Among the most common reasons for hospitalization is cardiovascular disease. As such, there is a dire need for the society to be educated on this disease’s preventive measures, diagnosis, as well as medication. Therefore, this paper explores the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disorders, factor(s) that impact cardiovascular disease process, alterations in cardiovascular disease as well as the effect of hypertension or dyslipidemia on the alteration.
Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disorders
When the heart and blood vessels seize to function normally, an individual is diagnosed with a cardiovascular disorder (s). If the condition persists over some time, the individual develops other conditions such as accident (stroke), thrombus (blood clots), and myocardial infarction (heart attack). Essentially, a thrombus or clot forms if there is an improper flow of blood in the veins and arteries. Accordingly, there is an accumulation of platelets and other clotting factors in veins leading to difficulties in the blood flow. More and more clotting factors and platelets accumulate making the clot larger. However, because clots reside in the deeper veins, it is hard to note any physical evidence such as swelling, redness, and pain until it is very late (Huether & McCance, 2012). As irritation continues, atherosclerosis develops making it difficult to pump blood through the arteries. Notably, atherosclerosis results from the injuring of endothelial cells that stimulates the attachment of lymphocytes and monocytes migrating into the walls of the artery and inducing smooth muscle cells proliferation which results in plaque formation. According to McPhee & Hammer (2010), the activation of growth factors of platelets can ultimately cause enlargement of the plague thus resulting in the vessel blocking, or rupturing (p. 179-81).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Genetics and Gender
One of the significant factors in cardiovascular disorders is genetics. Research conducted by GWAS (genome-wide significant associations) on candidate-gene association studies and linkage analysis has continually predicted the possibility of individuals being affected by cardiovascular disease. According to Winham, De Andrade, & Miller (2015), the development of hypertension in men occurs at a tender age as compared to women (p. 221). As such, research has indicated that genes linked with lipid oxidation, apoptosis, as well as mitochondria’s production of oxygen-derived free radicals can pose a genetic risk of developing the cardiovascular disease by merely inheriting the Y chromosome (Winham, De Andrade, & Miller, 2015, p. 222)
Congestive Heart Failure and Dyslipidemia
One of the most common pump failure diagnoses is left heart failure (also known as congestive heart failure). There exist two types of congestive heart failure, that is, systolic and diastolic failure. According to Huether & McCance (2012), when the heart fails to pump enough blood to essential tissues, systolic heart failure occurs (p. 623). On the other hand, diastolic heart failure occurs when the lungs are already filled with fluid although the heart continues to pump blood normally (p.625). Dyslipidemia is a situation where there is an unusual lipoproteins concentration. There are two forms of Dyslipidemia. Primary Dyslipidemia is genetic-oriented whereas secondary Dyslipidemia is as a result of conditions such as renal nephrosis, hypothyroidism, or diabetes (Huether & McCance, 2012, p.599). According to Al Qahtani et al. (2015), research indicated that there is an elevated level of HDL-cholesterol in individuals with congestive heart failure. Most participants in this research were already using HDL-lowering drugs. Moreover, the study showed that the most significant mortality independent predictor among congestive heart failure patients is Type II diabetes (Al Qahtani et al., 2015, p. 92).
References
Al Qahtani, M., Al Backer, T., Al Anazi, T., Al Johani, N., Binsalih, S., AlGobain, M., & Alshammari, H. (2015). Impact of lipid disorders on mortality among Saudi patients with heart failure. Journal of the Saudi Heart Association , 27 (2), 91-95.
Huether, S. E., & McCance, K. L. (2012). Understanding pathophysiology (Laureate custom ed.) . St. Louis, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.
McPhee, S. J., & Hammer, G. D. (2010). Pathophysiology of disease: An introduction to clinical medicine (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.) . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Winham, S. J., De Andrade, M., & Miller, V. M. (2015). Genetics of cardiovascular disease: Importance of sex and ethnicity. Atherosclerosis , 241 (1), 219-228.
