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The Disease Progression

The Disease Progression

After the initial endothelial damage, the damaged area progresses and the body reacts and attempts to repair the damage with specialized cells that do repair throughout the body. Eventually the area becomes repaired but a small blockage occurs where platelets and excess cholesterol tends to stick.

Over time, the progression continues with the above process occurring again and again in the same area resulting in a larger placque. sometimes this placque is thick and fibrous, other times the placgue has a fibrous cap with a fatty liquid core. When the fibrous cap thins, the placque is considered a"vulnerable placque". Vulnerable placque is very dangerous and if it ruptures causes a myocardial infartion (also known as a heat attack). What happens when the placque ruptures the liquid core mixes with the blood and forms a clot which blocks blood flow downstream to the rest of the hear muscle. When bloodflow is cut off, the heart muscle begins to die with the blood that carries the oxygen, resulting in heart damage and possible death.

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Heart Disease 101

Coronary Artery Disease "CAD" module. Press start below to begin the CAD education module.


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Stress Management

Lifestyle Changes
How to manage stress
Relaxation and Laughter
How to stay healthy

Your Heart Matters Stess Management

The Disease Process

The disease process begins with an understanding of the artery itself. The diagram below shows the different layers of an artery. The disease occurs at the enothelial layer which is the innermost layer or "inner lining" of the artery that is in contact with the blood as it flows through.

Cross-section of an Artery

Beginning of the Disease Process

The disease process begins with damage to the endothelial layer. This damage is typically caused by one of you coronary risk factors the create an unhealthy environment for the artery.

• Cigarette smoking lowers the oxygen content of the blood causing damage.
• Diabetes raises the sugar content, causing and unhealthy environment.
• Elevated blood pressure put pressure on the artery wall.
• Elevated cholesterol levels create a harmful environment.
• Other conditions associated with stress and free radicals harm the artery walls.
  

Next: The Disease Progression

The Coronary Arteries

The heart, being a muscle, requires blood to function just like skeletal muscles do. The blood is delivered to the heart muscle (myocardium) by the coronary arteries. The Right Coronary Artery (RCA) services the right side of the heart. The Left Main splits into the Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) and the Circumflex. The Diagonals branch off the LAD and the Obtuse Marginals (OM1 and OM 2) branch off the circumflex. The LAD services the Left Ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart.

Next: the Disease Process

The Heart

The Heart

The heart consists of four chambers, two chambers at the top called atria (right atrium and left atrium) and two at the bottom called ventricles (right ventricle and left ventricle). The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber of the heart and is responsible for sending blood out the aorta and throughout the body. The aorta is the main artery emerging from the top of the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart. Your heart also has one-way valves that open and close to insure blood travels through the heart in one direction as efficiently as possible. The aortic valve lies between the Aorta and Left ventricle. The mitral valve (bicuspid valve) lies between the left atrium and left ventricle. The pulmonary valve lies between the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle. The tricuspid valve lies between the right atrium and right ventricle.

Heart Anatomy

Blood Flow Through the Heart

Next: The Coronary Arteries

Circulatory System

Circulatory System

The heart lies in the center of your chest and is about the size of your fist. The heart is a hollow and is made of specialized muscle tissue. The heart is a specialized pump that’s purpose is to circulate blood throughout the circulatory system. The circulatory system is the transportation system within the body. The circulatory system is responsible for bringing necessary “supplies” (oxygen and glucose) to the skeletal muscles and pick up waste products of muscle metabolism (water, carbon dioxide) to the kidneys and lungs to be eliminated.

Circulatory System

Click on picture to enlarge

Next: The Heart