Cardiovasc

ular
Pathology
Diseases that Affect the
Heart
Carditis
● Endocarditis: inflammation of inner lining
● Bacterial Endocarditis: inflammation of the lining
or valves caused by presence of bacteria in
bloodstream
● Pericarditis: inflammation of pericardium
○ Causes accumulation of fluid within the
pericardial sac
● Myocarditis: inflammation of the myocardium that
develops as a complication of a viral infection
Heart Murmur
● Abnormal blowing or
clicking sound when
listening to the heart
● Most often caused by
defective heart valves
Valvular Stenosis
● Narrowing or blockage of one or more valves
● Named for the affected valve
Valvulitis
● Root word “valvul”
means “valve”
● Inflammation of any
heart valve
Valvular Prolapse
● Abnormal protrusion
of heart valve
● Results in inability for
valve to close
completely
Heart Failure
● Aka: congestive heart
failure
● Chronic condition
● Heart is unable to
pump out all of the
blood it receives
● Causes fluid build up
(congestion) in the
heart
Left-sided Heart Failure
● Accumulation of fluid in the lungs
○ Aka: pulmonary edema
● Left side of the heart is unable to efficiently
pump oxygen-rich blood from lungs to rest of
body
● Increase in pressure in the veins of the lungs
results in fluid accumulation
Right Sided Heart Failure
● Causes fluid buildup
throughout the rest of the
body
● Right side of the heart is
unable to pump blood
throughout the rest of the
body
● Swelling occurs in feet and
legs
Cardiomegaly
● Enlargement of the
heart
● Frequently associated
with heart failure
● Heart enlarges in an
effort to compensate for
decreased pumping
ability
Coronary Artery Disease
● Atherosclerosis of coronary
arteries
● Reduces the blood supply to the
heart muscle
● Creates insufficient supply of
oxygen
● Can cause:
○ Pain
○ Myocardial infarction
Atherosclerosis
● Hardening of arteries due
to buildup of cholesterol
plaque on interior walls
● Plaque found within the
lumen of the artery
● Atheroma
○ Plaque deposit on or
within interior wall
Ischemic Heart Disease
● Group of cardiac
disabilities
● Results from insufficient
supply of oxygenated
blood to the heart
● Usually associated with
coronary heart disease
Angina
● Aka: angina pectoris
● Severe episodes of chest pain
● Occur due to inadequate blood flow to myocardium
● 2 types:
○ Stable angina: occurs during exertion, resolves
with rest
○ Unstable angina: may occur with exertion or
rest, precursor to myocardial infarction
Myocardial Infarction
● Commonly known as Heart Attack
● Blockage of one or more coronary arteries
● Infarction: sudden insufficiency of blood
● Infarct: localized area of dead tissue
● Damage to myocardium impairs heart’s ability
to pump blood throughout the body
Symptoms of Myocardial
Infarction
● Pain/pressure in middle of
chest
● Pain may spread to the
back, jaw, or left arm
● Most symptoms are mild
● Women are more likely to
be atypical symptoms
○ weakness/fatigue
Diseases that Affect the
Heart Rhythm
Arrhythmia
● Loss of normal rhythm of heartbeat
● Severity depends on how much the heart’s ability
to pump blood is compromised
● Usually caused by an abnormality in the electrical
conduction system
Bradycardia
● Abnormally low resting heart rate
● Less than 60 beats per minute
Tachycardia
● Abnormally high resting heart rate
● Heart rate over 100 bpm

Normal

Tachycardic
Palpitation
● Pounding or racing heartbeat
● With or without rhythm
● Usually associated with heart
disorders
● Can occur during a panic
attack
Fibrillation
● Rapid and uncontrolled heartbeat
● Types
○ Atrial Fibrillation
○ Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
○ Ventricular fibrillation
○ Ventricular tachycardia
Asystole
● Known as the “flat line”
● Complete lack of electrical activity
○ No heart contractions
○ No blood flow
● One of the medical conditions required for a
medical practitioner to certify death
Cardiac Arrest
● Event in which the heart abruptly stops beating
● Sudden development of arrhythmia
● Prevents from pumping blood effectively
● Sudden Cardiac Death occurs when treatment of
cardiac arrest is not provided
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Blood Vessel and Circulatory
Diseases
Hypertension
● High Blood Pressure
● Elevation of arterial blood pressure
● Can cause damage to cardiovascular system
● Types:
○ Primary hypertension
○ Secondary hypertension
○ Malignant hypertension
Hypotension
● Lower than normal blood pressure
● Usually caused by:
○ Blood loss
○ Dehydration
○ Anemia
● Orthostatic Blood Pressure
○ Sudden drop in blood pressure when moving
from sitting to standing position
Blood Vessel Abnormalities
● Angiostenosis:
narrowing of blood
vessel
● Hypoperfusion:
deficiency of blood
passing through an
organ or body part
Temporal Arteritis
● Aka: Giant Cell Arteritis
● Causes headaches, visual impairment, and jaw
pain
● Presence of abnormally large cells
● Can cause:
○ Blindness
○ Stroke
Hemangioma
● Benign tumor
● Made up of newly formed blood vessels
● Usually a “birthmark”
Aneurysm
● Localized weak spot of the
wall of an artery
● Balloon-like enlargement
of the wall of an artery
● Rupture can be fatal
● Named for artery involved
– brain, aortic, abdominal,
etc
Aneurysm
● Meet Brenda , age 34
● Woke up on July 30, 1985
with EXTREME MIGRAINE-
LIKE HEADACHE PAIN and
pressure
● Died 12 days after giving
birth from brain death,
secondary to a ruptured
Brain Aneurysm that led to
Raoul Jenkins: Survivor
Story
Chronic Venous insufficiency
● Venous circulation is inadequate
● Due to:
○ Partial vein blockage
○ Leakage of venous valves
● Primarily affects feet and ankles
● Causes discoloration of skin
Phlebitis
● Aka: thrombophlebitis
● Often associated with a
clot in the vein
● Usually occurs in
superficial vein
● Most commonly occurs in
the leg
Varicose Veins
● Abnormally swollen
veins
● Usually occurs in
superficial veins of legs
● Valves no longer
function properly
● Blood pools in veins
Why do Some People Get
Varicose Veins?
Raynaud's Disease
● Peripheral arterial occlusive disease
● Intermittent attacks triggered by cold or stress
● Constricted circulation
● Signs:
○ Pallor
○ Cyanosis
○ Redness
Thrombosis
● Thrombotic occlusion
○ Blocking of artery by a thrombus
● Coronary thrombosis
○ Damage to heart muscle
○ Caused by thrombus blocking coronary artery
● Deep Vein Thrombosis
○ Thrombus attached to interior wall of vein
○ Clot can break loose and travel to lungs
Embolism
● Sudden blockage of a
blood vessel by an
embolus
● Often named for causative
factor
○ Air embolism
○ Fat embolism
● Can be named for location
of embolus
Diseases that Affect the
Blood
Hemochromatosis
● Aka: iron overload
disease
● Genetic disorder
● Intestine absorb too
much iron
● Excess iron enters
bloodstream and
accumulates in
organs
Septicemia
● Associated with severe bacterial infection
● Begins with sudden onset of symptoms
○ Spiking fever
○ Chills
○ Rapid breathing
○ Rapid heart rate
● Can lead to Sepsis in left untreated
○ Bacterial infection in bloodstream
Thrombocytopenia
● Abnormally small
number of
thrombocytes in
bloodstream
● Usually associated with
abnormal bleeding
Hyperlipidemia
● Elevated levels of cholesterol and fat in the blood
● Can lead to heart disease
○ Atherosclerosis
○ Coronary artery disease
○ Heart attack
Mayo Clinic: How Cholesterol
Affects Your Heart
Leukemia
● Type of blood cancer
● Progressive increase in
abnormal leukocytes
● Found in:
○ Bone marrow
○ Organs
○ Circulation
Anemia
● Lower than normal number of erythrocytes
● Severity depends on amount of hemoglobin in the
blood
● Decrease in hemoglobin causes decrease in
oxygen and less energy
● Types: ○ Megaloblastic
○ Aplastic ○ Pernicious
○ Hemolytic ○ Sickle cell
○ Iron-deficiency
Iron-deficiency Anemia
● Most common form of anemia
● Blood does not carry oxygen effectively
● Symptoms
○ Fatigue
○ Weakness
○ Brittle nails
Sickle Cell Anemia
● Genetic disorder
● Abnormal hemoglobin
○ Causes sickle shape RBC
● Interferes with normal blood flow
How This Disease Changes
the Shape of Your Cells