Answer the questions about the text and translate the text in writing.

1. What types of tissue is found in the heart?

2. Name the parts of the heart and associated blood vessels. What are their functions?

3. What is blood pressure, and what happens to the body when blood pressure is too low or too high?

Text 3

Cardiovascular Diseases and Pathology

Word List

Pathology is the study of disease as it affects body tissue and function. Some conditions of the heart and lymph system are more serious and more risky than others. Although all conditions and diseases should be considered serious, these heavy hitters are ones that often require more in-depth procedures and treatments. Some pathological conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels include:

Arrhythmia is any irregularity of heart rhythm, such as a higher- or lower-than-average heart rate, extra beats, or an alteration in the pattern of the beat. Bradycardia is a slower-than-average rate, and tachycardia is a higher-than-average rate. In cases of MI, there is often fibrillation, an extremely rapid, ineffective beating of the heart. MI may also result in heart block, an interruption in the electrical conduction system of the heart. Cardioversion is the general term for restoration of a normal heart rhythm, either by drugs or application of electric current. Several devices are in use for electrical defibrillation. If, for any reason, the SA node is not generating a normal heartbeat, an artificial pacemaker may be implanted in the chest to regulate the beat.

Heart failure. The general term heart failure refers to any condition in hich the heart fails to empty effectively. The resulting increased pressure in the venous system leads to edema, often in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and justifies the description congestive heart failure (CHF). Other symptoms of congestive heart failure are cyanosis, dyspnea, and syncope. Heart failure is one cause of shock, a severe disturbance in the circulatory system resulting in inadequate delivery of blood to the tissues. Heart failure is treated with rest, drugs to strengthen heart contractions, diuretics to eliminate fluid, and restriction of salt in the diet.

Aneurysm, a local widening of an artery, may be due to weakness in the arterial wall or breakdown of the wall due to atherosclerosis.

Angina pectoris is an episode of chest pain due to temporary difference between the supply and demand of oxygen to the heart muscle.

Arterial hypertension refers to high blood pressure. There are two types of hypertension: essential and secondary. In essential hypertension, the cause of the increased pressure is unknown or idiopathic. In secondary hypertension, there is an associated lesion, such as nephritis, pyelonephritis or adenoma of the adrenal cortex, which is responsible for the elevated blood pressure.

Bacterial endocarditis is inflammation of the inner lining of the heart caused by bacteria.

Damage to the heart valves can produce lesions called vegetations, which may break off in the bloodstream as emboli or floating clots. Vegetation is an overgrowth of bacteria that gains a foothold on an injured valve, becoming fruitful and multiplying.

Cardiac arrest is a sudden and often unexpected stoppage of heart movement, caused by heart block or ventricular fibrillation (resulting from underlying heart disease).

Cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. Some examples include heart block, flutter, and fibrillation.

Congenital heart disease refers to abnormalities in the heart at birth, resulting from some failure in the development of the fetus. Coarctationof the aorta is a narrowing of the aorta. Surgical treatment consists of removal of the constricted area with end-to-end anastomosis or joining together of the aortic segments.

Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump its required amount of blood. Blood accumulates in the lungs and liver. In severe cases, fluid can collect in the abdomen and legs or in the pulmonary air sacs (known as pulmonary edema). Congestive heart failure often develops gradually over the years and can be treated with drugs to strengthen the heart and diuretics to promote loss of fluid.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a disease of arteries supplying blood to the heart. This is usually the result of atherosclerosis, the deposition of fatty compounds on the inner lining of the coronary arteries.

Endocarditis – inflammation of the inner lining of the heart caused by bacteria (bacterial endocarditis).

Pericarditis – inflammation of the membrane (pericardium) surrounding the heart.

Heart murmur refers to an extra heart sound heard between normal heart sounds. Murmurs are heard with the aid of a stethoscope and are caused by a valvular defect or disease, which disrupts the smooth flow of blood in the heart.

Hypertensive heart disease is high blood pressure affecting the heart.

Mitral valve prolapse is improper closure of the mitral valve when the heart is pumping blood.

Rheumatic heart disease is heart disease caused by rheumatic fever.

Varicose veins are abnormally swollen veins usually occurring in the legs, due to damaged valves that fail to prevent the backflow of blood. The blood then collects in the veins, causing distention.

The blood itself can suffer from specific diseases and pathological conditions. Consider the diseases specific to both the red and white blood cells. Anemia, a common symptom, is a deficiency in erythrocytes or hemoglobin, can take several forms, including the following:

Aplastic anemia: Failure of blood cell production due to absence of development and formation of bone marrow cells;

Hemolytic anemia: Reduction in red cells due to excessive destruction;

Pernicious anemia: Lack of mature erythrocytes due to inability to absorb vitamin B12;

Sickle-cell anemia: Hereditary condition in which distorted cells clump and block blood vessels.

The white blood cells often make people think of the “Big C”, also known as cancer. This is for good reason, as the white cells have a lot to do with a very serious disease called leukemia. Leukemia, of course, is the kingpin of white blood cell pathology. It is, in simple terms, an excessive increase in white blood cells – a cancerous disease of the bone marrow with malignant leukocytes filling the marrow and bloodstream. Four forms of leukemia include:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): Seen most often in children and adolescents;

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): Derived from or originating in bone marrow;

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): Occurs late in life and follows a slow, progressive course.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): Slowly progressive. All types of leukemia are treated with chemotherapy, using drugs that prevent cell division and selectively injure rapidly dividing cells. Effective treatment can lead to remission, or disappearance of signs of the disease. Relapseoccurs when leukemia cells reappear in the blood and bone marrow, necessitating further treatment. Watch out for leukemia’s nasty cousin, multiple myeloma. This is a malignant tumor of bone marrow in which malignant cells invade bone marrow and destroy bony structures.

Keep these two blood-clotting health issues in mind:

Hemophilia is excessive bleeding caused by a congenital lack of coagulation factor necessary for blood clotting.

Purpura is a symptom caused by low platelets involving multiple pinpoint hemorrhages and accumulation of blood under the skin.

The lymph nodes themselves are the sites of many a showdown between good health and an extended hospital stay. Hodgkin’s disease is a malignant tumor arising in lymphatic tissue such as lymph nodes and spleen. Lymphosarcoma (lymphoma) is a malignant tumor of lymph nodes that resembles Hodgkin’s disease. Often referred to as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it affects lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, and other organs. Burkitt’s lymphoma is a malignant tumor of lymph nodes usually affecting children and most common in central Africa.