cardiovascular conditions

Question 1

What are general symptoms of cardiovascular disease

Answer 1

chest pain & tightness, breathlessness, palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, sleep disturbance, oedema in ankles and hands

Question 2

What is angina

Answer 2

attacks of chest pain that feels heavy and tight caused by reduce blood flow to the heart

Question 3

What are the 3 types of angina

Answer 3

1. stable = happens with activity and goes away
2. unstable = unpredictable, happens at rest and lasts longer MEDICAL EMERGENCY
3. variant = not due to heart problems

Question 4

What is systolic BP

Answer 4

when the left and right ventricles are contracting and ejecting blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery and out the heart. No blood is entering the ventricles

Question 5

What is diastolic BP

Answer 5

when the ventricles are relaxed and blood is flowing around the heart from atriums to ventricles

Question 6

Valvular heart disease definition and cause

Answer 6

definition = when any valve in the heart is diseased is damaged
cause = either from congenital or degenerative heart conditions or infections, one of the 4 valves may fail to open or close properly and blood flow is disrupted.
This can be either REGURGITATION (valves don’t close properly so blood leaks back into heart), STENOSIS (valves thicken and stiffen reducing flow) or ATRESIA (valve isn’t formed and solid sheet of tissue blocks blood flow)

Question 7

Valvular heart disease clinical presentation

Answer 7

symptoms may not appear for years
wooshing sound / heart murmur, chest pain, abdominal swelling, fatigue, shortness of breath even lying down, swelling at feet and ankles, dizziness, fainting, irregular heart beat

Question 8

Valvular heart disease risk factors and population affected

Answer 8

Population = 65+ different types more common in different countries
Risk factors = old age, history of infections may affect heart, history of heart disease or attacks, high BP or cholesterol, diabetes, congenital heart problems

Question 9

Valvular heart disease prognosis

Answer 9

It won’t just go away and treatment and its affect varies on what type, how bad and what stage

Question 10

Congestive heart failure definition and cause

Answer 10

Definition = the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly so blood can flow back up and fluid can fill in lungs
Cause = usually happens after other conditions have damaged or weakened the heart muscle so it can’t keep up with the demands or the ventricles become stiff and then don’t fill properly

Question 11

Congestive heart failure clinical presentation

Answer 11

CAN BE CHRONIC OR ACCUTE
shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, swelling of legs ankles and feet, rapid or irregular heart beat, constant cough, wheezing, sputum production, abdomen swelling, rapid weight gain, nausea, chest pain

Question 12

Congestive heart failure population and risk factors

Answer 12

Population = 50+, female & African Americans
Risk factors = coronary artery disease, heart attacks, high BP, faulty heart valves, irregular heart beats, congenital problems, diabetes, alcohol consumption, certain medication, sleep apnea, smoking, obesity, infections and viruses

Question 13

Congestive heart failure prognosis

Answer 13

Lifelong disease that needs lifelong management

Question 14

Aneurism definition and cause

Answer 14

definition = bulge in a blood vessel caused by weakness in the blood vessel wall where it usually branches. they can dissect or rupture
cause = when blood vessel wall is weak due to narrowing, inflammation or damage to the arteries, the pressure of the blood pumping causes it to bulge. the exact cause is unknown though

Question 15

Aneurism clinical presentation

Answer 15

usually no symptoms until rupture.
dizziness, lightheaded, rapid heart beat, sudden severe chest abdominal and back pain

Question 16

Aneurism population and risk factors

Answer 16

population affected = white males 65+
risk factors = family history of them, smoking, obesity, old age, high BP/hypertension, genetic conditions

Question 17

Aneurism prognosis

Answer 17

if it ruptures there will be internal bleeding. it caught before got to monitor closely

Question 18

Hypertrophic changes definition and cause

Answer 18

definition = aka cardiomyopathy is a disease where the heart muscle becomes thickened making it harder to pump blood
cause = usually from genetic mutations that cause it to thicken. usually affects wall between the 2 ventricles (septum) which can then block blood flow out the heart

Question 19

hypertrophic changes clinical presentation

Answer 19

chest pain during exercise and fainting after exercise, heart murmur, heart palpitations, shortness of breath

Question 20

hypertrophic changes population and risk factors

Answer 20

population = Middle Ages & 65+
risk factors = genetics / family history of it as usually inherited if one parent has it makes you 50% more likely to get, obesity, diabetes

Question 21

hypertrophic changes prognosis

Answer 21

lifelong condition but can manage symptoms

Question 22

Atrial fibrillation definition and cause

Answer 22

definition = condition in upper chambers that causes irregular heart rate can lead to blood clots
cause = often caused by problems with heart structure that leads signals of the upper chambers being chaotic causing them to quiver which then overloads the AV node with signals trying to get to the ventricles which then causes the irregular heart beat where upper chambers not in sync with lower chambers

Question 23

Atrial fibrillation clinical presentation

Answer 23

CAN BE NO SYMPTOMS
heart palpitation, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, light headed, unable to exercise, shortness of breath, weakness

Question 24

Atrial fibrillation population and risk factors

Answer 24

population = male 65+
risk factors = coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, high BP, other lung or heart diseases, thyroid disease, diabetes, alcohol consumption, obesity, family history, viral infections

Question 25

Atrial fibrillation prognosis

Answer 25

no cure but can manage but does raise the risk of early death

Question 26

Deep vein thrombosis definition and cause

Answer 26

definition = medical condition that occurs when a blood clot occurs in a deep vein usually in leg
cause = anything that may prevent the blood from flowing or clotting properly such as damage to vein after surgery, infections or injuries. when these clots in the veins get loose they can travel and get stuck in the lungs

Question 27

Deep vein thrombosis clinical presentation

Answer 27

leg swelling, leg pain and cramping, soreness that starts in the calf, change in leg colour usually turns purple/red, warm to touch

Question 28

Deep vein thrombosis population and risk factors

Answer 28

population affected = 65+
risk factors = old age, lack of movement in legs, injury or surgery, pregnancy, birth control pills, hormone therapy, obesity, smoking, cancer, heart failure, IBD, family history/genetics

Question 29

Deep vein thrombosis prognosis

Answer 29

most can resolve with no complications as the clots won’t break loose

Question 30

Vasculitis definition and cause

Answer 30

definition = inflammation of blood vessels that can cause the walls of the vessels to thicken
cause = exact cause unknown, sometimes it can be genetic, sometimes its immune cells attacking the blood vessels. This then inflames them, thickens the walls and restricts blood flow

Question 31

Vasculitis clinical presentation

Answer 31

fever, headache, fatigue, weight loss, general aches and pains, symptoms relating to certain body parts like pain after eating, ringing in ears, itchy/burning eyes, numbness in hands and feet, shortness of breath, bleeding under skin

Question 32

Vasculitis population and risk factors

Answer 32

population = 50+, female
risk factors = older age, family history, smoking, medications, infections like hepatitis, immune disorders

Question 33

Vasculitis prognosis

Answer 33

no cure but with treatment can really help if diagnosed early