StrokeDefinition
If an artery that is supplying blood to a part of the brain becomes blocked or bursts in the middle of supplying the blood causes a stroke. -------------------------------------------------------------- ![]() There are two types of strokes. Ischaemic and Haemorrhagic Strokes.
Ischaemic strokes are usually caused by a blood clot in an artery that supplies blood to your brain. Haemorrhagic strokes are caused when a artery in your brain bursts. ---------------------------------------------- Symptoms: * Loss of strength * Loss of feeling * Loss of normal speech * Loss of balance ----------------------------------------------------------------- Treatment: It depends on how bad the stroke was and what part of the brain was affected. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heart Failure
Definition Heart Failure is a disease where your heart doesn't completely stop, but blood slowly goes through your blood stream, thus making your heart weaker. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Symptoms - Rapid or irregular heartbeat - Chest pain if your heart failure is caused by a heart attack - Lack of appetite and nausea - Persistent cough or wheezing with white or pink blood-tinged phlegm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Causes - Coronary Artery Disease, a disease where the arteries supply blood and oxygen to the heart - Heart Attack - Cardiomyopathy, damage to the heart muscles other than just arteries blocking blood flow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diagnosis - Chest X-ray - Echocardiogram - Ejection Fraction (EF) - Blood Tests ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Treatments - Digoxin - Blood Vessel Dilators - Aldactone inhibitors - Diuretics - Angiotenshin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
heart attackDefintion
A sudden and sometimes fatal occurrence of coronary thrombosis, typically resulting in the death of part of a heart muscle. diagnosesA healthcare provider can diagnose a heart attack based on several assessment findings. These include:
treatment![]() In addition to medications, you may undergo one of the following procedures to treat your heart attack:• Coronary angioplasty and stenting. Doctors insert a long, thin tube (catheter) that's passed through an artery, usually in your leg or groin, to a blocked artery in your heart. ... • Coronary artery bypass surgery.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pericarditis Definition A rare condition that is caused by infection, that causes inflammation of the lining that surrounds the heart --------------------------------------------------------------------- Symptoms - Sharp and stabbing (caused by the heart rubbing against the pericardium - May increase with coughing, swallowing, deep breathing or lying flat - Low-grade fever - An overall sense of weakness, fatigue or feeling sick ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Causes - Viral infections that cause a chest cold or pneumonia, such as echovirus or coxsackie virus (common in children) or influenza - infections with bacteria (less common) - some fungal infections (rare) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Diagnosis - Chest X-ray - Echocardiogram - Computed tomography CT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treatments - Reducing pain and inflammation - treating the underlying cause - checking for complications ------------------------------------------------------------------- Congenital Heart Disease Definition A defect in one or more structures of the heart or blood vessels that occurs before birth ------------------------------------------------------- Symptoms - excessive sweating - rapid heartbeat - shortness of breath - chest pains ---------------------------------------------------------- Causes - Genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the child, such as down syndrome - Taking certain medications or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy ----------------------------------------------------------------- Diagnosis - Chest X-ray - Fetal echocardiogram - echocardiogram - pulse oximetry ------------------------------------------------------------------ Treatments - Heart transplants - Surgical procedures - Physical activities |