Angina Pectoris: the Heart Killer
Introduction
In today's society, people are gaining medical knowledge at quite a fast pace. Treatments, cures, and vaccines for various diseases and disorders are being developed constantly, and yet, coronary disease remains the number one killer in the world. The media today concentrates intently on drug and alcohol abuse, homicides, AIDS, and so on. What a lot of people aren't realizing is that coronary disease actually accounts for about 80% of sudden deaths. In fact, the number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others combined. One of the symptoms of coronary disease is angina pectoris. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not take it seriously, and thus not realizing that it may lead to other complications, and even death.
The Human Heart In order to understand angina, one must know about our own heart. The human heart is a powerful muscle in the body which is worked the hardest. A double pump system, the heart consists of two pumps side by side, which pump blood to all parts of the body. It's steady beating maintains the flow of blood through the body day and night, year after year, nonstop from birth until death. The heart is a hollow, muscular organ slightly bigger than a person's clenched fist. It is located in the center of the chest, under the breastbone above the sternum, but it slightly slanted to the left giving people the impression that the heart is on the left side of the chest. The heart is divided into two halves, which are further divided into four chambers: the left atrium and ventricle, and the right atrium and ventricle. Each chamber on one side is separated from the other, by a valve, and it the closure of these valves that produce the "lubb-dubb" sound so familiar to us. Like any other organs in our body, the heart needs a supply of blood and oxygen, and coronary arteries supply them. There are two main
In today's society, people are gaining medical knowledge at quite a fast pace. Treatments, cures, and vaccines for various diseases and disorders are being developed constantly, and yet, coronary disease remains the number one killer in the world. The media today concentrates intently on drug and alcohol abuse, homicides, AIDS, and so on. What a lot of people aren't realizing is that coronary disease actually accounts for about 80% of sudden deaths. In fact, the number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others combined. One of the symptoms of coronary disease is angina pectoris. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not take it seriously, and thus not realizing that it may lead to other complications, and even death.
The Human Heart In order to understand angina, one must know about our own heart. The human heart is a powerful muscle in the body which is worked the hardest. A double pump system, the heart consists of two pumps side by side, which pump blood to all parts of the body. It's steady beating maintains the flow of blood through the body day and night, year after year, nonstop from birth until death. The heart is a hollow, muscular organ slightly bigger than a person's clenched fist. It is located in the center of the chest, under the breastbone above the sternum, but it slightly slanted to the left giving people the impression that the heart is on the left side of the chest. The heart is divided into two halves, which are further divided into four chambers: the left atrium and ventricle, and the right atrium and ventricle. Each chamber on one side is separated from the other, by a valve, and it the closure of these valves that produce the "lubb-dubb" sound so familiar to us. Like any other organs in our body, the heart needs a supply of blood and oxygen, and coronary arteries supply them. There are two main