Coronary Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure
December 1st, 2008
From the day we are born, to the day we die (Whatever age we are); our heart never stops its ceaseless pumping of oxygenated blood around the body. Amazingly it contracts between 70 -80 times per minute day and night for a typical lifespan of 70 years, and for many individuals an even longer period. The muscular walls do get an occasional respite during the diastolic phase, but it is only a temporary respite.
The walls of the heart contain decidedly specialised muscular tissue which is designed to be very durable and very strong. As the heart works so hard, it needs a constant supply of oxygen. The reason for this is because the heart is never given time to recover from its arduous exercising as other muscles do.
If we are in poor physical condition and decided to run for a bus, our heart and lungs would be unable to meet the sudden demand for extra oxygen rich blood and because our leg muscles are then in short supply of the oxygen they need they become painful and can cramp. However the plus side of this is we can rest the muscles in our legs, and give them the opportunity to recover from their exertion.
Unfortunately our heart does not have this luxury for the simple fact being, if the muscles of the heart were to stop working to take a rest, we would die! The heart is the spring from which its own blood supply is taken.
The coronary arteries which transport the blood to the walls of the heart emerge from the aorta where it leaves the left side of the heart. The heart has to carry on pumping the blood so it is able to infuse all areas of the heart tissue. Problems arise when atheromatous plaques seriously limit the cardiac output.
One of the problems of hypertension (or high blood pressure), is that if it left untreated, it can lead to serious cardiac damage. This is because the pressure of the blood going through the heart is abnormally high, and eventually the heart cannot cope with the prolonged and systematic pressure. It will eventually begin to fail with resulting sometimes devastating results.
Once the heart is damaged through someone suffering from high blood pressure, many other problems can follow if not treated quickly and/or effectively. These can include heart disease such as angina and heart attack with accompanying symptoms and problems.
Any symptoms of chest pain should be reported to a doctor immediately. Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences which could include death.
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