Cardiomyopathy is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels.

Cardiovascular system

The essential components of the human cardiovascular system are the heart, blood and blood vessels. It includes the pulmonary circulation, a "loop" through the lungs where blood is oxygenated; and the systemic circulation, a "loop" through the rest of the body to provide oxygenated blood. The systemic circulation functions in two parts – a macrocirculation and a microcirculation. The cardiovascular systems of humans are closed, meaning that the blood never leaves the network of blood vessels

Significant diseases include:

♥ Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs are stroke, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, and venous thrombosis.

♥ Atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease or ASVD) is a specific form of arteriosclerosis in which an artery-wall thickens as a result of invasion and accumulation of white blood cells (WBCs) and proliferation of intimal-smooth-muscle cell creating a fibrofatty plaque.

♥ Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. Others may have shortness of breath, feel tired, or have swelling of the legs due to heart failure. An irregular heart beat may occur as well as fainting. Those affected are at an increased risk sudden cardiac death.

♥ Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated.^]High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long term high blood pressure, however, is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease, stroke, failure, peripheral, vision loss, and chronic kidney disease. Significant tests include:

♥ Blood tests such as Full Blood Count (FBC) and Biochemistry Tests

♥ Cardiac imaging techniques include coronary catheterization, echocardiogram, intravascular ultrasound, Cardiac CT scan and Cardiac MRI.

♥ Electrocardiography (ECG) is the process of recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes detect the tiny electrical changes on the skin that arise from the heart muscle's electrophysiologic pattern of depolarizing during each heartbeat. It is a very commonly performed cardiology test.

♥ An echocardiogram, often referred to as a cardiac echo or simply an echo, is a sonogram of the heart. (It is not abbreviated as ECG, because that is an abbreviation for an electrocardiogram.) Echocardiography uses standard two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound to create images of the heart.

♥ A cardiac stress test (or cardiac diagnostic test) is a cardiological test that measures a heart's ability to respond to external stress in a controlled clinical environment. The stress response is induced by exercise or by drug stimulation.

CARDIOLOGY

Use your background knowledge to answer the following questions.

1. What are the essential components of a circulatory system? 2. What causes atherosclerosis?

3. What complications can HBP cause? 4. Do you remember what do HGB, RBC, HCT, PLT and WBC mean? 5. What are the main uses of an ECG?

Match the words with their definitions.

Mark the sentences as true of false. Correct the false ones.

1. Cardiology is relatively unconcerned with hematology and its diseases.

2. The cardiovascular systems of humans are unclosed, meaning that the blood leaves the network of blood vessels.

Cardiomyopathy is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels.