treatment for rheumatic heart disease

treatment for rheumatic heart disease
heart attack, medically known as myocardial infarction, is the sudden arrest of the heart by the death of or damage to a large part of the heart muscles as myocardium. It is generally recognized that the heart conditions (heart disease) are the number one cause of death and disability in the United States and most parts of the civilized world today. And sudden death from heart attack is by far the most common consequence of cardiovascular disease.

We all know someone, seemingly healthy days or hours before the sudden collapse and die. This is the kind of death or disability, heart attack visits on its victims. Of the numerous types of cardiovascular disease, which is most prone to a heart attack is the so-called Coronary heart disease (CHD) or more appropriately, coronary artery disease (CAD).

Coronary arteries are the vessels (arteries) that the oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle or myocardium. Just as the name suggests, coronary heart disease is a condition of the coronary arteries (ie arteries of the heart). This condition is characterized by slow and gradual build deposits of fatty substances (fat streaks, plaques or atheromatous streaks) in the walls of the coronary arteries. Initially, these atheromatous streaks / plaques expand into the walls of the arteries, but later, they build and grow into the lumen of affected arteries, such as narrowing of the arteries and impede blood flow. This is known as atherosclerosis.

Since construction of plaques remain, over the years, the plaques increase the thickness and the degree of obstruction of blood flow to the heart muscle is severe. Although the structure of the plaques is a very long time completely occlude the lumen of an artery and heart attack, but a sudden rupture plaque usually speeds up the process. The rupture of plaque activates the blood clotting and the clot-plaque interaction fills the lumen of the artery to the point of sudden closure. This sudden closure of a coronary artery causes irreversible death of heart muscle from the artery (myocardial infarction) and precipitates a "heart attack", ie the sudden cessation of heartbeat.

Cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of heart attack, as with several other cardiovascular diseases has been associated with a number of risk factors, but a family of cardiovascular disease appears to be one of the strongest risk factors. Men are more likely a heart attack than women, after menopause, the risk of women, the approaches of men, especially with hormonal therapies, which tend to a woman the risk of CHD. Other risk factors include: smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity (especially medium-or female-type obesity), a chronic subclinical deficiency of vitamin C, elevated homocysteine levels, elevated blood levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine and also is important, or not sedentary way of life .

Besides some factors which can not be controlled, such as hereditary and gender, prevention of CHD and thus, heart attack, is usually caused by the modification of risk factors. Leading an active lifestyle with regular exercise, cessation of smoking, a low-fat, low calorie diets and lower blood cholesterol, particularly low density lipoproteins (LDL) are crucial for the prevention of heart attack. Exercise and healthy diet have shown that a profound effect on the cardiovascular risks, even if the cessation of cigarette smoking also profoundly reduce the risk of heart attack.

It is important to note that despite the ever-growing number of deaths as a result of cardiac conditions, cardio-vascular diseases can be prevented, or at least delayed, in most cases, in contrast to general beliefs. The rising number of deaths in most Western countries is mainly due to unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits and worst still the lack of willingness to change this way of life in most people.

Michael RussellYour independent guide for cardiovascular disease