Congestive Heart Failure - Essay Example

Congestive Heart Failure Introduction Homeostasis is a Greek word that stands for staying the same or remaining stable. The human body handles a substantial number of complex interactions to sustain balance or maintain body systems to run within an average range (Cheraskin 2). Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) refers to the inability of the heart to provide sufficient blood circulation to meet the desires of the body. It is also known as Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF) (Silver 4). Cardiac failure can bring several symptoms including leg swelling, shortness of breath as well as exercise fanaticism. The state is diagnosed with blood tests and echocardiography. Treatment consists of lifestyle actions, for instance, light exercise including breathing protocols, smoking cessation, decreased salt ingestion and other nutritional adjustments and prescriptions. Sometimes it is treated with implanted devices such as pacemakers, ventricular assist devices or a heart transplant. This paper will discuss the how the kidney and liver work so as to prevent heart failure and how things go awry in the body due to a disruption of homeostasis. How the Kidney and the Liver Work The Kidneys The kidneys refer to a pair of fundamental organs that carry out many functions to keep blood chemically balanced and clean. Considering how the kidneys function they assist a person to keep them fit. Kidneys are bean-shaped like organs. They are situated beneath the rib cage near the center of the back. One is on either sides of the backbone. The kidneys are complicated reprocessing organs. Each day, a human’s kidneys create almost 200 quarts of blood to sieve out almost two quarts of waste products and additional water (Silver 67). The wastes and additional water turn into urine, which transfers to the bladder in blood tubes referred to as ureters. The bladder keeps urine in order to release it through urination. Wastes in the blood originate from the breakdown of lively tissues, for example, from food and muscles. The human body utilizes food for self-repairs and energy. After the human body has used what it wants from food, wastes are directed to the blood. If the kidneys did not remove these wastes, they would increase in the blood and harm the body. The elimination of wastes takes place in tiny units, in the kidneys, referred to as nephrons. Each kidney has almost one million nephrons (Schulkin 56). The nephron has tiny blood vessels referred to as the glomerulus. The glomerulus intertwines with a small urine-collecting tube known as the tubule. It is a sieving unit, or a filter that maintains normal cells and proteins in the bloodstream, letting wastes and extra fluid pass through. A complex chemical exchange occurs as water and waste materials leave the blood and get into the urinary system. The Liver This organ is the one of the largest body organs. It is second to the skin which is the largest organ. The liver is like an observant bouncer protecting the red at the entrance of a fashionable nightclub referred to as “Your Body”. The liver ensures that the correct elements enter the body and the wrong ones are eradicated. The liver imposes its harsh principles for quality health using an intricate of immensely complicated cells. These cells are intended to transform, synthesize or detoxify nutrients as well as other chemicals in the human blood. The liver is connected to the digestive tract through a multifaceted system of blood vessels. It acquires nutrition from food in the intestines and modifies the food into essential nutrients such as fats, proteins plus vitamins. The liver also stores sugars, carbohydrates and vitamins so that the body can have a ready supply during desperate times. It contains and changes iron as well as iron-related molecules to heme, the chief oxygen, conveying molecule in red blood cells (Schulkin 67). No wonder the kidney, immune system, digestive tract, brain, sex hormones and the cardiovascular system are all reliant on a healthy liver. Considering how a healthy liver works is vital to know what happens to the body when diseases like heart failure and hepatitis C stop the liver from performing its task. The liver cells, referred to as hepatocytes, are assembled into cordlike formations that are divided by the sinusoids. The sinusoids and hepatocytes are contained in lobules, small six-sided constructions that are almost one-fifth of an inch broad. All lobule are dense because they contain blood vessels. A vein runs through the lobule’s center and is then connected to the sinusoids. Six or seven extra blood vessels also gather around each lobule. These vessels include the hepatic artery that connects the liver to the heart and branches of the portal veins that connect it to the digestive tract (Silver 34). How Things Go Awry In the Body Due To a Disruption of Homeostasis The human body handles a vast number of complex interactions to sustain balance or return systems to run within an average range. These exchanges inside the body assist compensatory changes that are helpful of psychological and physical functioning. This process is necessary to the survival of an individual. The kidneys, the liver, as well as the brain help, maintain homeostasis. They are also known as the autonomic nervous system, the hypothalamus and the endocrine system respectively. The liver is accountable for metabolizing deadly matter and sustaining carbohydrate metabolism. The kidneys are accountable for controlling blood water levels, re-absorption of matter into the blood, upholding of salt as well as ion levels in the blood. Other functions include regulating the level of pH in the blood, excretion of urea and other wastes. An incapability to preserve homeostasis may lead to a disease or death, a state referred to as homeostatic imbalance. For example, heart failure may take place when negative feedback devices become plagued, and unhelpful positive feedback devices take over. Other illnesses, which occur due to homeostatic imbalance comprise of diabetes, hypoglycemia, dehydration, gout and hyperglycemia. It can also lead to any illness caused by the existence of a poison in the blood. Medical attention can help out in restoring homeostasis and probably prevent lasting damage to the organs (Cheraskin 70). Heart failure is an everyday problem for people with kidney and liver diseases. Heart failure has gone down in the United States over the past three decades. However, patients with chronic kidney illnesses have not benefited from the same drop in the chances of developing heart failure. Individuals who have high blood pressure, smoke, high cholesterol, diabetes, are overweight or have had an earlier heart attack are at the greatest risk of getting a heart illness. Congealing of the arteries is the most common cause of heart failure. This process begins with fat deposits in the arteries and might start at an early age, even in individuals without kidney illness. Sooner or later, the fat deposits that carry calcium will create plaques that may block tiny arteries, such as those in the brain, kidneys and the heart. Many factors add to congealing of the arteries. High blood pressure is one of the factors. It is a renowned factor that leads to heart failure. Pressure in the blood is accounted with two figures (Silver 40). The top figure is the systolic pressure, and the bottom figure is the diastolic pressure in the blood. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures raise the possibility of heart failure when they are too high, mostly in people who have diabetes, smoke or have abnormal cholesterol. A blood pressure of 130/85 is typical, and it is suggested for patients younger than 65 years old. Attaining, a regular blood pressure, should be the aim of therapy. For individuals over the age of 65 years, the chances of heart failure are even greater than the chances of heart attack. Hence, a blood pressure of 140/90 is recommended. Patients, who have decreased kidney function or protein in their urine, can enjoy an even lower blood pressure of 125/75. A low blood pressure as this is thought to hold up kidney damage in people who already suffer from kidney illness (Silver 45). Conclusion An incapability to uphold homeostasis may cause a disease or death, a condition recognized as homeostatic imbalance. Heart failure may take place when negative feedback devices become plagued and destructive positive feedback devices take over. Other illnesses, which arise as a result of homeostatic imbalance, include dehydration, diabetes, hypoglycemia, gout, hyperglycemia and any illness caused by the existence of toxins in the blood. Massage assists the body to maintain homeostasis (Schulkin 80). The effects of massage on the circulatory, lymphatic and other systems, puts the human body in a superior position to maintain homeostasis, or its capability of regulating its inner surroundings. Massage also helps in escalating the body's flexibility. Failure of flexibility in the body affects its ability to preserve homeostasis. Anxiety affects the body’s capability of adjusting to fresh challenges, and upholds flexibility. Massage boosts the body's range of motion as well as flexibility. In conclusion, the greatest way to stop heart failure is to apply healthy lifestyle habits that lessen a person’s chances of getting a heart problem. It is also vital to find out if a person can have any risk factors that add to heart failure, like coronary artery disease or high blood pressure. A lot of patients with heart failure can successfully be cured, with a percutaneous coronary intervention. Works Cited Cheraskin, Emanuel. Human Health and Homeostasis: Body Balance, Measuring and Mapping the Steady State. New York: Clayton College/Natural Reader Press, 1999. Print. Schulkin, Jay. Rethinking Homeostasis: Allostatic Regulation in Physiology and Pathophysiology. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print. Silver, Marc. Success with Heart Failure: Help and Hope for Those with Congestive Heart Failure. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2002. Print. Read More