Common Ailments of the Circulatory System

·         Coronary Heart Disease or heart attack is the number one disease that causes death and invalidism.  This is due to too much cholesterol in the blood and uncontrolled high blood pressure.   It occurs when the supply of blood to parts of the heart is cut off.  The blood cannot reach the heart.  The arteries that carry blood to the heart are clogged.  Cholesterol is a normal part of the tissue and blood of the body.

·        Hypertension.  Another name for hypertension is high blood pressure.  High blood pressure happens when blood flowing through the arteries presses against the artery walls.  High blood pressure can be caused by several factors like over-eating, worry, anxiety, and tension.  The common symptoms are headache and dizziness.   Blood pressure can be measured using an instrument called sphygmomanometer.  This instrument measures two pressures – the systolic and the diastolic.  Systolic pressure is the highest pressure the heart produces as it pumps blood into the arteries.  The diastolic pressure or low reading is a measure of the pressure that remains in the arteries just before the next heartbeat takes place.  It is the pressure of the blood in the arteries when the heart is relaxed.  The average normal blood pressures are lower in children (90/60) at age of six than in young adults (120/80).  The normal range of blood pressure in a healthy young adult is 90 to 140 systolic and 60 to 90 for diastolic.  Persistent readings above 140 systolic and 90 diastolic actually indicate hypertension.

·         Low Blood Pressure.  Low blood pressure, or hypertension, is a disease caused by poor diet or by some chronic disease.  Occasionally, low blood pressure is accompanied by a feeling of weakness, headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, inability to concentrate, and digestive disturbances.

·         Anemia.  Anemia is mainly due to iron deficiency.  This is a disease or a condition wherein a person lacks hemoglobin in the blood.  In iron-deficiency anemia, the hemoglobin count is low.  This may be caused by a diet that does not contain enough iron.  Certain foods like raisins and liver are rich in iron.  These foods may be included in the diet to prevent this type of anemia.

Another type of anemia is pernicious anemia.  In this type, the digestive tract does not absorb enough vitamin B12, which is essential to the formation of RBCs.

·         Leukemia.  Leukemia is also known as cancer of the blood.  This is caused by an abnormal increase in the leukocytes (WBC) of the blood.  These leukocytes feed on the erythrocytes (RBC).  In leukemia, there is an uncontrolled production of leukocytes either in red bone marrow or in the lymphoid tissue.  The WBCs count is high but nonfunctional.  The person with leukemia has a low resistance to infections.

·        Atherosclerosis.  Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries caused by the buildup of a fatty substance (cholesterol) on their walls.  Such buildup is called plaque.  As they develop, they tend to protrude into the blood vessel and interfere with the flow of blood.  Atherosclerosis begins in early adulthood.  This develops progressively through middle age.  Symptoms may not appear until an individual is 50 or older.

Care of the Circulatory System

1. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.

2. Check blood pressure regularly.

3. Take enough rest.

4. Eat balance diet.

5. Avoid unnecessary tension and worries.

6. Exercise regularly.  Swimming and jogging are good exercise for the heart.

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Category: Circulatory System