Verified Document

Heart Disease And Disease Essay

Chronic Illness: Coronary Heart Disease Outline of Coronary Heart Disease

The Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has been on the increase of late across the globe and this disease, alongside stroke have been the top causes of death in many countries like Australia (Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 2017). There have been cases of people succumbing to complications occasioned by the CHD hence the need for any medic or clinician to fully furnish themselves with the CHD and the causes and effects as well as how it can be managed.

CHD is a disuse characterized by the development of a waxy substance called plaque building up in the inner walls of the coronary arteries. These are the arteries responsible for supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. The buildup of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries results into atherosclerosis and this takes many years to pile up to harmful quantities. Over the years of continued buildup, the plaque can harden or rupture/break up. The hardened plaque narrows the coronary arteries and reduces significantly the amount of oxygen-rich blood that goes through the heart. In the event that the plaque raptures or breaks up, then there can be blood clot forming around it. The consequence of a large blood clot can be a partially or completely blocked blood flow through the artery. The raptures plaques can also harden again, consequently narrowing the coronary artery (American Heart Association, 2014).

In the event that the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart muscle is significantly reduced heart attack or angina can result. Angina is defined as some sharp chest pain or discomfort which may manifest in the form of squeezing or pressure in the chest cavity. The pain can be experienced in the shoulders, neck, back, arms and the jaws. The angina pain may even manifest in a manner feeling like indigestion (Cleveland Clinic, 2017).

On the other hand, heart attack will occur in the incident that the flow of highly oxygenated blood is blocked from a section of the heart muscles. In such a case, there is need for the flow of blood to be restored as fast as is practicable, if this is not done, then the heart muscles start to atrophy. In the event of delayed treatment, then the heart attack can escalate to more serious health complications or even death (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

Over a long period...

Heart failure is experienced when the heart cannot pump sufficient to the body to meet the demand of the body for normal functioning. Arrhythmia is a complication resulting from the rhythm or the rate of the heartbeat.
It is also worth noting that the clot can block the blood vessels to the brain, then there can be ischemic stroke experienced by the patient. In the event that a vessel within the brain bursts due to increased or high blood pressure or what is referred to as uncontrolled hypertension, then hemorrhagic stroke may be experienced.

There are some risk factors that are linked to CHD such as smoking, the male gender, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, excess weight, unhealthy eating, increasing age, high resting heart rate, kidney disease, depression and stress, family history of heart disease (Southern Cross, 2017).

CHD is diagnosed by first knowing the symptoms, risk factors and the medical history. The doctor can make physical examination, then run diagnostics including electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, electron beam CT scan, exercise stress test, cardiac catheterization among other tests. These are the tests that will enable the doctor to how far the heart disease has gone hence determine the best treatment for each individual case (WebMd, 2017).

There are several ways through which CHD can be managed, these include change in lifestyle for instance stopping smoking, avoiding processed food, low fat foods,…

Sources used in this document:
References

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, (2017). Heart disease and stroke are the top two causes of death -- and among the leading causes of disability -- in Australia. Retrieved April 9, 2017 from https://baker.edu.au/health-hub/fact-sheets/cardiovascular-disease?gclid=Cj0KEQjwt6fHBRDtm9O8xPPHq4gBEiQAdxotvNmN_YV05am6ts6wLgbbEPubE3I2Z6wwGSNl0AaycX0aAnFy8P8HAQ

Cleveland Clinic, (2017). Coronary Artery Disease Symptoms. Retrieved April 9, 2017 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/cad-symptoms

Mayo Clinic, (2017). Coronary Heart Disease: Symptoms and Causes. Retrieved April 9, 2017 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/symptoms-causes/dxc-20165314

Southern Cross, (2017). Coronary heart disease - causes, symptoms, prevention. Retrieved April 9, 2017 from https://www.southerncross.co.nz/group/medical-library/coronary-heart-disease-causes-symptoms-prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human services, (2017). How Is Coronary Heart Disease Treated? Retrieved April 9, 2017 from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/treatment
WebMd, (2017). Coronary Artery Disease. Retrieved April 9, 2017 from http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-coronary-artery-disease#1
American Heart Association, (2014). Atherosclerosis. Retrieved April 10, 2017 from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/WhyCholesterolMatters/Atherosclerosis_UCM_305564_Article.jsp#.WOx5O7glHcs
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Heart Disease and the Elderly the Objective
Words: 2889 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

Heart Disease and the Elderly The objective of this work in writing is to examine how heart disease takes a toll elderly. Toward this end, this work will conduct a review of literature that examines the toll that heart disease takes on the elderly population. Approximately 18 million people or 7% of all individuals in the United States have heart disease. Heart disease affects older people more significantly as the elderly are

Heart Disease According to the
Words: 1035 Length: 3 Document Type: Thesis

For example, some prescription drugs have been shown to increase risk for heart disease (Fries, nd). In particular, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are commonly prescribed for relieving the pain associated with arthritis, have been shown to cause heart-related side effects (Fries, nd). Unfortunately, patients who suffer from chronic pain sometimes need to choose between increasing their risk for heart disease and coping with severe chronic pain. Interestingly, though,

Heart Disease CAD Coronary Artery Disease
Words: 641 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Heart Disease (CAD: Coronary Artery Disease) Online web site HeartPoint defines Coronary Artery Disease as Coronary artery disease generally refers to the buildup of cholesterol in the inside layers of the arteries. As shown here, this will slowly narrow the flow of blood through the vessel, and the muscle it supplies will not get enough blood. The plaque weakens the wall. As shown in the lower artery, a crack may develop

Heart Disease in Adult Males
Words: 972 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The estimated age-adjusted prevalence of angina in women age 20 and older were 3.5% for non-Hispanic white women, 4.7% for non-Hispanic black women and 2.2% for Mexican-American women. Rates for men in these three groups were 4.5, 3.1 and 2.4%, respectively. Among American adults age 20 and older, the estimated age-adjusted prevalence of coronary heart disease for non-Hispanic whites is 8.9% for men and 5.4% for women; for non-Hispanic

Heart Disease Contrary to Popular
Words: 743 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Macabasco-O'Connell et.al say that the stress levels for women in this group is oftentimes higher than non-minority women in higher socioeconomic groups. The high amount of stress that these women experience is usually accompanied with depression and studies have shown that depression can also lead to a greater risk of heart disease (2, 3). Because many women from lower socio-economic statuses are uninsured or underinsured, they run the risk

Heart Disease Is Not a
Words: 714 Length: 2 Document Type: Thesis

In fact, dietary lipids, serum cholesterol, and sodium are linked directly with heart disease. Diets high in sodium lead to hypertension, or high blood pressure, which is also linked with the malady. Thus, a decrease in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol for all people, as well as limiting the amounts of total fat, processed sugars, and calories for those who are overweight, is recommended for preventing the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now