Heart Diseases as the Major Causes of Death - Essay Example

?Introduction There are several types of diseases affecting the heart and collectively they are called ‘heart diseases’ or cardiovascular diseases, broad terms denoting all the different sicknesses touching on the different components of the heart. Heart diseases are the major causes of death, especially in the US where over 700,000 heart disease allied deaths occurred in 1978 (Ottoboni and Ottoboni 2002, p.7). Types of heart diseases include the Coronary heart disease (CHD), Angina pectoris, Congestive heart failure, Cardiomyopathy, Congenital heart disease, Arrhythmias, and Myocarditis. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the treatment, causes, and effects, in addition to symptoms, arguments, and examples of each of the types of heart diseases. Types of heart diseases Coronary heart disease is a condition in which the coronary blood vessels increasingly become unable to supply sufficient blood and oxygen due to a blockage caused by plague deposits (Gregson 2001, p.16); eventually, this results in a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. In addition to that, the Coronary heart disease results in intense chest pains, angina, and could eventually trigger a heart attack or devastating injury to the heart muscle. In this regard, common symptoms for coronary heart diseases include angina, pressure on the chest and other places such as arms, neck, back and jaws, in addition to a fatalistic shortness of breath (Chenzbraun 2010, p.9). Well-determined risk factors for the Coronary heart disease include cigarette smoking, hypertension, alcoholism, diabetes, and obesity, in addition to family history, stress, lack of adequate exercise, and hyperlipidemia. The treatments for Coronary heart disease include lifestyle changes such as smoking and alcohol cessation, medications such as statins, nitroglycerin, and aspirin, which lowers risk of recurrence (Pampel and Pauley 2004, p.57); in addition, other treatments available are surgical operations such as the coronary artery bypass or heart transplant and non-surgical operations such as the coronary angioplasty using stents. Angina pectoris is a warning sign for heart attack; also known as angina, it is a medical term for the chest pain that follows insufficient supply of blood to the heart. There are different types of angina, with different intervals of pain ranging from just a few seconds to several minutes, and each one of them has different causes and risk factors as well. For instance, stable angina presents with chest discomfort and allied symptoms triggered by some activity such as running but minimal or non-existent at rest or with medication, while unstable angina is very severe and occurs with minimal exertion, with a crescendo pattern, Micro-vascular angina presents with chest pains too, but unlike the other two, its causes are unknown. Common symptoms of angina pectoris include chest discomfort, a sort of pressure or heaviness sensation, in addition to referred pains in such areas as the upper central abdomen section, including the back, neck, jaws, or shoulders; some people may also present with autonomic symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and pallor. Major risk factors for angina pectoris include cigarette smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and an inactive lifestyle, in addition to family history of premature heart disease; the most common treatment for angina is nitro-glycerine, a potent vasodilator that supplies more oxygen to the heart muscle. Congestive heart failure denotes the condition whereby the heart becomes unable to supply a sufficient amount of blood to the rest of the body due to fatty plaques (Caldwell 2007, p.6), resulting in a reduced oxygen supply to the body tissues. Symptoms for heart failure include shortness of breath, a swelling of the legs, and intolerance of exertion or exercise, while common causes of the condition include coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, in addition to all other conditions that overwork the heart such as hypertension, valve, kidney and thyroid diseases, and diabetes. Treatment for heart failure largely depends on the severity and cause, but generally, it entails lifestyle changes such as smoking or drinking cessation, light exercises, dietary changes and medications such as diuretics and cardiac glycosides (Morganroth 1987, p.4). Cardiomyopathy is a condition that results in the weakening of heart muscle or a change in the muscle structure due to inadequate heart pumping because of several predisposing factors such as high blood pressure, alcoholism, viral infections, and genetic disorders. Common symptoms of Cardiomyopathy include breathlessness, and swelling of the legs, in addition to dangerous forms of irregular heartbeats, in addition to chest pains, and the most common form of Cardiomyopathy is dilated cardiomyopathy. Treatment for Cardiomyopathy depends on the type and condition of the disease, but generally, it entails medication or iatrogenic pacemakers for slow heart rates, defibrillators for irregular heartbeats, ventricular assist devices for severe heart failure, or ablation for recurring dysrhythmias. Congenital heart disease, also known as congenital heart defect or disorder, is a type of heart illness that children are born with; congenital heart disease, therefore, causes the formation of abnormalities in the heart due to a defect in the structure of the heart or its functioning or both. This condition results in the production of certain sounds from the heart known as heart murmur (Lemura and Duvillard 2004, p.151); symptoms include shortness of breath, severe chest pain, and sudden onset of rapid heart action (Selzer 1992, p.27). Congenital heart disease is attributable to both genetic causes such as focal mutations or deletion or addition of DNA segments, and environmental or antenatal factors such as maternal infections such as Rubella, drugs such as alcohol, and maternal illnesses such as diabetes, among others. Treatment for this condition includes surgery and/or medications such as diuretics, which assist the body to eliminate water, salts and digoxin strengthening heart contractions; most patients require a lifelong specialized heart care. Arrhythmias is a heart condition that denotes a disorder in the rhythmic motion of the heartbeat as a result of a short circuit in the heart’s electrical system, resulting in irregular heartbeats that can either be slow or fast. Symptoms for Arrhythmias include abnormal palpitations that may be frequent, infrequent or continuous, dizziness, or fainting, and cardiac arrest in severe cases; common treatment for this condition includes medicines, medical procedures, and surgery. Myocarditis, the most uncommon type of heart disease, refers to the inflammation of the heart muscle due to viral, fungal, and bacterial infections affecting the heart; symptoms for myocarditis include chest pain, congestive heart failure, and palpitations, among others. Causes of myocarditis include viruses especially in Europe and North America, but Chagas’ disease, an illness prevalent in the Central and South America due to infection by the protozoan Tryopanasoma Cruz, is the common cause world over. Symptomatic treatment by digoxin and diuretics is the only form of therapy that is effective for myocarditis, in addition to supportive therapy and adequate bed rest especially in acute phase. Common arguments concerning heart diseases centre on the potential risk factors and prevalence; for instance, it is argued that changing lifestyles are largely responsible for the sudden increase in the prevalence of heart diseases today; people are often less active, and they tend to eat diets that are high in fats, especially in take away foods. Exercises have also been regarded essential in reducing the prevalence of heart diseases because they help to keep the heart in utmost performance. Overall, heart disease is a broad term denoting all the illnesses affecting the different components of the heart, and they include Coronary heart disease (CHD), Angina pectoris, Congestive heart failure, Cardiomyopathy, Congenital heart disease, Arrhythmias, and Myocarditis. Statistical evidence proves that coronary heart disease is the most prevalent type of heart disease in the world, while myocarditis is the least frequently occurring, but just as fatal as the rest. Common causes for heart diseases include cigarette smoking, hypertension, alcoholism, diabetes, and obesity, family history, stress, and lack of adequate exercise, among other risk factors, while treatment includes medications and surgery. Reference List Caldwell B. E., 2007. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven. New York: Penguin Group. Chenzbraun A., 2010. Heart Disease. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Gregson S. R., 2001. Heart Disease: Perspectives on disease and illness. Minnesota: Capstone Press. Lemura L. M., and Duvillard S. P., 2004. Clinical Exercise Physiology: Application and Physiological Principles. Philadelphia. Lippincot Williams and Wilkins. Morganroth J., 1987. Congestive Heart Failure. Boston: Martinus Nijhof Publishing. Ottoboni F., and Ottoboni A., 2002. The Modern Nutritional Diseases and how to prevent them: heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. New York: amazon.com. Pampel F. C., and Pauley S., 2004. Progress against Heart Disease. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. Selzer A., 1992. Understanding Heart Disease. California. University of California Press. Read More