Meylani Keanbhever: Disease In Circulatory System

Disease In Circulatory System

Disease in Circulatory Organs

1. Angina

- Angina Symptoms

In a condition like this, you are likely to experience pain in the center of the chest, which may also travel into the neck, jaw, and arms (especially the left, where you heart is situated). Angina pain is usually described as a crushing or heavy or gripping pain. It mostly follows exercise, but may also be triggered by emotion, digesting a heavy meal, or going out in a cold wind. Sometimes you may also feel breathless.

- Causes of Angina

Angina is rather similar to a cramp in a muscle during vigorous exercise. This is generally caused because the muscles of the heart do not receive enough oxygen (via the blood) for the work they are performing. This may also be because the blood vessels that supply the heart muscles with oxygen may have become narrowed; this may also be due to high cholesterol. The main cause of narrowing of the blood vessels besides other things is age; however, cigarette smoking accelerates this as well. To a lesser extent people who are obese (overweight), along with diabetics are also at a greater risk.

- Angina Treatment

If you think you have angina pectoris you should consult your doctor. He may well prescribe some tablets to suck under your tongue (these are however cheaper to buy over the counter), or the same medication as a spray (this has a longer shelf life than the tablets which only last two months after opening). They work by opening the blood vessels, and as a result may give a side effect of throbbing headache. If this happens you can spit out the tablet as it will already be working on the blood vessels. Should you suffer from this side effect, persevere as it usually wears off after the first two or three tablets.

Angina usually lasts no longer than ten minutes, and if you get it you should stop what you are doing and take one of the tablets or a puff of the spray under your tongue. If an activity always seems to bring it on then it is wise to take the treatment before you start. If you are suffering frequently you should consult your doctor as he will probably wish to consider preventative treatment, which will involve regular tablets.

If your symptoms are not controlled by drugs and also if the tests suggest it, your doctor may refer you to a heart specialist (cardiologist) for consideration of further treatment. It is likely that at this stage you would have a test to show up the blood vessels, which supply oxygen to the heart muscle.

Further treatment is not necessary except in quite advanced cases and involves either using a tube to enlarge the blood vessels where they are narrowed or bypassing the blood vessels with alternative vessels.

2. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

- Causes of Hypertension

The most common causes of high blood pressure are smoking, genetic disorders, unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle, mental stress, being overweight, lack of rest to the body and excessive salt consumption. Moreover, disorders related to the metabolism of the body and consumption of caffeine in larger amounts are also found to be contributing to high blood pressure.

- Symptoms of Hypertension

The reason most people do not realize that they have this condition is the absence of any symptoms. In some cases, the condition may reach critically high levels, but still may not show any warning signs whatsoever. There are a few people who may experience dull headaches, dizziness, and frequent nosebleeds, at any early stage of the condition. But even these symptoms of hypertension do not occur until the condition has become a fatal threat for the affected person.

Because of the asymptomatic nature of high blood pressure, it is imperative to understand the importance of regular health check-ups. A measure of low than 120/80 (where, 120 is the systolic blood pressure and 80 is the diastolic blood pressure), is considered to be normal. 140/90 or higher is considered to be the condition of hypertension. In some people, the reading may fluctuate between 120/80 to 140/90. This condition is known as prehypertension.

- Treatment for Hypertension

Treatment for high blood pressure involves use of different kinds of medications and lifestyle changes. At home, it is also important for the patient to be aware of the ways to reduce high blood pressure. Some of them are to inculcate a healthy low-sodium diet plan, go for regular exercises, limiting alcohol intake, avoiding smoking, managing stress, and keep a check on the blood pressure level. And this concludes my article on etiology of hypertension. Hope you have enough information.

3. Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)

- Causes of Hypotension

There are several reasons which can lead to drop in blood pressure level. Some of them are harmless condition and others are caused due to serious health complications. When there is some kind of heart problem such as low heart rate, valve problems, congestive heart failure, etc., sufficient blood is not circulated throughout the body which results in low blood pressure. Besides, thyroid problems, liver diseases, overdose of hypertension medications, low blood sugar in diabetes patients, nutritional deficiency, side effects of medicines, severe allergic reaction are some of the other major causes of low blood pressure. Signs of low blood pressure in women during pregnancy is quite common in the first two trimesters. This happens due to expansion of circulatory system during this period. Even small children may experience sudden drop in blood pressure due to dehydration, excessive blood loss and after standing for a long time.

- Symptoms Hypotension

When there is a drop in the blood pressure, its effect can be first observed in the functioning of the brain. In normal condition, the blood moves against the pull of gravity in order to reach out to the brain. If the blood pressure is low, then sufficient blood fails to reach the brain. As a result, minor low blood pressure signs start showing up. They are: dizzy feeling, lightheadedness, feeling of faintness nausea, blurry vision, fatigue, and pale skin which turns cold and clammy. These hypotension symptoms would disappear as soon as blood supply to the brain is restored.

Signs of low blood pressure in children are usually observed for a brief period of time. They are mainly triggered by fatigue and tiredness. If it is after standing under the sun, dehydration symptoms like excessive thirsty feelings often accompany dizziness and fainting. The signs of low blood pressure during pregnancy show up occasionally particularly after standing up quickly or due to physical exertion, empty stomach. However, in case, dizziness persists for longer time and headache, impaired speech and loss of consciousness occur, then it is an emergency situation.

- Treatment for Hypotension

The treatment for low blood pressure is largely based upon the underlying cause. Low blood pressure signs during pregnancy should never be taken lightly. One must lie down or sit down and take rest as soon as dizziness sets in. Lying on the left side is advisable as it increases blood flow and improves blood supply to the brain. If the lightheaded sensation refuse to go and tends to get aggravated with time, then call for medical help. Children with low blood pressure symptoms mostly do not require any medicinal treatment. Doctors advise them to drink plenty of water and increase salt intake in order to raise blood pressure. When it is triggered by some medicines, then the specific medicine is either changed or its dosage is lowered. To treat low blood pressure in adults and elderly, suitable medicines are given to increase the blood volume of the body. As a result, blood pressure will rise to the normal level.

4. Heart Attack

- Heart Attack Cause

High blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking habbit, obesity, lack of exercise, diabetes, and heredity

- Heart Attack Symptoms

Classic heart attack signs and symptoms include chest pain, which may keep on increasing in its occurrence, and a kind of squeezing pain that seems to originate from the center of the chest, lasting for a more than a few minutes. Also, the pain that originates in a heart attack does not remain localized. Instead, it tends to radiate to the areas of the shoulder, arm, back, and sometimes even to the teeth and jaw. The feeling of pain in the upper abdomen, if accompanied by all these symptoms and has a prolonging effect, then it may be a sure indication of an approaching heart attack. Then comes shortness of breath, abnormal sweating, fainting, nausea and vomiting as the some other heart attack signs and symptoms.

Now as I was saying, signs of heart attack in men differ from those that occur in women, in some respects. As you can infer from the above explanation, chest pain is regarded to be the most pronounced sign of a heart attack. However, a study conducted on a number of women (more than 500) showed that about 43% of the total figure, experienced no chest pain, before they were hit by a heart attack. Common heart attack signs and symptoms which may be typical in females include dizziness or lightheadedness and abnormal fatigue. Abdominal pain or heartburn may also be present as other common heart attack signs in women.

- Heart Attack Treatment

Heart attack treatment is influenced by the severity of the heart attack symptoms in women or in men. It mainly focuses on restoring the blood flow to the heart, as soon as possible. For this, the patient might be treated with medications that fight blood clotting, drugs which help dissolve blood clots and some medicines which are known to stop the formation of new blood clots. Then, there are some other medications such as those which help make the blood less sticky, pain relievers, beta blockers to help relax the heart muscles, and cholesterol lowering medications. In addition to these, some patients might have to undergo surgical procedures to reduce the fatality of the condition.

So this does it for some quick info on heart attack signs and symptoms in men and women. It must be kept in mind that not everyone will experience such signs and symptoms, and of the same degree. You may not be aware but some people do not even have any signs before they are afflicted with an attack. However, it is always wise to know all the possible symptoms which can indicate the approach of a heart attack.

5. Anemia

- Causes

Anemia is caused essentially through two basic pathways. Anemia is either caused:

1. By a decrease in production of red blood cell or hemoglobin, or

2. By a loss or destruction of blood.

- Symptoms

Some people with anemia have no symptoms. Other people with anemia may feel:

· Tired,

· Fatigue easily,

· Appear pale,

· Develop palpitations (feeling of heart racing), and

· Become short of breath.