Disease Focus: Heart Conditions

So I'm sure we've all heard that the leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. But what exactly does that mean? Most of us probably just equate it with heart attacks and don't give it any more thought than that. While that is one type of heart disease, there are many others, and many causes of each. The most common heart diseases are myocardial infarctions (fancy name for heart attack), ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, congestive heart failure, and even arrhythmias. I know that's a long list, so I'm going to break each one down a bit.

Heart attacks. I bet we all know someone whose had one. Some of them are relatively benign, more frightening than they are deadly. Others can be catastrophic and potentially fatal. In either case, the cause is the same. That cause is atherosclerosis, which is just a fancy word for plaque build up. And no, I'm not talking about the kind the dentists yell at you about. I'm talking about the kind that builds up in your arteries and narrows your blood vessels, restricting blood flow to and from the heart. This plaque is made of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin (a blood clotting agent). So how do we prevent plaque build up? Usually it's as simple as medication and lifestyles changes, also known as diet and exercise. The other common cause of heart attacks is blood clots, but again medication and lifestyle changes are the prescribed treatment.

Next on our lovely little list is strokes. There are two primary types of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes are more common, and occur when a blood vessel that feeds the brain is blocked, usually by a clot. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain completely bursts. In both cases, blood, and therefore oxygen, is not reaching the brain, causing neurons to die. Some strokes are more severe than others, just like heart attacks. Sometimes, someone who suffers a stroke can make a full recovery. However other times, they can be left with permanent and debilitating brain damage. It really depends on how much damage was done to the neurons, and that depends mostly on where the blockage/burst occurred and how long the brain went without blood and oxygen.

Moving right along, we're on to congestive heart failure. A common misconception about CHF is that the heart stops beating entirely. It doesn't, it's just not pumping blood as efficiently as it should be. That means that even though the heart is technically still working, the body isn't getting enough blood and oxygen. I don't think I have to tell you that that's bad.

Last on the list is arrhythmias. We've probably all heard of these and most of them are pretty harmless. However, just like in congestive heart failure, sometimes arrhythmias can lead to the body not getting the blood and oxygen it needs. There are many types of arrhythmias but the two common ones that actually pose some danger are the following: tachycardia and bradycardia. They are polar opposites. Tachycardia is when the heart beats too fast, meaning upwards of 100 beats per minute. Bradycardia is when the heart beats too slow, usually less than 60 beats per minute. Fortunately, arrhythmias can usually be treated with medication, but sometimes require a pacemaker.

If you want to learn more about any of these conditions, you can go to the website I used to compile this list, and follow the links they provide.

Link: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Resources/WhatisCardiovascularDisease/What-is-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_301852_Article.jsp#.WHL3grYrLVo