Circulatory System Diseases

• 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.”

• Mitral prolapse, stenosis, regurgitation- 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!

• Rheumatic Heart Disease- It is an inflammatory condition that mainly involves cardiac valves as a result of chronic history of untreated or poorly managed rheumatic fever. The condition is mainly associated with strep-throat infection that may lead to obstruction of the heart valves or insufficiency as a result of auto-immune destruction.

• Hypertension- Hypertension is the most common vascular disorder that has become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in all parts of the world. Hypertension occurs when the heart pump blood through the narrow vessels as a result of atherosclerosis or stiffening of arteries due to aging or inherited vascular conditions. The pumping through the narrowed vessel consistently increases the systolic and diastolic pressure above normal reference range. Increased work load of heart leads to damaged tissues and increases the risk of cardiac diseases, kidney diseases, aneurysms and stroke.

• Aortic Aneurysm-It is the abnormal dilatation of the aorta leading to the weakening of the walls. Large or fast growing aortic aneurysm can rupture that can lead to severe pain; massive internal bleeding and even death if not treated immediately.

• Deep Vein Thrombosis- Development of a blood clot as a result of stasis of blood or hypercoaguable state like pregnancy, Protein C and S deficiency and other factors in the deep veins of the leg is referred to as deep vein thrombosis. In most situations, the thrombus is asymptomatic and concealed but may also present with mild to moderate pain, discoloration and swelling in the affected area of leg. It usually develops during periods of prolonged immobility like orthopedic or spinal surgery, and hypercoagulable states. The most dreadful complication of DVT is the dislodgment of thrombus that may block pulmonary vessels leading to pulmonary embolism.

• Atherosclerosis- is a chronic vascular disease that may remain asymptomatic for many years leading to the hardening of the arteries due to the accumulation of fat, cholesterol, and other substances in the arterial walls. The condition usually affects medium and large arteries. If untreated the condition may lead to complete occlusion of the vessel leading to cessation of blood supply to the heart or brain. Smoking, alcohol, diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension increase the risk of atherosclerosis. 

• .Polyarteritis Nodosa-It is a serious inflammatory disease of unknown etiology affecting small to medium sized arteries, but latest research suggests a possible association with hepatitis B infection. Polyarteritis Nodosa is characterized by muscle and joint aches, fever, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss. Treatment modalities are mostly dependent on the extent of the illness, and the parts of the body involved. Most commonly used drugs are corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive therapies.

• Coronary Artery Disease- is one of the common vascular diseases marked by accumulation of atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary blood vessels. As the plaque thickens, secondary changes may take place like enlargement of size and calcification that may lead to complete occlusion of lumen of the coronary artery, resulting in inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle.

• Peripheral Vascular Disease- is also called peripheral artery disease. It is a vascular disorder marked by obstruction of large arteries of the legs and hands. It causes either acute or chronic ischemia due to atherosclerosis or inflammatory processes

• .Hypercholesterolemia- refers to high cholesterol level. There are mainly two types of cholesterol, one is low-density lipoproteins (LDL) that is not good for the body and other is high-density lipoproteins (HDL) that is considered good quality cholesterol because of its cardio-protective properties. Elevated LDL levels increase the risk for heart diseases and stroke.