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CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Cardiovascular diseases are now the leading cause of mortality in India. According to reports, it has been attributed to cause 25% of all mortality.

But what is cardio-vascular diseases?

It is a class of all diseases related to your heart and your blood vessels. The most common example of such a disease is a heart attack (known as ¬myocardial infarction in medical terms), stroke, heart failures, heart arrhythmia, etc.

And what causes them?

Various different causes attribute towards different diseases, but the most common factors are: high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, high blood cholesterol, etc. Tobacco seems to be a very prominent cause of cardiovascular diseases. Smokers face a high risk of developing these diseases at an early age. Second hand smokers aren’t immune from them either and may pose a small but significant risk. Apart from the obvious factors like: smoking, diet with high fats and salt, lack of exercise; some of these diseases can also be caused by genetic disposition or gender. Men are more likely to suffer from CVD over women.

How do I protect myself from these?

Leading a healthy lifestyle is all one needs to stay safe from the most basic types of CVD. Having diet rich in fruits and low in saturated fats and salts keeps the heart healthy. Also, high consumption of salt leads to high blood pressure which eventually leads to CVD. Apart from leading a healthy lifestyle, you can prevent such diseases by getting regular health check-ups. Keeping an updated report of your body’s health is a must to fight them. HealthSet gives you the power to do these check-ups hassle free at home using your mobile phone. And what’s more, you can do these anytime you wish, send these reports back to your doctor for advice. All of this without setting foot inside a medical clinic.

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY

It is the process of recording the electric activity of the heart using electrodes placed on the skin. When the heart beats, tiny electrical changes arise on the skin. This process is able to record these changes from various angles using electrodes placed at 12 (usually) locations around your chest area and also limbs.
These electrical changes are then mapped onto a graph that can be understood or analysed by professionals to determine the health of your heart.
Fig1. A (complex) representation of the ECG Graph

But what does it mean?

Now you might be wondering, these graphs are too difficult to understand. Maybe you should leave it to the professionals? Why not, but think about the implications if you can understand at least a part of it.
The graph is a powerful to when wielded by a professional. It may be used to convey large amounts of information about the structure of the heart, the rate and rhythm of the heart and presence of any damage to heart muscle cells.
The most basic interpretation of the graph is identifying the rate or rhythm. In the end, it is all about patterns and humans are adept at recognising them.
Fig2. ECG with markings
Using the above image, it can be determined what the heart rate if the patient is. Heart rate is usually measured in terms of minute i.e. heart beats per minute. Count the number of squares between 2 QRS complexes (Refer Fig1) and to find the heart rate, the formula is:

Heart Rate= 1500/(no.of squares)

As easy as that.

Cardiovascular diseases are a class of diseases pertaining to your heart of blood vessels. Thus it encompassed various small as well as large ailments. Although there are a few common types of CVD which everyone should be aware of. They are usually caused by stress filled environment, lack of exercise and high fat and sugar diet. Here I’ll list down a few such common CVD:

Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest is the sudden and unexpected loss in the functioning of the heart. It is an emergency and needs immediate medical attention like CPR or defibrillation, otherwise the results may be fatal.
It can cause loss of consciousness, difficulty in breathing and no pulse. Symptoms also include dizziness and chest pains.
Major causes of cardiac arrest are arrhythmia in the heart. Arrhythmia is an abnormality in your heart rhythm. To be on a safe side, it is important to do regular check-ups of your heart using ECG. ECG is used to detect arrhythmia in your heart.

Stroke

Stroke is the damage to the brain caused due to an interruption in the blood supply. Symptoms include paralysis, speech impediment, headaches and trouble walking.
Strokes are usually caused by blockages in blood vessels primarily due to blood clots. The clots may form in the blood vessels of the brain or somewhere near the heart and travel to the brain.

Heart Attack

Heart Attack (also called as myocardial infarction) is something you must have obviously heard before. It is caused by the blockage of blood flow to the heart muscles. If you feel chest pains, numbness in your left hand, it is possible that a heart attack may be eminent.
Coronary arteries are blood vessels which carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. Heart attacks are caused when these arteries are blocked and the heart muscles tire out due to lack of oxygen.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease pertains to the major blood vessels in the body. Coronary artery disease can range from no symptoms, to chest pain, to a heart attack.
The usual cause is the build-up of plaque. This causes coronary arteries to narrow, limiting blood flow to the heart.