A stroke occurs when there is a sudden interference with the blood supply to part of the brain. Brain cells must have a continuous supply of oxygen-rich blood. If deprived of blood even for a few minutes, they cease to function and then die. Brain cells control sensation and movement and thinking. When nerve cells … Read more
(i) Angina. -When the heart is called upon to work harder, as it is during exercise or excitement, its need for energy (and oxygen) is increased. Normally this increased need is met by increased blood flow through the coronary arteries. If one of the coronary arteries is furred up by atheroma, part of the heart … Read more
Blood in the arteries is under pressure, like water in a hose-pipe with the tap turned on. Blood pressure is pulsatile, rising to a systolic peak with each heart-beat and falling to a diastolic trough in between beats. Just as the pressure in the hose pipe (the strength of the jet) gets higher if the … Read more
This slow degenerative disease of arteries is our major health hazard today. It accounts for a quarter million deaths from heart attacks and strokes each year in Britain. Patchy deposits of fatty material are laid down within the inner lining of the arteries. As a result (i) arteries get furred up, and narrowed, (ii) the … Read more
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death and disability in Britain today. They kill nearly 350,000 men, women and children annually-more than all the other causes of death combined. Some diseases affect primarily the arteries. Other affect the heart directly. The biggest single problem is coronary artery disease. Britain has the unenviable distinction now … Read more
Every organ in the body needs to be supplied continuously with blood carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and other waste products. The blood to function properly. Fresh blood brings oxygen and food to the tissues and heart is the pump which pumps it around. It is a 4-chambered pump with a circulates around the body … Read more
RIGHT HEART: … Read more
The great majority of people who stop smoking do it on their own with the help of their friends. If you have failed, you should go and see your own doctor and discuss the problem and get advice. He/She may be able to refer you, if there is local anti-smoking clinic. You can also get … Read more
Women who smoke are as liable to develop heart disease, lung cancer and bronchitis as men. Mothers who do so are more likely to have a still birth or lose their baby by early death. The children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy are liable to a measurable delay in their physical and mental development … Read more
If you are still healthy it is important to stop before you get an illness due to smoking, especially if you also have raised blood pressure, are overweight, take little exercise or heart disease runs in your family. If you have just had a heart attack, one of the most important decisions you can make … Read more