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Heart Diseases
Learn about heart diseases and their relation to stroke:
What is the heart and how does it
function ?
The heart is a small muscular organ that works as
a pump, that forwards blood to the arteries of the whole body, and receives
blood from the body through veins. This occurs spontaneously with out stop.
The heart is located in the center of chest and composed of four
chambers, two atria and two ventricles. There are four valves in the heart
that blood flow through the chambers to and from the heart. The heart
contracts 60 to 100 times per minute. Theses contractions pump around 3 to 5
liters of blood every minute. The heart is supplied by small arteries called
the coronaries. Any stenosis or occlusion of theses coronaries lead to
destruction of the heart muscle, which would lead to malfunction.
What are the
causes of heart diseases ?
Heart diseases
are plenty and includes:
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Hereditary
diseases , which results from transferring an abnormal gene from either parents.
Those disorders are rare any way.
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Congenital
diseases, where there will be an abnormality in the growth of the heart, leading
to either muscular, valvular or vascular anomalies.
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Acquired
diseases, which are many, but summarized in the following table:
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Rheumatic
heart diseases: |
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Rheumatic valves occur as
a result of repeated sore throat with a certain bacteria. This
condition is becoming rare in Saudi Arabia. |
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Heart
muscle diseases: |
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This is caused by:
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Coronary
artery diseases: |
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Unfortunately, these
diseases are increasing over the last few years in Saudi Arabia due to
the increases of risk factors, like diabetes, smoking, high
cholesterol, obesity and hypertension.
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Who has a high risk to develop
heart diseases ?
People with diabetes, high blood cholesterol and smokers have the highest risk
to develop coronary artery diseases.
What are the symptoms of
heart diseases ?
Heart diseases have
many symptoms, which could be acute or chronic. Acute symptoms like sudden
chest compressive pain, associated with increased seating and shortness of
breath, is likely due to a heart attack (cardiac ischemia or infarction).
Chronic symptoms, like plantations, shortness of breath on exertion, lower
limb edema are likely due to weakness in the heart muscle or malfunctions of
heart valves.
What is the relation between heart diseases and stroke ?
Heart diseases could
the cause of a stroke. Rheumatic heart disease for example affects the valves,
where platelets aggregate and form a small clot that might dislodge and travel
through arteries and it reaches brain vessels and occlude them, causing a
stroke. The most important heart diseases that carry a high risk for stroke
are:
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Atrial fibrillation
-
Rheumatic valvular
diseases
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Cardiomyopathy,
particularly with intracardiac clot
-
Recent myocardial
infarction
-
Congenital heart
diseases
What should be done to
maintain a healthy heart ?
Primary prevention
is the key to a health heart. The following should be followed:
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