Transcript Heart Disease - Oldham Sixth Form College

By Atif and Fesser
Introduction
The
world population is 6.2 billion and growing
Last year 60 million people died
Circulatory diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke
were the biggest killer, killing 17 million people
Yet, at any one time the media tends to concentrate upon one or
two ‘fashionable illnesses’. The papers fill their pages with the news
of the latest ‘epidemic’ and the general public is expected to
react as if the great plague of 1665 were just around the corner.
In reality bird flu, ebola and CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) result
in a very small number of deaths each year, yet receive so much
media attention. Why don’t we concentrate upon minimizing the
risk of suffering from conditions such as heart disease and stroke
which affect so many of us each year?
What is heart disease?
Heart
disease is a general term for a wide variety of diseases and
conditions that affect the function of the heart.
Most of these conditions are caused by atherosclerosis (clogged
up arteries) by the build up of atheroma which are fatty deposits
that restrict blood flow through an artery as shown here.
This can lead to many problems associated
With the heart of which some are listed below:
Heart
attacks
Angina
Heart
pectoris
failure
Stroke
Heart attacks
A
heart attack is also known as myocardial infarction and is the sudden
death of part of the heart muscle due to a blockage of blood flow to a
portion of the heart.
People
suffering a heart attack may experience symptoms such as
severe chest pain, sweating, nausea, weakness and shortness of breath.
This is because without good blood flow, the heart muscle is starved of
oxygen and begins to die.
A
heart attack most commonly happens when a blood vessel that
brings blood to the heart is suddenly blocked by a blood clot. Even
though heart attacks usually come on suddenly there are the result of a
process called atherosclerosis that took years to develop.
A
heart attack usually occurs over several hours and fast action in
seeking professional help is vital in restoring blood flow to the heart and
preventing or reducing the amount of permanent damage done.
Stroke
A
stroke is a ‘brain attack’ that happens when a part of the brain
experiences a problem with blood flow. The disruption in blood flow cuts
off the supply of oxygen to the cells in that particular part of the brain
and therefore these cells begin to die.
Damage to the brain can cause loss of speech, vision, or movement in
an arm or leg, depending on the part of the brain that is affected.
There are two main types of stroke; stroke caused by a blockage in the
artery supplying blood to a particular region of the brain (cerebral
infarction) or stroke caused by bleeding within the brain (intracerebral
hemorrhage).
About 85% of all strokes occur because of a lack of blood reaching a
particular part of the brain. Blood flow stops when an artery carrying
blood to the brain becomes blocked, resulting in a stroke. Clots are
more likely to form in arteries that are damaged by atherosclerosis,
hence it increases the chance of a stroke.
A stroke is very serious as cells in the brain that become damaged
cannot be repaired or regenerated. 15% of people that have a stroke
die shortly after having it.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms are dependant on the cause, severity and type of heart
disease. Some signs and symptoms include:
Chest
pain
Cough
Cyanosis, or a bluish discolouration of the skin
Enlarged veins in the neck
Loss of appetite and loss of weight
Palpitations or an unusual awareness of the heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Weakness and fatigue
Swelling in the legs and ankles
Risk factors & causes
Everyone has a certain degree of developing heart disease or stroke,
however certain risk factors increase the risk and are shown below:
Hypertension
(can cause heart enlargement, heart failure etc)
Diabetes
Smoking
Lack
of exercise
Obesity
High cholesterol level
Unhealthy diet
Excess alcohol consumption
A strong family history of atherosclerosis or coronary heart disease
Male gender
Some of the greater risk factors are discussed on the following slides.
Lack of exercise & alcohol
On average, the risk of developing heart disease is about a third less in
people who exercise compared to those who do not exercise. Having a
stroke is also less likely.
To gain health benefits and feel better you should do at least 30 minutes
of moderate exercise in a day and at least 5 times in a week.
Excess consumption of alcohol leads to heart disease and related
illnesses. Some scientists believe that 1-2 units per day of alcohol can
help protect you from heart disease although this is a matter of
controversy.
Diet
Eating a healthy diet helps to control obesity and lower your cholesterol
level, both of which help reduce your health risk. Also there is some
evidence that eating oily fish such as sardines and salmon helps to
protect against heart disease. It is thought that the ‘omega-3 fatty
acids’ in the fish help to reduce the build up of atheroma leading to
atherosclerosis.
Briefly, a healthy diet means:
A
minimum of 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day.
The majority of most meals should be starch-based foods such as
cereals, bread and pasta.
A minimum of fatty foods such as fatty meats, cheeses, fried food,
butter etc.
Include 2-3 portions of fish each week, at least one should be oily.
If you eat meat, it is better to be lean meat, or poultry such as chicken.
If you do fry, choose a vegetable oil such as sunflower or olive oil.
Stress Mechanism
HPAC
HANSAM
The Stress Factor



Stress is a psychological factor
causing coronary heart disease
(CHD).
The release of the hormones
adrenaline and noradrenalin cause
high blood pressure, leading to
atherosclerosis.
A study by Friedman and
Rosenman found that 70% people
with hostile (type A) personalities
developed CHD later on in life.
Smoking


Lifetime smoking roughly doubles
your risk of developing heart
disease. Your risk of having a stroke
and developing other diseases such
as lung cancer are also increased.
Smoking increases blood pressure
and tendency for blood to clot in
the arteries.

Smoking also decreases HDL (good)
cholesterol.

As a result it causes atherosclerosis.

Smoking is known to have caused
damage cerebrovascular system
e.g. strokes, especially to those
women taking contraceptive pills.