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... Treatments, cures, and vaccines for various diseases and disorders are being developed constantly, and yet, coronary heart disease remains the number one killer in the world. ... What a lot of people are not realizing is that coronary heart disease actually accounts for about 80% of all sudden deaths. In fact, the number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, accidents, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others, COMBINED. One of the symptoms of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris. ... THE HUMAN HEART In order to understand angina, one must know about our own heart. The human heart is a powerful muscle in the body which is worked the hardest. A double pump system, the heart consists of two pumps side by side, which pump blood to all parts of the body. ... The heart is a hollow, muscular organ slightly bigger than a persons clenched fist. It is located in the centre of the chest, under the breastbone above the sternum, but it is slanted slightly to the left, giving people the impression that their heart is on the left side of their chest. The heart is divided into two halves, which are further divided into four chambers: the left atrium and ventricle, and the right atrium and ventricle. ... Like any other organs in our body, the heart needs a supply of blood and oxygen, and coronary arteries supply them. ... The right coronary artery circles the right side and goes to the back of the heart. ... These two left arteries feed the front and the left side of the heart. ... SYMPTOMS OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE There are three main symptoms of coronary heart disease: Heart Attack, Sudden Death, and Angina. Heart Attack Heart attack occurs when a blood clot suddenly and completely blocks a diseased coronary artery, resulting in the death of the heart muscle cells supplied by that artery. Coronary and Coronary Thrombosis are terms that can refer to a heart attack. Another term, Acute myocardial infarction, means death of heart muscle due to an inadequate blood supply. ... Trauma may cause sudden death by severe injury to the heart or brain, or by severe blood loss. ... Angina People with coronary artery disease, whether or not they have had a heart attack, may experience intermittent chest pain, pressure, or discomforts. ... It occurs when the narrowing of the coronary arteries temporarily prevents an adequate supply of blood and oxygen to meet the demands of working heart muscles. ... It occurs when the heart is not receiving enough oxygen to meet an increased demand. Angina, as mentioned before, is only temporarily, and it does not cause any permanent damage to the heart muscle. The underlying coronary heart disease, however, continues to progress unless actions are taken to prevent it from becoming worse. ... If a person suffers from unstable angina, there is a higher risk for that person to develop heart attacks. ... Besides atherosclerosis, there are other heart conditions resulting in the starvation of oxygen of the heart, which also causes angina. ... One might think that the more oxygen in the blood the better, but overloaded blood actually does not give up oxygen as easily, therefore the amount of oxygen available to the heart is reduced. Carbon dioxide is present in the blood in the form of carbonic acid, when there is a loss in carbonic acid, the blood becomes more basic, or alkaline, which leads to spasm of blood vessels, almost certainly in the brain but also in the heart. ... Family History We all carry approximately 50 genes that affect the function and structure of the heart and blood vessels. Genetics can determine ones risk of having heart disease. There are many cases today where heart disease runs in a family, for many generations. ... Reducing cholesterol intake can directly decrease ones risk of developing heart disease, and people today are more conscious of what they eat, and how much cholesterol their foods contain. ... Nicotine has no direct effect on the heart or the blood vessels, but it stimulates the nerves on these structures to cause the secretion of adrenaline. The increase of adrenaline and noradrenaline increases blood pressure and heart rate by about 10% for an hour per cigarette. In simpler words, nicotine causes the heart to beat more vigorously. ... A patient may take a physical examination, which includes taking the pulse and blood pressure, listening to the heart and lung with a stethoscope, and checking weight. ... Blood test can also tests for: Anemia - where the level of haemogoblin is too low, and can restrict the supply of blood to the heart. ... A chest x-ray provides the doctor with information about the size of the heart. Like any other muscles in the body, if the heart works too hard for a period of time, it develops, or enlarges. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is the tracing of the electrical activity of the heart. As the heart beats and relaxes, the signals of the hearts electrical activities are picked up and the pattern is recorded. ... ECG can indicate if high blood pressure has produced any strain on the heart. It can tell if the heart is beating regularly or irregularly, fast or slow. It can also pick up unnoticed heart attacks. ... What makes VCG superior to ECG is that VCG provides a three-dimensional view of a single heart beat. ... Some of the drugs prescribed improve blood flow, while others reduce the strain on the heart. ... They reduce the work of the heart by regulating the heart beat, as well as blood pressure; the amount of oxygen required is thereby reduced. These drugs can block the effects of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline at sites called beta receptors in the heart and blood vessels. These hormones increase both blood pressure and heart rate. ... Further reduction in the pumping action may drive to a heart failure if the heart is strained by heart disease. ... The arteries then become relaxed and dilated, so reducing the resistance to blood flow, and the heart receives more blood and oxygen.
Approximate Word count = 5012
Approximate Pages = 20
(250 words per page double spaced)
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