Facts about human heart and how to prevent heart diseases

The heart is the most important part of the human body. Every year thousands of people suffer from heart diseases and its complication. So it becomes very important to save our hearts. So here are some tips and suggestions to prevent heart diseases.

The heart is a muscular organ in animals and humans, which pumps blood in the body through the blood vessels. This pumped blood carries oxygen from the lungs and nutrients from Gut and carries these to the whole body while also carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. In humans, the heart size can be determined as the size of a closed fist and heart is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest.

The human heart has four chambers two upper atria and two lower ventricles. The two atria are forming the upper part of the heart, and they act as receiving chambers, and the ventricles make the lower part of the heart and ventricles form the discharging chambers. The atria open into the ventricles and the opening is guarded by atrioventricular valves, present in the atrioventricular septum.

PART OF THE HEART

1. PERICARDIUM: Outer covering of the heart.
2. MYOCARDIUM: Muscular part of the heart and muscles of the heart is called with the special name "cardiac muscles" hence the study of the heart is called as Cardiology    

Human Heart

PERICARDIUM

1. It is the OUTER FIBROUS SAC covering the heart.
2. It PROTECTS HEART from shock and other mechanical injuries.

MYOCARDIUM

1. It is the MUSCULAR LAYER of the heart and these muscles are called the cardiac muscles.
2. They work is HEART CONTRACTION 24*7 so that the heart contacts and pumps blood to the body all time.

VALVES

1. TRICUSPID- Present between the left atrium and left ventricles and its major function is to prevent the backflow of blood from left ventricles to the left atrium.
2. BICUSPID- Present between the right atrium and right ventricles and their major function is to prevent the backflow of blood from the right ventricles to the right atrium. 
3. SEMILUNAR VALVES- They are present in pulmonary veins and the aorta and they also prevent the backflow of blood.

COMMON DISEASES OF HEART

DUE TO CHOLESTEROL:

Coronary artery disease, also known as ischaemic heart disease, is caused by atherosclerosis—> a build-up of fatty material (LDL cholesterol) along the inner walls of the arteries. These fatty deposits in the arterial wall are called atherosclerotic plaques narrow the coronary arteries, and if severe may reduce blood flow to the heart. If a narrowing (or stenosis) by this plaque is relatively less then the patient may not experience any symptoms. In case of severe narrowing, the person may experience chest pain (angina) or breathlessness during exercise or even at rest. The thin covering of an atherosclerotic plaque can rupture, exposing the fatty center to the circulating blood. In this case, a clot or thrombus (a moving form of a clot) can form, blocking the artery, and restricting blood flow to an area of the heart muscle causing myocardial infarction (a heart attack). In the worst cases, the restricting blood flow may cause cardiac arrest, a sudden and utter loss of output from the heart. Obesity, fatty diet, sedentary life, high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, smoking, and high cholesterol can all increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.

Types of cholesterol:

• HDL stands for high-density lipoproteins. It is called the "good" cholesterol because it carries bad cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Then the liver removes these bad cholesterol from the body.
• LDL stands for low-density lipoproteins. It is called the "bad" cholesterol because a high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries known as atherosclerotic plaques.

PROBLEMS

1. PAIN IN HEART called Angina in less severe stenosis of the coronary blood vessels.
2. HEART BLOCK due to fatty deposits known as atherosclerotic plaques leading to less flow of blood in the heart and causing necrosis of heart and heart attack.
3. Thrombus (a moving form of a clot) can form, blocking the artery, and restricting blood flow to an area of the heart muscle causing myocardial infarction (a heart attack).

TREATMENT & PREVENTION:

1. Low cholesterol diet.
2. Quit smoking.
3. A decrease in Weight.
4. Catheterization of block coronary arteries.

DUE TO DEFECT IN VALVES:

The valves may not work properly leading to the backflow of blood and may cause the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Healthy heart valves allow blood to flow easily in one direction from atria to ventricles but prevent it from flowing in the opposite direction. Diseased heart valves may have a narrow opening and therefore restrict the flow of blood in the forward direction (referred to as a stenotic valve), or may allow blood to leak from valves in the reverse direction (referred to as valvular regurgitation). Valvular heart disease leads to problems like breathlessness, blackouts, or chest pain, but maybe asymptomatic and only detected on a routine examination by hearing abnormal heart sounds or a heart murmur. In the developed world, valvular heart disease is most commonly caused by degeneration secondary to old age, but may also be caused by infection of the heart valves (endocarditis). In some parts of the world, rheumatic heart disease is a major cause of valvular heart disease

TREATMENT & PREVENTION:

Heart valve transplantation in which the defective valve is removed and a new synthetic valve is put.

DUE TO INFECTION:

Sometimes there may be an infection if the heart commonly due to bacteria leading to decreased functioning of heart and heart problems called infective endocarditis. Staphylococcus aureus is the bacteria that is the main cause of infective endocarditis in most parts of the world and is responsible for about 31% of cases. Infective endocarditis is an infectious disease in which the inner surface of the heart is affected, usually the valves of the heart. Symptoms of endocarditis include fever, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and low red blood cell count. The complications that arise here include the backward flow of blood in the heart, the heart struggling to pump a sufficient amount of blood to meet the body's needs (heart failure), abnormal electrical conduction in the heart, stroke.

TREATMENT & PREVENTION:

Antibiotic regimens recommended by doctors.