.
Aneurysm – An aneurysm is a bulge or “ballooning” in the wall of an artery. Arteries
are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body.
If an aneurysm grows large, it can burst and cause dangerous bleeding or even
death. Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, the main artery that runs from the heart
through the chest and abdomen. Aneurysms also can happen in arteries in the brain,
heart and other parts of the body. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it causes a stroke.
Hemorrhages – Bleeding is the loss of blood. It can happen inside or outside the body.
Bleeding can be a reaction to a cut or other wound. It can also result from an injury to
internal organs. There are many situations in which you might bleed. A bruise is
bleeding under the skin. Some strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain. Other
bleeding, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, coughing up blood, or vaginal bleeding can
be a symptom of a disease.
Hypertension – Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of
your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood
pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic
pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is
called diastolic pressure. Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually
the systolic number comes before or above the diastolic number. A reading of 140/90
or higher is high blood pressure. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it
can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney
failure.
Leukemia – Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. White blood cells help your
body fight infection. Your blood cells form in your bone marrow. In leukemia, the bone
marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. These cells crowd out the healthy blood
cells, making it hard for blood to do its work. There are different types of leukemia,
including Acute lymphocytic leukemia, Acute myeloid leukemia, Chronic lymphocytic
leukemia, Chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia can develop quickly or slowly. Chronic
leukemia grows slowly. In acute leukemia, the cells are very abnormal and their number
increases rapidly. Adults can get either type; children with leukemia most often have
an acute type. Some leukemias can often be cured. Other types are hard to cure, but
you can often control them. Treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation and stem
cell transplantation. Even if symptoms disappear, you might need therapy to prevent a
relapse.
Stroke – A stroke happens when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain
cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called
ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the
brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks
and bleeds into the brain. “Mini-strokes” or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur
when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted. Symptoms of stroke are
sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the
body), sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech, sudden trouble
seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination, sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Varicose Veins – Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins that you can see just under
the skin. They usually occur in the legs, but also can form in other parts of the body.
Hemorrhoids are a type of varicose vein. Your veins have one-way valves that help keep
blood flowing toward your heart. If the valves are weak or damaged, blood can back up
and pool in your veins. This causes the veins to swell, which can lead to varicose
veins. Varicose veins are very common. You are more at risk if you are older, a female,
obese, don’t exercise or have a family history. They can also be more common in
pregnancy. Exercising, losing weight, elevating your legs when resting, and not crossing
them when sitting can help keep varicose veins from getting worse. Wearing loose
clothing and avoiding long periods of standing can also help. If varicose veins are painful
or you don’t like the way they look, your doctor may recommend procedures to remove
them.