What Is Heart Disease?
Heart Disease
• What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease is any disorder which affects the heart. Almost half of heart diseases are from coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is responsible for 82,000 deaths in the UK each year – an average of 224 people a day. o Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease affects the coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle itself with the glucose and oxygen that it requires for respiration.
• Atheroma
Atheroma is a fatty deposit that forms within the wall of an artery. It begins as fatty streaks that are accumulations of white blood cells that have taken up low density lipoproteins (LDLs). The streaks can enlarge to form an irregular patch, or atheromatous plaque. Atheromatous plaques most commonly occur in larger arteries and are made up of deposits of cholesterol, fibres and dead muscle cells. They bulge into the lumen of the artery, causing it to narrow so that the blood flow through it is reduced.
• …show more content…
Thrombosis
If an atheroma breaks through the lining (endothelium) of the blood vessel, it forms a rough surface that interrupts the otherwise smooth flow of blood.
This may result in the formation of a blood clot, or thrombus, in a condition known as thrombosis. The thrombus may block the blood vessel, reducing or preventing the supply of blood to tissues beyond it. The region of tissue deprived of blood often dies as a result of the lack of oxygen, glucose and other nutrients that the blood normally provides. Sometimes, the thrombus is carried from its place of origin and lodges in, and blocks, another
artery.
• Embolism
An embolism occurs when a blood clot breaks free and flows in the blood, and it can stop anywhere else in the body, which causes a blood clot. It is often the cause of some strokes.
• Aneurysm
Atheromas that lead to the formation of a thrombus also weaken the artery walls. These weakened points swell to form a balloon-like, blood-filled structure called an aneurysm. Aneurysms frequently burst, leading to haemorrhage and therefore loss of blood to the region of the body served by that artery. A brain aneurysm is known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke.
• Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
Myocardial infarction is caused by the reduced supply of oxygen to the muscle (myocardium) of the heart. It results from a blockage in the coronary arteries. If this occurs close to the junction of the coronary arteries and the aorta, the heart will stop beating because its blood supply will be completely cut off. If the blockage is further along the coronary artery, the symptoms will be milder, because a smaller area of muscle will suffer oxygen deprivation.
• What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease is any disorder which affects the heart. Almost half of heart diseases are from coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is responsible for 82,000 deaths in the UK each year – an average of 224 people a day. o Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease affects the coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle itself with the glucose and oxygen that it requires for respiration.
• Atheroma
Atheroma is a fatty deposit that forms within the wall of an artery. It begins as fatty streaks that are accumulations of white blood cells that have taken up low density lipoproteins (LDLs). The streaks can enlarge to form an irregular patch, or atheromatous plaque. Atheromatous plaques most commonly occur in larger arteries and are made up of deposits of cholesterol, fibres and dead muscle cells. They bulge into the lumen of the artery, causing it to narrow so that the blood flow through it is reduced.
• …show more content…
Thrombosis
If an atheroma breaks through the lining (endothelium) of the blood vessel, it forms a rough surface that interrupts the otherwise smooth flow of blood.
This may result in the formation of a blood clot, or thrombus, in a condition known as thrombosis. The thrombus may block the blood vessel, reducing or preventing the supply of blood to tissues beyond it. The region of tissue deprived of blood often dies as a result of the lack of oxygen, glucose and other nutrients that the blood normally provides. Sometimes, the thrombus is carried from its place of origin and lodges in, and blocks, another
artery.
• Embolism
An embolism occurs when a blood clot breaks free and flows in the blood, and it can stop anywhere else in the body, which causes a blood clot. It is often the cause of some strokes.
• Aneurysm
Atheromas that lead to the formation of a thrombus also weaken the artery walls. These weakened points swell to form a balloon-like, blood-filled structure called an aneurysm. Aneurysms frequently burst, leading to haemorrhage and therefore loss of blood to the region of the body served by that artery. A brain aneurysm is known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke.
• Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
Myocardial infarction is caused by the reduced supply of oxygen to the muscle (myocardium) of the heart. It results from a blockage in the coronary arteries. If this occurs close to the junction of the coronary arteries and the aorta, the heart will stop beating because its blood supply will be completely cut off. If the blockage is further along the coronary artery, the symptoms will be milder, because a smaller area of muscle will suffer oxygen deprivation.