Coronary Artery Disease

Arteries are tough elastic tubes or blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. As arteries moves away from heart, they further divide into smaller vessels. Arteries carry oxygen rich blood away from the heart and on the other hand veins return blood to it.

Normally, arteries have three layers. The inner layer consists of a thin lining of smooth endothelial cells that are backed by fibers and also supports components. It is surrounds by a layer of muscle, which in turn is surrounded by connective tissue cells.

The largest arteries are as thick as human thumb and the thinner arteries are as thin as hair. These thinner arteries are called arterioles. Arteries have thick outer walls and also thick layers of muscles and elastic fibers.

Arteriosclerosis, often called hardening of the arteries also, this is a term which is used to describe a variety of conditions where the artery walls have thickened and lost elasticity. Atherosclerosis is one type of arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is caused by fatty deposits accumulating on the inner lining of the arteries. Other arteriosclerosis conditions occur from calcification of the artery walls, or wall thickening as a result of high blood pressure.

There are four different types of arteries that are coronary, renal, carotid and mesenteric.

Surveys about arteries

A research concludes that women who are used to drink tea are 60% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as compared to non tea drinkers. Another survey concludes that 50 men and women having coronary artery disease drink black tea for 8 weeks. They drank four cups of either water or tea a day for four weeks. The arteries of a healthy person release the chemical called nitric oxide which causes the artery to dilate. People with coronary artery disease produce less nitric oxide and thus the arteries do not dilate normally. The study revealed tea reverses this abnormality while drinking water had no effect.

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Diagnosis

To check if you may have heart health problems, your general practitioner can run several tests to be sure. Many people avoid getting tested in advance because they fear invasive pokes and prods, but most of these screening tests are very non-invasive. For instance, one test, which is a “stress test,” has you walking on a treadmill for a specific interval of time through several intensity levels, while an IV-injected tracer moves through the blood, indicating possible obstructions or strain.

Another test, the EKG, simply monitors your heart rhythms through electrical wires with adhesive ends stuck to your chest, arms and legs. An “Echocardiogram” is simply an ultrasound image taken of your chest, which is as painless as a photograph.

Most people are familiar with the usual hypertension/blood pressure test done with a cuff around your bicep. The most invasive test, which is recommended for people with a genetic predisposition, is the “Catheriterization,” which is a small tube inserted into the artery and measures the pressure within the heart.  Detailed pictures are then taken. This information shows the health of the heart muscle, blood flow and the heart’s pumping ability.

A Coronary Angiography is another popular invasive procedure that inserts dye into the blood vessels of the heart, an x-ray picture is taken. It can show problems or blockages of the heart’s blood vessels.

Cholesterol levels can be tested using a blood test at a medical centre. However the cholesterol test results are used, not so much as to diagnose or to monitor a disease, but to evaluate the individual’s risk for heart disease.

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Causes

Doctors cannot agree on the number one cause of heart disease, so you will have to evaluate the evidence yourself and determine your own risk/reward ratio. Smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol are usually in the forefront of any study.

The chemicals in cigarettes can damage artery walls, thereby making it easier for cholesterol deposits to build blood-blocking deposits on the artery walls. Smoking also makes platelets, the component of blood that causes clotting and carries oxygen, to be more active, thus increasing the risks of blood clots that cause heart attacks and storks.

A body needs cholesterol and can actually produce all it needs, so when we ingest foods high in cholesterols, like dairy and meat products, our bodies get a lot more cholesterol than they need. The body saves cholesterol instead of excreting it, and that cholesterol gets stored along the walls of the arteries. Too many cholesterol deposits lead to artery blockage and clots.

Having a large numbers of large HDL particles correlates with better health and it is commonly called “good cholesterol”. Having a large number of LDL particles in the blood is commonly called “bad cholesterol”. However, as today’s testing methods determine LDL (“bad”) and HDL (“good”) cholesterol separately, this simplistic view has become somewhat outdated.

High blood pressure is also thought to be a major cause of heart disease. Give this a try. Plug you nose and breath through you mouth. No problem right? Now put something about the size of a garden hose in you mount and breath through that. It is harder to get enough oxygen but it is still not unreasonable. Not try breathing through a straw. You will not be able to do this for every long before you have to give up.

Your arteries are narrowed because of all that cholesterol stored on the walls of the arteries. But your body needs the same amount of oxygen that is supplied by the blood that is always has. Your heart has to pump harder and faster to give the body what it needs. As you arteries become narrower and narrower your heat has to work harder and harder. Sooner or later something has got to give.

Obesity is another factor that can cause heart disease. Often obesity comes with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Since there are more areas that need blood because of the increased size of someone suffering from obesity the heart must work harder to supply the needs of the body.

Stress is also associated with heart disease. But unless your parents are stressing you out enough to cause a heart attack, they are not the cause of heart disease.

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Symptoms

Coronary artery disease, a heart attack, angina, a malfunctioning heart valve and congestive heart failure each have different symptoms, although some may overlap. The symptoms you experience depend on the type and severity of your heart condition.

Coronary heart disease may have symptoms that include

• heaviness,

• tightness,

• pressure,

• and/or pain in your chest.

A heart attack, or myocardial infarction may include symptoms that include

• Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulders, neck, arms, or jaw.

• Severe pressure, fullness, squeezing, pain and/or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes.

• Indigestion, bloating, burping and irregular pulse.

• Chest pain that increases in intensity, not relieved by rest.

• and/or sweating, paleness, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or fainting, weakness or fatigue.

Congestive Heart failure symptoms may include

• weight gain

• swelling of legs and ankless

• shortness of breath,

• fatigue,

• loss of appetite

• nausea,

• persistent cough.

A malfunctioning heart valve has symptoms that may include

• chest pain

• palpitations

• shortness of breath

• fatigue

• migraines and dizziness

Angina is when a part of the heart is not receiving enough blood.

Symptoms may include

• squeezing or crushing pain in the chest

• pain in the arms, shoulders, jaw, neck and back.

It is very important to learn the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.  Quick action can save lives. If you suspect that you, or a loved one, have any of the symptoms discussed consult a medical practitioner promptly.

Courtesy: Betty Hart

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Heart Disease

Heart disease or cardiovascular disease is the leading health problem in the Western world claiming more than one million lives annually. Heart disease is when the heart and blood vessels fail to maintain the minimal amount of blood circulation throughout the body due to the narrowing of blood vessels.

Heart health contributes to health longevity because it affects not only the body but also the mind, and therefore has a long-term role in anti-aging.

Different Types of Heart Disease:

Coronary heart disease, or coronary artery disease is the accumulation of fatty deposits along the coronary arteries. The fatty deposits may have developed in your childhood, and continue to thicken and enlarge throughout your adult lifespan. That thickening narrows your arteries and can decrease or block the flow of blood to your heart.

The blockage is often a result of a buildup of cholesterol and other fatty substances, which obstruct the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart, thus reducing the flow to the rest of your body.

If the blood and oxygen supply is cut off severely or for a long period, the muscle cells of your heart may suffer damage and even die, the result of which is dysfunction of the muscles of your heart in the area affected by the lack of oxygen supply.

Heart health contributes to health longevity because it affects not only the body but also the mind, and therefore has a long-term role in anti-aging.

Congestive Heart failure is another type of heart disease. It is when the heart is not supplying the other organs of the body with enough oxygenated blood, and can be the result of high blood pressure, high sodium intake, heart valve disease, previous heart attacks ,to name a few.

Yet another type of cardiovascular disease can be the result of malfunctioning heart valve. When the heart valves malfunction, it prevents the flow of blood in and out of the heart. This is called Heart Valve Disease. This can be due to damage from a previous heart attack.

Angina is when a part of the heart is not receiving enough blood. It is identified by recurring chest pain. It is a symptom of coronary heart disease.

Doctors must diagnose correctly if one is to receive proper and beneficial treatment for heart disease. Some common methods for diagnosing heart disease are, electrocardiogram(EKG), where a set of sensory pads are placed on strategic areas of your chest and a record of the heart’s beating patterns are recorded.

Another method is the Stress Electrocardiogram(Stress EKG), where one is put under physical stress , like running on a treadmill, where abnormalities in the beat of the heart are recorded.

Angiocardiography is another method which is used to diagnose the condition of the arteries. A catheter is inserted into the artery and dye is released into the blood stream. Blockages and other abnormalities are discovered on a monitor, by observing the dye flowing through the arteries.

It is always best to have a heart check up every year as part of the normal annual check up regardless of age, as heart disease can strike at any time.

Courtesy: Betty Hart

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