The Dangers of Angina Pectoris Essay -- Health Coronary Heart Disease

The Dangers of Angina Pectoris 3 Introduction 4 The Human Heart 5 Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease 5 Heart Attack 5 Sudden Death 5 Angina 6 Angina Pectoris 6 Signs and Symptoms 7 Different Forms of Angina 8 Causes of Angina 9 Atherosclerosis 9 Plaque 10 Lipoproteins 10 Lipoproteins and Atheroma 11 Risk Factors 11 Family History 11 Diabetes 11 Hypertension 11 Cholesterol 12 Smoking 12 Multiple Risk Factors 13 Diagnosis 14 Drug Treatment 14 Nitrates 14 Beta-blockers 15 Calcium antagonists 15 Other Medications 16 Surgery 16 Coronary Bypass Surgery 17 Angioplasty 18 Self-Help INTRODUCTION In today's society, people are gaining medical knowledge at quite a fast pace. Treatments, cures, and vaccines for various diseases and disorders are being developed constantly, and yet, coronary heart disease remains the number one killer in the world. The media today concentrates intensely on drug and alcohol abuse, homicides, AIDS and so on. What a lot of people are not realizing is that coronary heart disease actually accounts for about 80% of all sudden deaths. In fact, the number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, accidents, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others, COMBINED. One of the symptoms of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not take it seriously, and thus not realizing that it may lead to other complications, and even death. THE HUMAN HEART In order to understand angina, one must know about our own heart. The human heart is a powerful muscle in the body which is worked the hardest. A double pump system, the heart consists of two pumps side by side, which pump blood to all parts of the body. Its steady beating maintains the flow of blood through the body day and night, year after year, non-stop from birth until death. The heart is a hollow, muscular organ slightly bigger than a person's clenched fist. It is located in the centre of the chest, under the breastbone above the sternum, but it is slanted slightly to the left, giving people the impression that their heart is on the left side of their chest. The heart is divided into two halves, which are further divided into four chambers: the left atrium and ventricle, and the right atrium and ventricle. Each chamber on one side is... ...erward. Exactly how long the operation takes depends on where and in how many places the artery is narrowed. It is most suitable when the disease is limited to the left anterior descending artery, but sometimes the plaques are simply too hard, making them impossible to be squashed, in which case a bypass might be necessary. SELF-HELP The only way patients can prevent the condition of their heart from deteriorating any further is to change their lifestyles. Although drugs and surgery exist, if the heart is exposed to pressure continuously and it strains any further, there will come one day when nothing works, and all that remain is a one-way ticket to heaven. The following are some advices on how people can change the way they live, and enjoy a lifetime with a healthy heart once more. Work A person should limit the amount of exertions to the point where angina might occur. This varies from person to person, some people can do just as much work as they did before developing angina, but only at a slower pace. Try to delegate more, reassess your priorities, and learn to pace yourself. If the rate of work is uncontrollable, think about changing the job.