Heart

Researchers have found certain variables play an important role in a person’s chances of developing heart disease. These variables are called risk factors. In recent years, researchers have found that some of these heart disease risk factors cluster together in certain people. This clustering of risk factors is known as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is also called Reaven syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, or Metabolic Syndrome X.

People with metabolic syndrome have a clustering of the following risk factors:

• Central obesity (extra weight around the stomach)
• Diabetes or glucose intolerance
• High levels of triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good cholesterol”) in the bloodstream
• High Blood Pressure (hypertension)

There is still much to be learned about metabolic syndrome. Doctors do know that people with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of heart attack or coronary artery disease.
Researchers think that metabolic syndrome maybe a genetic condition. This means that the genes are passed down from one generation to the next. For the most part doctors do not fully understand why metabolic syndrome happens.

People with insulin-resistant conditions, such as diabetes and hyperinsulinemia are more likely to have metabolic syndrome. Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot make or respond properly to the hormone insulin. Hyperinsulinemia is a condition where large amounts of insulin are pumped into the bloodstream. What are the signs of metabolic syndrome?

Patients with metabolic syndrome will not feel any symptoms. But there are signs that might lead doctors to a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.

Doctors can check your HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and weight, all of which are warning signs of metabolic syndrome. You may also need blood tests to measure the levels of glucose and insulin in your bloodstream.

Marfan syndrome is a rare disorder that causes the connective tissue in the body to be weaker than it should be. Connective tissue is the material which holds together many structures in the body, such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, heart valves, and more. Because the connective tissue is weaker in Marfan patients, it affects how the heart and blood vessels, eyes, and skeleton are formed as well as how they work.

Marfan syndrome is thought to be an inherited disease that is caused by a defect in a gene. Marfan syndrome can affect both men and women. Because the gene defect can be passed down to children, Marfan patients should talk to their doctor and a genetic counselor before having children. In about twenty five percent of Marfan patients, neither parent had the condition. In these patients, the condition is thought to develop because of a mutation in the egg or the sperm
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The defect in the gene that causes Marfan syndrome controls the production of a special protein found in the connective tissue. This protein is called fibrillin. Without enough proper fibrillin, the walls of the major arteries are weakened. If the aorta (the main blood supplier to the body) is affected, it gets bigger (or dilates), making it weaker. The weakened area of the aorta can bulge outward, creating an aortic aneurysm. Or the aorta can tear, and blood can lea through these tears plus between the tissue of the aortic wall. This is called aortic dissection.

If the aorta is stretched and weakened, this can also affect the aortic valve. In some patients, blood leaks backward through the valve instead of moving in the proper one-way, forward flow. This is called regurgitation. If too much blood flows backward, only a small amount can travel forward to your body’s organs. The heart tries to make up for this by working harder, and with time the heart will become enlarged (dilated) and less able to pump blood throughout the body.

Heart disease is a term that applies to a large number of medical conditions relating to the heart. These medical conditions relate to the abnormal health conditions that directly affect the heart and all its components. Heart disease is a major health problem within some cultures.

One theory for heart disease is the radical changes within our lifestyles. People are often less active and eat diets high in fats. Takeaway food is abundant today and often people will eat it due to the increased availability. Some takeaway outlets are now helping cater to a healthier lifestyle by offering a variety of healthy dishes such as salads. People are becoming more aware of the risk of heart disease and choosing to change their diets.
Exercise is extremely important in order to avoid heart disease. Exercise helps to keep the heart in peak performance. By using a combination of exercise and a balanced diet, the risk of heart disease is greatly decreased.

Most arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) neither cause symptoms nor interfere with the heart’s ability to pump blood. Thus, they usually pose little or no risk. They can cause considerable anxiety if a person becomes aware of them. There are some arrhythmias, harmless in themselves that can lead to more serious arrhythmias.

Any arrhythmia that impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood adequately is serious. How serious, depends in part on where the arrhythmia originates. Is it in the heart’s normal pacemaker, in the atria, or in the ventricles? Generally, arrhythmias which originate in the ventricles are more serious than those that originate in the atria. These are more serious than those that originate in the pacemaker. However, there are many exceptions.

For people who have a harmless, yet worrisome arrhythmia, reassurance that the arrhythmia is harmless may be treatment enough. Sometimes arrhythmias occur less often or even stop, when doctors change a person’s drugs or adjust the dosages. Avoiding alcohol, caffeine, smoking, or strenuous exercise can also help.

Angina is a symptom of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. Angina happens when the plaque builds up in the coronary arteries. This build up of plaque is called atherosclerosis. As the plaque builds up, the coronary arteries become narrower and stiff. Blood flow to the heart is then reduced. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle.

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle does not get enough blood to it. It may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in your chest. The pain may also occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It can even feel like indigestion.

There are three types of Angina and it is important to know the differences among the different types.

Stable angina is the most common and it happens when the heart is working harder than usual. With stable angina, a regular pattern will occur. After a short time, you will recognize the pattern, predicting when an episode will occur. The pain will disappear in a short time or if you take angina medication. Stable angina is not a heart attack but makes it more likely that you will have a heart attack in the future.

Unstable angina is a very dangerous condition that requires immediate emergency treatment. It is a sign that a heart attack could occur soon! It does not follow a pattern. It can occur without physical exertion and is not relieved by rest or medicine.

Variant angina is rare and usually occurs at rest. The pain can be severe and usually occurs between midnight and early morning. It is relieved by medicine.

Please remember not all chest pain or discomfort is angina. However, all chest pain should be checked by a doctor.

There are various types of Cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is when the heart’s tissues or muscles become diseased and don’t function properly. Heart disease is a huge health problem affecting both rich and poor nations.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a weakness in the muscle of the heart. This is due to inadequate oxygen delivery to the myocardium with coronary artery disease being the most common cause.

Anemia and sleep apnea are relatively common conditions that can contribute to ischemic myocardium. Hyperthyroidism can cause a ‘relative’ ischemia secondary to high output heart failure. Hyperthyroidism is the medical term used to describe the signs and symptoms associated with an over production of thyroid hormone.

Individuals with ischemic cardiomyopathy typically have a history of heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Longstanding ischemia can cause enough damage to the hearts muscles and tissues with out other health conditions contributing. A Heart Attack is when an area of the heart muscle does not get enough blood, chest pain or discomfort, called angina develops.

In a typical presentation, the area of the heart affected by a myocardial infarction will initially become dead tissue, and will then be replaced by scar tissue, becoming fibrotic. Fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ.

This fibrotic tissue is akinetic, meaning it is no longer muscle and cannot contribute to the heart’s function as a pump. If the akinetic region of the heart is substantial (large) enough, then the affected side of the heart (such as the left or right side) will go into heart failure. This failure is the functional result of an ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Heart Failure is when your heart muscle doesn’t pump as much blood as the body needs. Failure doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped pumping but that it is failing to pump as effectively as it should.

Patients with this kind of plaque may not feel any symptoms. In the early stages of the process, the change in blood flow may not be detected with standard testing. Researchers are looking at unique scanning techniques that might highlight the presence of vulnerable plaque.

Cardiologists have found that by measuring the level of a substance called C-reactive protein in the bloodstream, they can predict a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke. C-reactive protein is a marker that doctors use to measure inflammation activity in the body. Two large studies showed that the higher the C-reactive protein levels in the blood, the greater the risk of a heart attack.

Not all vulnerable plaque ruptures, and researchers are looking at ways to determine which vulnerable plaques are most likely to rupture. They found that the warmer the plaque, the more likely it will crack or rupture.

Patients can lower their C-reactive protein levels in the same ways they can cut their heart attack risk (healthier lifestyles). Doctors can check the C-reactive protein levels with a blood test, and many doctors are adding the test to their patients’ cholesterol screening.
Recent studies show smoking is very dangerous for people who have vulnerable plaque in their arteries. The nicotine in cigarettes directly affects the inflammatory response, causing the release of more cytokines. Researchers are also studying how family history and genes factor into the inflammation process.

Medicines used for treating high blood pressure and aspirin, appear to reduce inflammation in the body, that might prevent heart attacks in people who already have high C-reactive protein levels.

Cholesterol lowering medicines called statins have been found to lower C-reactive protein levels. Doctors are now looking at how these medicines may be used to prevent heart attacks in people with normal cholesterol levels. Doctors are still studying the use of cholesterol-lowering medicines for this purpose.

Until recently, heart disease was uncommon in Asian populations. Results from a new study of more than half a million Asians indicate that a large epidemic of heart disease is poised to affect China and many other countries in the region.

The study, conducted by professional through China to Australasia, has provided important new evidence. The evidence points to rapidly increased smoking and other health factors that contribute to heart disease. These include diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, particularly in the more urbanized regions of Asia. The results have indicated that unless some drastic changes are made, Asia may be faced with a crippling epidemic of Heart Disease.

Results show that in the next twenty years Asia will be faced with a crippling epidemic of heart disease and stroke on a scale previously unknown.

Te heart is the center of the body’s cardiovascular system. Throughout the body’s blood vessels, the heart pumps blood to all of the body’s cells. The blood carries oxygen, which the cells need. Heart disease is a group of medical problems that occur when the heart and blood vessels aren’t working the way they should.

“Many of the victims will be in the prime of their working lives, since heart disease strikes at a much younger age in Asia than in the West.

“The cost of heart disease in countries such as China will be vast. Not only will there be huge expenses associated with the treatment of heart attacks, but the loss of earnings for victims and their families will have devastating economic consequences.

Many people do not realize they have cardiovascular disease. Often it isn’t known until they have a chest pain, a heart attack, or stroke. These kinds of problems often need immediate attention and the person may need to go to the emergency department of a hospital for an assessment.

Cardiovascular disease is not a single ailment, as it is a disorder/s that relates to all of the heart and circulatory system. Heart disease can refer to damage in the heart’s lining, valves, muscle, arteries, or electrical system. A person can often suffer from several types of cardiovascular (heart) disorders at the same time. Or there may be several different problems related to a single underlying cause.

A person can be born with a diseased heart, or develop heart disease. Some risk factors leading to heart disease are controllable such as smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise. Other risk factors are not controllable such as a persons age, gender and ethnicity.

Healthy arteries are flexible and like elastic. An aneurysm is where the hearts artery loses its elasticity. Instead of keeping its smooth cylindrical shape, the artery may develop a bulge. Having lost its elasticity and strength the damaged artery may rupture. It is like when a balloon explodes after someone puts in too much air.

Angina is a symptom of myocardial ischemia, usually caused by coronary atherosclerosis. Patients will feel chest pressure and acute shortness of breath.

Arrhythmia is any deviation from or disturbance of a normal hearts rhythm. The basic rhythm of the heart is a regulated process designed to insure efficiency and optimal
performance. It is a dynamic process that changes according to the metabolic needs of the body. The cardiac rhythm involves several different small and large structures within the normal heart.

Atherosclerosis is also known as “hardening of the arteries”. It is caused by the gradual buildup of fats, cholesterol and other materials in the arteries. This build up causes the artery to narrow and become less flexible. Arteries loose elasticity as a natural part of the aging process. However, poor diet and smoking speed up this process.

A Congenital heart is when a heart develops a problem from before birth. Often this is such things as a hole in the heart. These problems usually develop before anyone is aware that they exist. Heart defects can have a wide degree of severity. There are simple problems such as holes between the chambers of the heart to extreme malformations such as the complete absence of one or more chambers or valves within the heart.

Anyone can have a child with a congenital heart defect. Statistics have shown that out of one thousand births, eight babies will have some form of congenital heart disorder, most of which are mild. If some family members have already had a baby with a heart defect, the risk of having a baby born with a heart disease may well be higher.

This is something that most of the time cannot be predicted. The main reason defects occur is presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been discovered that have been linked to the presence of heart defects. Rarely the ingestion of some drugs and the occurrence of some infections during pregnancy can cause defects.

Most heart defects in children are congenital. They are usually but not always diagnosed early in life. There are rare case where hear disease in children is not congenital. This type of heart disease is called acquired; examples include Kawasaki disease and rheumatic fever. Children also can be born with or develop heart rate problems such as slow, fast, or irregular heart beats, known as “arrhythmias”.

Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some babies are blue or have very low blood pressure shortly after birth. Other defects
may cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain.