The 10 most common diseases of the circulatory system

The optimal pressure level is assumed to be 120/80 mm Hg, and we speak of hypertension when the values ​​are higher than 140/90 mm Hg. In a healthy person, the measurement results vary, depending on the time of day, emotional state or physical exertion, and it is quite normal that at times the heart pushes the blood more forcefully, and therefore the pressure is higher. The problem begins when the heart does not pay attention to the rationale and is constantly running at top speed for no physiological reason. Blood pressure is the force with which blood acts against the walls that make up arteries. Hypertension develops essentially asymptomatically and we usually find out about it by accident, during routine pressure control in a doctor’s office. Hypertension is the leading cause of death among women and the second leading cause of death in men. High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke, kidney damage and failure, severe changes in the retina and atherosclerosis. In the treatment of hypertension, pharmacology, lifestyle changes, quitting smoking and a proper diet, especially salt restriction in food, are helpful.

Atherosclerotic changes are present in childhood and progress over the years. This happens without any symptoms. Only after several dozen years, most often in the fifth decade of life in men, and after menopause in women, when these changes are already advanced, their first symptoms appear. How atherosclerosis can manifest itself depends on the location of the atherosclerotic lesions. The most serious consequences are associated with impaired blood flow in the coronary, cerebral and renal vessels, in the arteries supplying blood to the extremities and to the gastrointestinal tract. The atherosclerotic process is inflammatory and leads to the accumulation of lipids, collagen and calcium deposits in the inner membrane. The resulting atherosclerotic plaque can significantly reduce blood flow in the vessel, and its rupture – lead to complete closure of the artery and acute ischemia of the organ’s vascularization. Prevention of atherosclerotic processes consists in controlling blood pressure and cholesterol levels, following a proper diet, quitting smoking, and increasing physical activity.

In Poland, 300-400 people have a heart attack every day. Almost 30 people die every year after the so-called a recent heart attack. A heart attack, also known as a heart attack, is when the vessel (artery) that supplies blood to the heart is closed (blocked). No matter what the coronary vessel – large or small – is closed, part of the heart muscle is necrotized. Most heart attacks result from the closure of one of the coronary arteries or smaller vessels that surround the heart muscle and bring oxygen and nutrients to it. The infarction usually affects the left ventricle of the heart. It concerns the right one much less frequently. During a heart attack, the so-called collateral circulation in the heart. Occasionally, the body responds to partial occlusion of the coronary artery with the development of additional arteries from adjacent blood vessels. Then a collateral circulation is formed which takes over the functions of the blocked coronary artery. If treatment for a heart attack is started in

A stroke may take the form of a haemorrhage (haemorrhagic stroke) or ischemia or a heart attack (ischemic stroke). The mean age of onset is in the range of 65–70 years. It has been calculated that the risk of having a stroke doubles every 10 years. It is a disease that is often fatal. Symptoms are strictly dependent on the location and extent of the brain damage. Most often they occur in the form of paresis, loss of the ability to understand or express speech, blindness or hypoaesthesia. The main cause is a sudden disturbance in blood circulation in the brain. Age, smoking, heart disease, obesity and diabetes predispose to disease development.

Excessive fatigue, shortness of breath initially associated with exercise, then even at rest, coughing after exercise, at night, swollen ankles – these are just some of the symptoms of heart failure. 70 percent cases of heart failure is a consequence of coronary artery disease, especially a recent heart attack, 10% is the result of valve disease and another 10 percent. is a consequence of cardiomyopathy. In Europe, 15 million people suffer from heart failure. The incidence of the disease is related to age, and it increases particularly rapidly in people over 60 years of age. Heart failure is a group of symptoms, although it is considered a separate disease. According to the current definition, heart failure is a group of conditions in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is impaired and to maintain blood flow according to the body’s needs. In other words, the heart cannot pump as much blood as all the body’s tissues need, and therefore organs and tissues do not get as much oxygen as they need to function properly.

Coronary heart disease is most often the result of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels supplying the heart muscle with oxygen. This disease is predisposed by: older age, male gender, the presence of atherosclerotic diseases in family members, low physical activity, obesity, smoking, improper diet, abnormal cholesterol levels, hypertension and diabetes. Working under constant pressure increases the risk of a heart attack because it puts a heavy strain on the cardiovascular system. Elevated levels of cortisol and adrenaline – hormones that control the body’s response to stressful situations – cause blood vessels to dilate and make the heart beat faster that pumps blood to the muscles.

Despite its name, it covers many organs, not just joints. Acquired heart defects are its most common complication. The onset of the disease is sudden, with an irregular fever above 39 degrees C. When the inflammation spreads to other joints (knees, ankles, shoulders or wrists), the fever increases rapidly. The joints that the disease attacks symmetrically are warm, flushed, very swollen and extremely painful with every movement. The symptoms persist for 3-4 days, the symptoms disappear, but the disease continues and with time another joint is attacked. The symptom of rheumatic fever may also be subcutaneous nodules the size of grains or beans. They disappear and appear in successive places on the skull, elbows, ankles, shoulder blades, patellae, backs of the hands and along the spine. On the skin, especially in the armpits, the so-called marginal erythema – an enlarging red spot with a lighter center (the so-called ring). The interconnected stains resemble Turkish patterns on the fabric. The rash disappears as the skin cools down. The most dangerous complication of rheumatic fever is myocarditis, which can lead to arrhythmias, regurgitation or stenosis of the valves. Rheumatic fever is treated with antibiotics.

Arrhythmias occur when the normal heart rate and regularity are disrupted. These disorders may consist in speeding up (tachycardia) or slowing down (bradycardia) while maintaining rhythmicity, or a disturbance of this rhythmicity. Rhythm disturbance is commonly called arrhythmia. Some cardiac arrhythmias are rare and involve extrasystoles of varying frequency. Others are recurrent paroxysmal tachycardia or a slow heart rate. Arrhythmias can be a consequence of hyperactivity or increased activity of the nervous system, myocardial hypoxia due to atherosclerotic lesions, or toxic damage to the heart, as can occur in hyperthyroidism. Accelerated heartbeat may be associated with sinus node failure, conduction damage, drug overdose (beta-blockers, cardiac glycosides). It can be due to ischemic heart disease, an underactive thyroid gland, or hyperkalemia, which is too much potassium in the blood. The symptoms depend on the type of heart rhythm disturbance. In the case of increased heart rate, when the extra contractions occur sporadically, the patient does not have any serious complaints. Sometimes he feels jerks in the area of ​​the heart, the urge to cough, choking in the chest. Frequently appearing additional contractions cause discomfort in life. The accessory contractions are called tachycardia. This is a serious type of arrhythmia with choking, shortness of breath, dizziness, coronary pain, and even fainting or unconsciousness. Symptoms also depend on where the focus of additional electrical stimuli is located, as well as on comorbidities. Long-lasting arrhythmia can lead to necrosis of the heart muscle, i.e. a heart attack. Each form of arrhythmias must be treated so that it does not lead to more serious complications and cardiovascular failure.

Heart neurosis is a set of various pain sensations felt around the heart, quite common, usually in nervous situations, under chronic stress. The symptoms of neurosis are often confused with a heart attack, they are also accompanied by shortness of breath and choking in the throat.

With each contraction of the heart, oxygen-rich blood is forced into the arteries, which distribute it throughout the body. Blood flows rapidly through the arteries under high pressure. It moves much slower with veins, because it flows “uphill”. In order for the blood to flow upward, he needs support. When we walk, run, our muscles contract and compress our veins rhythmically. Their efficiency depends on the tiny folds of the inner lining of the vessels. They close when the blood flowing upwards to the heart tries to run back downwards. When our muscles are weak, we move little, the valves are damaged, the blood begins to regress. The blood pressure rises and it presses against the veins in your legs with increasing force. The veins expand and, like a stretched spring, do not return to their original shape. This is how varicose veins are formed, i.e. abnormal broadening of the veins. Over time, the skin above them becomes thinner, taut and shiny. Swollen varicose veins filled with hypoxic blood, visible under the skin as a bluish, sometimes mottled, tortuous line. In about 95 percent. In cases, varicose veins form in the superficial veins, but only when the deep vein valves are functioning well. The tendency to develop varicose veins is genetic; you can inherit them not only from your mother, but even from your grandmother or great-grandmother. Their appearance is also influenced by the white race and gender – women are five times more likely to suffer from diseases than men, previous pregnancies, hormonal disorders and the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, inactive lifestyle – lack of exercise, long sitting (especially with the leg on) for the leg), occupations requiring long hours of standing, wearing knee socks and socks with tight ribbing, walking in high-heeled shoes or ankle-tight boots, overweight and obesity, diet low in fiber and vitamin C deficiency, chronic constipation, smoking, alcohol abuse .