Problems with the cardiovascular system symptoms. Signs of heart disease: symptoms and recommendations. Diseases of the cardiovascular system: causes, diagnosis and symptoms What are the dangers of diseases of the cardiovascular system

Heart and vascular diseases are diagnosed in patients over the age of 45 years. According to statistics, it is precisely such pathologies that most often lead to death. Each patient should know the main causes and symptoms of diseases in order to help themselves or a loved one in a timely manner, call an ambulance. After all, the slightest delay can cost a life.

Causes of the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system

There are many reasons for the development of CVD. But experts have identified a number of main factors that adversely affect the functioning of the heart muscle:

1. Viruses and infections. They become the cause of the inflammatory process of myocardial tissues.
2. Diseases of the spine.
3. A sedentary lifestyle, which leads to a loss of elasticity of the vascular walls.
4. Wrong nutrition.
5. Excess weight.
6. Bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. They lead to the formation of blood clots in the vessels.
7. Psycho-emotional stress. It can be regular stress, neurosis, depressive states.
8. Heredity. In many patients with established CVS diseases, close relatives also suffered from similar diseases.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system can occur with the regular use of fatty foods, when cholesterol plaques begin to form on the walls of blood vessels. As a result, blood circulation is disturbed, the heart receives less oxygen and nutrients.

Associated symptoms

Each disease, characterized by damage to the heart muscle and blood vessels, is manifested by certain symptoms. More often they are similar to manifestations of other diseases.

The main signs of a violation of the working capacity of the heart or vascular damage are:

• Dry cough on lying down.
• Paleness of the skin.
• Increased fatigue.
• Swelling of soft tissues.
• Increased body temperature.
• Intense and frequent.
• Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting.
• Increasing performance.
• Pain in the chest area.
• Labored breathing.
• Rapid or slow pulse.
• Pain in the spine, radiating to the left arm.

The appearance of such signs requires an immediate appeal to a specialist. Only an experienced doctor will be able to identify the cause of their appearance and establish an accurate diagnosis.

Possible Complications

CCC diseases are considered the most dangerous, as they lead to circulatory disorders. As a result, not only the heart ceases to receive sufficient nutrients and oxygen.

Against the background of changes, there is also a violation of the performance of other organs.

The consequences of CVS diseases can be different and depend on the type, severity and other features of the course of the pathology. Often there is development, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, loss of working capacity, death.

After a heart attack, the heart muscle is not able to recover completely, since soft tissue necrosis develops during an attack. This process is irreversible. Over time, the course of coronary disease worsens. There is no cure for this disease. To date, drugs can only slow down the development of pathology and improve the patient's condition.

The main diseases of the cardiovascular system and their features

Modern medicine knows many diseases characterized by damage to the cardiovascular system.

But the most common ones are:

• . Pathology manifests itself in the form of a violation of the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle. The main manifestations are weakness and frequent fainting.
• . This is a group of diseases that are characterized by the cessation or slowing down of impulses from the heart muscle. Allocate complete and incomplete blockade. Symptoms are a change in heart rate,.
• . It manifests itself in the form of damage to the walls of blood vessels, on which fatty plaques form. As a result, blood circulation slows down, cholesterol plaques begin to form. The provocateurs of the development of pathology are diabetes, constant stress, and a disturbed metabolic process.
• . Pathology is characterized in the form of circulatory disorders in the feet and hands. Excitement and hypothermia become provocateurs. Raynaud's disease is often accompanied by cervical osteochondrosis, hyperthyroidism. Patients complain of decreased sensitivity in the fingers, cyanosis of the skin, numbness.
• Cardiopsychoneurosis. NCD manifests itself in the form of headaches, pain in the area of ​​the heart muscle, regular changes in blood pressure. The main reasons for the development of NCD are intoxication, overwork. In addition to the use of drugs, patients are recommended to lead an active lifestyle, eat right.
• . This is a group of diseases of the heart muscle, in which the presence of various anomalies in the development of the myocardium is observed. The main reason is the violation of the process of organ formation during fetal development. They are characterized by shortness of breath, general weakness, heart rhythm disturbance. Treatment is carried out only by surgery.

The video will acquaint you with dangerous symptoms that indicate problems in the CCC:

• . It is considered a fairly common disease, which is observed more often in patients of middle and older age. This diagnosis is established in cases where blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mm Hg. Art. Signs of the disease are headaches, nosebleeds, impaired memory and coordination of movement, pain in the heart. Lack of therapy leads to heart attack, stroke and death.
• Arterial hypotension. Also called hypotension. Patients have persistent low blood pressure, when the indicators are no more than 90/60 mm Hg. Art. Patients often suffer from headaches, fainting and dizziness. Treatment is carried out with the help of drugs and methods of physiotherapy.
• . IHD is a chronic disease that occurs when the coronary circulation is insufficient. A symptom is angina pectoris, which manifests itself after physical exertion. Treatment is carried out depending on the severity and is carried out with the help of drugs or surgery.
• . It is characterized by myocardial damage of unknown origin. There is inflammation of the heart tissue, valve defects. Accompanied by arrhythmia, an increase in the heart muscle. The prognosis is poor even with timely treatment. Only an organ transplant can improve it.
• . The cause of the development of pathology is bacteria and viruses, under the influence of which an inflammatory process occurs that affects the inner membrane of the myocardium. Patients are shown drug therapy.
• . It also develops against the background of an infectious lesion. In this case, the inflammatory process affects only the outer shell of the heart muscle. Allocate effusion and dry pericarditis. Symptoms are heart pain, weakness, liver enlargement, and soft tissue swelling. Treatment is medical, but in severe cases, surgical intervention is prescribed.
• Acquired vices. Myocardial defects occur against the background of other diseases, such as atherosclerosis, sepsis, trauma.
• Rheumatism. The cause is an inflammatory process, against the background of which damage to blood vessels and the heart occurs. Inflammation occurs as a result of the development of a streptococcal infection.
• Heart failure. Secondary disease, the cause of which is other pathologies. Allocate acute and chronic forms.
• . The inflammatory process affects the inner membrane of the myocardium. The causes are intoxication, fungal infections, pathogenic microorganisms.

These are the main diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are installed most often. Each of them has its own characteristics, depending on which treatment is prescribed. In some cases, the ongoing processes are irreversible. Only the attending physician can determine the exact diagnosis based on the results of the studies.

Diagnostic methods

To identify the type of disease, its cause, degree and form of development, the specialist first of all interviews the patient and establishes the symptoms.

An external examination is also carried out and a number of diagnostic measures are prescribed:

• . A fairly informative method for establishing a violation of the heart muscle.
• . Refers to ultrasound diagnostic methods. Allows you to identify functional and morphological disorders of the myocardium.
• Coronary angiography. One of the most accurate and informative methods. It is carried out with the help of an X-ray machine and a contrast agent.
• Treadmill test. Diagnosis is carried out with a load on the heart. For this, a treadmill is used. While walking with the help of devices, a specialist measures the level of blood pressure, records ECG indicators.
• BP monitoring. The method allows you to get a complete picture of the level of changes in pressure indicators throughout the day.

The patient is also assigned standard methods of laboratory diagnostics. The patient should take a general and biochemical analysis of blood, urine and feces. This allows you to identify changes in the chemical composition of biological materials, to determine the presence of an inflammatory process.

Methods of treatment and prognosis

Treatment in the establishment of diseases of the cardiovascular system is carried out depending on many features of the pathology. In some cases, when the pathology is at an early stage, drug treatment is prescribed. But in severe cases, surgery is required.

First of all, patients should follow a few rules:

1. Normalize the daily routine.
2. Eliminate heavy physical exertion and psycho-emotional overstrain.
3. Eat properly. A special diet will be developed by the attending physician, depending on the type of disease.
4. Give up bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

Drug treatment includes taking drugs of various groups. Patients are most often prescribed:

• Adrenoblockers, for example "Metoprolol".
• Inhibitors ("Lizinopril").
• Diuretic drugs ("Veroshpiron").
• Potassium antagonists (Diltiazem).
• ("Nicergoline").
• Long acting nitrates.
• cardiac glycosides.

To prevent the formation of blood clots, anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents are prescribed. Patients are prescribed complex treatment. Many patients have to take drugs for life, not only for prevention, but also to maintain the working capacity of the heart muscle.

The course of therapy, dosage of drugs are prescribed by the attending physician on an individual basis.

In case of establishing a severe course of the pathology or the ineffectiveness of drug therapy, surgical intervention is performed. The main methods in the presence of diseases of the cardiovascular system are:

• . A special stent is installed in the affected vessel, which improves blood circulation.
• Aorto-coronary bypass. It is prescribed for the diagnosis of severe coronary artery disease. The operation is aimed at creating an additional pathway for blood to reach the heart.
• radiofrequency ablation. Indicated for arrhythmia.
• Valve prosthetics. Indications for carrying out are infectious processes that affect the valve leaflets, heart defects, atherosclerosis.
• Angioplasty.
• Organ transplant. It is carried out with a severe form of heart disease.

The prognosis depends on the characteristics of the disease and the patient's body. With a mild degree of pathology, the five-year survival rate is more than 60%.

After surgery, the prognosis is often poor. Patients develop various complications. Survival within five years is less than 30% of patients.

Measures to prevent CVD diseases

In order to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, certain preventive measures should be followed.

1. To live an active lifestyle.
2. Eliminate frequent stress, anxiety, neurosis and depression.
3. Eat properly. A doctor will help you choose a diet that takes into account the characteristics of the body.
4. Timely treat infectious, bacterial and fungal diseases.
5. Get regular preventive checkups.
6. Control weight, as extra pounds adversely affect the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
7. Give up bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
8. Compliance with preventive measures will help to significantly reduce the risk of developing pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

CVS diseases are a group of diseases characterized by lesions of various origins of blood vessels or the heart muscle. All of them are dangerous for the patient's life and require immediate treatment.

In severe forms, the development of serious complications and death is possible. That is why, if symptoms occur, you should consult a doctor who will diagnose and, if necessary, prescribe a course of therapy. Self-medication can be life-threatening.

As you know, cardiovascular disease ranks first among the most common and dangerous diseases of our time. There are many reasons for this, but the main ones are genetic predisposition and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Cardiovascular diseases are numerous, proceed in different ways and their origin is different. They can occur as a result of inflammatory processes, congenital developmental defects, injuries, intoxication, pathological changes in metabolic processes, and also as a result of causes that are currently poorly understood.

However, with such a variety of causes of diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system, these diseases combine common symptoms that manifest themselves in these pathologies. Therefore, there are general rules for recognizing the first signs of a disease manifestation. They need to be known in order to be able to avoid complications, and sometimes the disease of the cardiovascular system itself.

The main ones that allow us to talk about the pathology associated with the work of the cardiovascular system:

Pain and discomfort in the chest

Pain is one of the most common symptoms of diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system. If the pain is burning, acute, then most often there is a spasm of the coronary vessels, which leads to malnutrition of the heart itself. Such pains are called angina pectoris. They can occur during physical activity, low temperature, stress. Angina occurs when blood flow cannot meet the oxygen demand of the heart muscle. Angina pectoris, or angina pectoris, the doctor can recognize already at the first treatment of the patient. Things are worse with diagnosing deviations. For a correct diagnosis, monitoring of the course of angina pectoris, analysis of questions and examinations of the patient are necessary. An additional study is required - daily ECG monitoring (ECG recording during the day).

Distinguish between angina pectoris and angina pectoris. Rest angina is not associated with physical effort, often occurs at night, has common features with a severe attack of angina pectoris, and is often accompanied by a feeling of lack of air. Angina pectoris is stable, when attacks occur with a more or less certain frequency and are provoked by a load of approximately the same degree, as well as unstable, in which an attack occurs for the first time or the nature of attacks changes: they occur unexpectedly and last longer, signs appear that are atypical for previous attacks ( progressive angina). Unstable angina is dangerous because it can lead to the development of myocardial infarction (MI). Patients with this type of angina are subject to hospitalization.

Do not forget that an attack of angina pectoris can be a harbinger of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction. In this regard, when the first symptoms of angina pectoris appear, the patient needs to conduct an electrocardiographic examination in the near future, and then carry out medical supervision for the further development of angina pectoris. It is believed that such patients require hospitalization for an accurate diagnosis, as well as for monitoring the course of the disease. To detect abnormalities in the work of the heart, the use of a cardiovisor gives a high result. The services provided by the project site help people to independently control the dynamics of changes in the work of the heart and consult a doctor in a timely manner even in cases where there are no visible manifestations of the disease.

Severe prolonged pain behind the sternum, radiating to the left arm, neck and back, is characteristic of a developing myocardial infarction. One of the most common causes of myocardial infarction is atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels. Pain in MI is often intense and is so strong that a person can lose consciousness and go into shock: pressure drops sharply, pallor appears, cold sweat comes out.

Severe chest pain, while radiating to the back of the head, back, sometimes to the inguinal region, speaks of an aneurysm, or aortic dissection.

Dull pain in the region of the heart, either increasing or decreasing without spreading to other areas of the body, against the background of rising temperature, indicates the development of pericarditis (inflammation of the heart sac - pericardium).

Sometimes pain can occur in the abdomen, which indicates diseases of the vessels of the abdominal organs.

In pulmonary embolism (PE), symptoms will depend on the location and size of the clot. The person will feel chest pain radiating to the shoulder, arm, neck, and jaw. Shortness of breath is a frequent companion of thromboembolism. Coughing and even hemoptysis may occur. The patient feels weakness, frequent heartbeat.

Dull and short stabbing pain in the region of the heart, which occurs regardless of movements and physical efforts, without respiratory and palpitation disturbances, is characteristic of patients with heart neurosis (neurocirculatory dystopia of the cardiac type).

Cardiac neurosis is a fairly common disease of the cardiovascular system. This is due to the intense rhythm of our lives and frequent stressful situations. As a rule, this disease occurs after nervous overload. Heart pain can manifest itself for quite a long time - from several hours to several days. With this pathology, pain sensations are not associated with physical overload, which distinguishes them from pain in angina pectoris. The pain disappears after the person calms down and forgets about the excitement he has endured. Advanced cases of neurasthenia can lead to angina pectoris.

With heart neurosis, in addition to cardiovascular disorders, patients also have functional disorders of the nervous system - absent-mindedness, fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, tremor of the limbs.

Acute chest pain may indicate not only diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system, but also be a consequence of other diseases. These include:

Intercostal neuralgia, which is characterized by sharp, paroxysmal, shooting pain along the intercostal spaces (where the nerve nerve passes). Pain points are located at the exit of the nerves (to the right and left of the spine). With intercostal neuralgia, a violation of the sensitivity of the skin in the intercostal region is possible.

Herpes zoster, the onset of which (the onset of the disease) is accompanied by pain similar to intercostal neuralgia, but often more intense. In the zone of pain that has arisen (in the intercostal space), so-called herpetic vesicles appear. The disease is accompanied by fever.

Spontaneous pneumothorax, which is characterized by the sudden onset of chest pain, and pain, accompanied by severe shortness of breath. This disease is typical for people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases (chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.). Sometimes it can occur in people who do not suffer from the listed diseases, with heavy physical exertion, a strong sharp exhalation.

Cardiospasm (spasm of the esophagus), which, in addition to pain behind the sternum, is characterized by a violation of swallowing and belching.

Cervical and thoracic sciatica, accompanied by severe pain associated with movement (turns, tilts of the torso, neck).

Very often, according to a person’s description of pain sensations, a doctor can draw a conclusion about the origin of the disease. In this case, a cardiovisor can become an indispensable assistant, which allows you to determine whether the pathology is related to the work of the cardiovascular system or not.

Strong palpitations and a feeling of interruption in the work of the heart

A strong heartbeat does not always mean the development of some kind of pathology, since it can occur with increased physical exertion or as a result of a person’s emotional arousal, and even after eating a large amount of food.

In diseases of the cardiovascular system, a strong heartbeat often manifests itself in the early stages of the disease. The feeling of failure in the work of the heart occurs when the heart rhythm is disturbed. At the same time, it seems to a person that the heart almost “pops out” of the chest, then freezes for a certain period of time.

Such symptoms of cardiovascular disease characteristic of tachycardia, which is accompanied by a heartbeat with a distinct beginning and end, the duration of which can be from a few seconds to several days. Supraventricular tachycardias are accompanied by sweating, increased intestinal motility, profuse urination at the end of an attack, and a slight increase in body temperature. Prolonged attacks may be accompanied by weakness, discomfort in the heart, fainting. If there are heart diseases, then angina pectoris, heart failure. Ventricular tachycardia is less common and is most often associated with heart disease. It leads to disruption of the blood supply to organs, as well as to heart failure. Ventricular tachycardia may be a precursor to ventricular fibrillation.

With heart block, an arrhythmic contraction can be observed, in particular, the "loss" of individual impulses or a significant slowdown in the heart rate. These symptoms may be associated with dizziness or fainting due to decreased cardiac output.

Dyspnea

With heart disease, shortness of breath can appear already in the early stages. This symptom occurs with heart failure: the heart does not work at full capacity and does not pump the necessary amount of blood through the blood vessels. Most often, heart failure develops as a result of atherosclerosis (deposits in the vessels of atherosclerotic plaques). In the case of a mild form of the disease, shortness of breath bothers with intense physical exertion. In severe cases, shortness of breath occurs at rest.

The appearance of shortness of breath may be associated with stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation, a disorder of cerebral circulation.

Sometimes cardiac shortness of breath is difficult to distinguish from shortness of breath that accompanies lung disease. Both cardiac and pulmonary dyspnoea may worsen at night when the person goes to bed.

In heart failure, fluid retention in the tissues of the body is possible as a result of a slowdown in blood flow, which can cause pulmonary edema and threaten the life of the patient.

Severe obesity, which increases the weight of the chest wall, significantly increases the load on the muscles involved in the breathing process. This pathology leads to shortness of breath, which correlates with physical activity. Since obesity is a risk factor for coronary artery disease and contributes to the formation of blood clots in the veins of the legs with subsequent pulmonary embolism, it is only possible to associate dyspnea with obesity if these diseases are excluded.

Not the last role in the search for the causes of shortness of breath is played in the modern world by detraining. Shortness of breath is experienced not only by patients, but also by healthy people who lead an inactive lifestyle. With heavy physical exertion, even a normally functioning left ventricle in such people cannot have time to pump all the blood entering it into the aorta, which ultimately leads to stagnation in the pulmonary circulation and shortness of breath.

One of the symptoms of neurotic conditions is psychogenic shortness of breath, which is easy to distinguish from cardiac shortness of breath. People suffering from neurosis of the heart experience difficulty in breathing: they are constantly short of air, and therefore they are forced to periodically take deep breaths. Such patients are characterized by shallow breathing, dizziness and general weakness. Such breathing disorders are purely neurogenic in nature and are in no way associated with dyspnea characteristic of cardiac or pulmonary diseases.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor can easily distinguish between psychogenic dyspnea and cardiac dyspnea. However, difficulties often arise in the differential diagnosis of psychogenic dyspnea, which is different from the dyspnea characteristic of pulmonary embolism. It is important not to overlook mediastinal swelling and primary pulmonary hypertension. In this case, the diagnosis is made by exclusion after a thorough examination of the patient.

To accurately determine the nature of discomfort in the chest, as well as shortness of breath, they resort to the help of bicycle ergometry, or ECG Holter monitoring. A high degree of efficiency in detecting pathologies in the work of the heart can be achieved using a computer system for screening analysis of dispersion changes in the ECG signal, which is offered by the project website.

Edema

The main reason for the appearance of edema is an increase in pressure in the venous capillaries. This is facilitated by such reasons as disruption of the kidneys and increased permeability of the walls of blood vessels. If the swelling is mainly in the ankles, this may indicate heart failure.

Cardiac edema will differ between walking and recumbent patients, as it is associated with the movement of interstitial fluid under the influence of gravity. Walking patients are characterized by swelling of the lower leg, which increases in the evening and subsides in the morning, after sleep. With further accumulation of fluid, it spreads upward, and in patients there is swelling in the thighs, then the lower back and abdominal wall. In severe cases, edema extends to the subcutaneous tissue of the chest wall, arms and face.

In bedridden patients, excess fluid usually first accumulates on the lower back and in the sacrum. Therefore, patients with suspected heart failure should be turned over on their stomach.

Bilateral symmetrical swelling of the legs, usually appearing after a long stay "on the legs", accompanied by shortness of breath, rapid pulse and wheezing in the lungs, may be the result of acute or chronic heart failure. Such edema, as a rule, spreads from the bottom up and intensifies towards the end of the day. Asymmetric swelling of the legs occurs with phlebothrombosis, the most common cause of pulmonary embolism, which can lead to overload in the work of the right ventricle.

There are several ways to determine swelling of the legs. Firstly, after removing clothes in places of pinching, for example, the elastic bands of socks remain pits that do not immediately go away. Secondly, within 30 seconds after pressing a finger on the anterior surface of the lower leg, in the place where the bone is closest to the skin surface, even with small edema, there is a “hole” that does not go away for a very long time. To accurately determine the cause of edema, you need to visit a therapist. He will be able to determine which specialist to contact first.

Violation of the color of the skin (pallor, cyanosis)

Pallor is most often observed with anemia, vasospasm, severe rheumatic heart disease (inflammatory heart disease in rheumatism), aortic valve insufficiency.

Cyanosis (cyanosis) of the lips, cheeks, nose, earlobes and extremities is observed in severe degrees of pulmonary heart failure.

Headaches and dizziness

These symptoms very often accompany diseases associated with disorders in the work of the heart and blood vessels. The main reason for this response of the body is that the brain does not receive the required amount of blood, and therefore, there is not enough blood supply to the brain with oxygen. In addition, there is a poisoning of cells with decay products that are not taken away by blood from the brain in a timely manner.

Headache, especially throbbing, may indicate an increase in blood pressure. However, in other cases it may be asymptomatic. An increase in pressure must be treated, as it can lead to myocardial infarction, and sometimes to apoplexy.

Inflammatory processes (myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis) and myocardial infarction are accompanied by fever, sometimes fever.

The appearance of problems in the work of the heart may also be indicated by poor sleep, sticky sweat, anxiety, nausea and discomfort in the chest when lying on the left side, as well as a feeling of weakness and increased fatigue of the body.

When the first suspicions arise of the existence of problems associated with the work of the heart, one should not wait until visible symptoms appear, since so many diseases of the cardiovascular system just begin with the appearance in a person of the feeling that “something is wrong” in the body ".

Everyone should remember the need for early diagnosis, because it is no secret to anyone that the sooner the disease is detected, the easier and with the least risk to the patient's life will be treated.

One of the most effective means of early detection of cardiovascular diseases is the use of a cardiovisor, since when processing ECG data, a new patented method for analyzing microalterations (microscopic tremors) of the ECG signal is used, which makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the work of the heart already in the early stages of the disease.

It is well known that often the disease develops, one might say, completely unnoticed by the patient and is detected only during examination by a cardiologist. This fact indicates the need for preventive visits to a cardiologist at least once a year. In this case, it is necessary to study the results of the ECG. If, however, a cardiologist, when examining a patient, will be able to analyze the results of an electrocardiogram made immediately upon occurrence symptoms of cardiovascular disease, then the probability of making a correct diagnosis, and, consequently, of carrying out the correct treatment, will increase significantly.

Rostislav Zhadeiko, especially for the project .

Symptoms of diseases of the cardiovascular system is palpitations: the patient experiences discomfort in the region of the heart. Rapid heart rate (tachycardia) is one of the first signs of cardiovascular decompensation, but may be associated with increased heart excitability in neurosis. Normally, the number of heartbeats is 60 - 80 per minute. An increase in heart rate can also be observed in a healthy person under the influence of strong excitement, overheating of the body, after a heavy meal. Slow heart rate (bradycardia) is noteworthy. A decrease in heart rate to 40 per minute or less can be a sign of serious diseases, in particular, disorders in the conduction system of the heart. Normally, a decrease in heart rate occurs in people involved in sports with a heavy load. The patient may experience interruptions in the heartbeat, which is associated with arrhythmias, those. violation of the rhythm of heart contractions. Among arrhythmias, extrasystole (individual or group extrasystoles) is often found - a consequence of functional or organic heart diseases. Pain in the heart area is an important symptom of heart disease. Most often, compressive pains are associated with insufficient blood supply to the heart through the coronary (coronary) vessels that feed the heart muscle. Pain can radiate (radiate) to the left shoulder blade, shoulder, lower jaw, etc. Coronary insufficiency is characterized by paroxysmal, squeezing pains. Stitching, persistent, intense pains are characteristic of heart neurosis. Pain associated with heart disease can occur when the heart is damaged by a rheumatic process (rheumatic coronary disease), with aneurysms (pathological enlargements of the heart, for example, after myocardial infarction), with inflammation of the pericardium (pericarditis). Pain in the region of the heart may not have a connection with the disease of the heart itself, but depend on pathological changes in other organs and tissues: pleura with pleurisy, intercostal neuralgia, myositis, thoracic sciatica, fracture of the ribs, etc. One of the symptoms of heart failure is shortness of breath . Shortness of breath can occur at rest, with little physical exertion. The cause of shortness of breath is sometimes stagnation in the pulmonary (small) circulation due to weakness of cardiac activity. In some cases, hemoptysis is noted, which is also associated with congestion in the lungs (in the pulmonary circulation).
It is important to correctly ask the patient about how the disease developed. The study of the anamnesis (history of development) of the disease allows you to identify important facts, for example, that the patient previously suffered from tonsillitis and carried them on his feet (one of the causes of rheumatism) or abused tobacco smoking (contributes to spasm of the coronary vessels), etc. It is very important to find out how vasodilators (validol, nitroglycerin) affect pain in the heart area. When examining a patient, they first of all pay attention to the position of the body, the color of the skin. In heart failure, the patient may take a forced semi-sitting position. Cyanosis of the lips and visible mucous membranes, shortness of breath speak of cardiac decompensation. Edema is a characteristic sign of heart failure; they can be the result of both a uniform accumulation of edematous fluid in the subcutaneous tissue, and in the abdominal cavity (ascites). Most often, edema (especially in the initial stages of cardiac decompensation) occurs in the lower extremities; sometimes they quickly disappear after rest or a night's sleep. Sometimes swelling leads to malnutrition of the skin, resulting in skin cracks, suppuration, ulceration. Stagnation of blood and impaired permeability of small vessels play a role in the occurrence of edema. Objectively, swelling can be assessed in several ways: by systematically weighing the patient, taking into account the fluid drunk and excreted (diuresis), measuring the circumference of edematous limbs, the circumference of the abdomen, etc. When examining the heart area, you can determine the protrusion (expansion of the heart or aorta - aneurysm), a significant increase in the apex beat. Sometimes there is an increased pulsation of large vessels (). Tortuosity and hardening of the arteries are observed during the sclerotic process. When palpating the region of the heart, a cardiac, or apical impulse (increased pulsation of the left ventricle) is sometimes felt.
By feeling the heart, it is possible to determine the symptom, which is called "cat's purr." It occurs when the opening between the left atrium and left ventricle narrows (this kind of heart disease is called mitral stenosis).
To diagnose heart disease, percussion or percussion is used. Percussion sound over the heart and lungs is different. Above the lungs due to their airiness, the sound is louder, above the heart (dense muscular organ) - dull. With the help of percussion, it is possible to detect an expansion of the boundaries of the heart in one of any departments (for example, an isolated significant expansion of the left ventricle with aortic valve insufficiency) or a general expansion of the heart (the so-called "bull's heart"), which is observed with severe cardiac decompensation. Listening to the heart (auscultation) is a common diagnostic method. The heart is heard with a phonendoscope or stethoscope. Normally, two heart sounds are detected. The first occurs at the time of contraction (systole) of the heart, when the mitral and tricuspid valves close and the heart muscle tenses. The second tone occurs during diastole and, unlike the first systolic, is called diastolic; the occurrence of the second tone is associated with the slamming of the aortic and pulmonary valves.
The interval between the first and second tone is shorter than between the second and first. Heart tones can change due to certain pathological disorders of the heart. For example, with weakness of the heart muscle, the tones become deaf (the first tone). An increase in the second tone is more often associated with an increase in blood pressure. In a healthy person, heart sounds are quite loud and sonorous. In case of heart disease, weakness of the heart muscle, heart tones become muffled. However, it should be distinguished between the deafness of heart tones associated with heart disease and a decrease in the sonority of heart tones due to a significant thickening of the chest with fatty deposits, for example, quiet tones. To diagnose a number of heart diseases, they have great value determined by listening to heart murmurs. They can appear in connection with organic and inorganic, functional, transient changes in the heart muscle or valvular apparatus of the heart. a defect that prevents the complete closing of the valve leaflets. At the same time, during ventricular systole, blood from the left ventricle enters not only the aorta, but also through the left atrioventricular orifice, which is not completely closed by the "defective" mitral valve, back into the left atrium. This passage of blood causes a murmur called systolic murmur. Functional systolic murmur may occur in some conditions that are not associated with primary damage to the heart muscle or heart valves. For example, the so-called youthful noise is often encountered, due to the rapid growth of the body and the formation of the myocardium. This noise disappears with age and does not entail organic changes. In violation of the nervous regulation of the heart, especially with tachycardia, after exercise, a systolic murmur occurs, which disappears under the influence of treatment. A number of diseases of the endocrine system are accompanied by secondary changes in the heart and systolic murmur (for example, thyrotoxicosis). Diastolic murmur occurs with aortic valve insufficiency, when during ventricular diastole blood flows from the aorta through incompletely closed valves back into the left ventricle. Diastolic murmur is heard with stenosis of the left venous opening, when blood passes with difficulty from the left atrium to the left ventricle. Pulse is the contraction of the walls of blood vessels when blood passes through them. To determine the nature of the pulse (frequency, rhythm, filling, tension, speed), feel the radial artery in the area of ​​​​the wrist joint with four fingers of the right hand, slightly pressing the radial artery against the radius. For comparison, the radial artery is felt on both hands. The pulse can also be determined on the temporal and carotid arteries. The mechanism for the formation of a pulse wave is as follows: the blood ejected from the left ventricle into the aorta spreads through the arteries and fills them. In a healthy person, the number of pulse beats is 60-80 per minute, the rhythm is usually correct, i.e. equal intervals of time pass between individual beats of the pulse. The filling of the radial artery with blood is sufficient. The tension of the pulse is a state of tone, tension of the artery wall. With significant tension, when a certain effort is needed to compress the radial artery until the pulsation stops, they speak of a tense pulse, or an increased intensity of the pulse wave (for example, with severe sclerosis of the arteries). Pulse rate (as opposed to frequency, when the number of pulse beats is taken into account per minute) - this is an account of the speed (speed) of the rise of the pulse wave. For an objective assessment of the pulse, a sphygmograph is used, a special device with which pulse curves are recorded on smoked paper. Each medical worker should be able to determine the nature of the pulse on the radial artery. For example, the so-called thready pulse indicates a significant drop in cardiac activity and the need for urgent medical measures. It is especially important to study the pulse to detect violations of the rhythm of heart contractions, the so-called arrhythmias. Arrhythmias can be associated with both functional disorders of the heart (extrasystole) and its organic lesions (atrial fibrillation, blockade). Blood pressure is the blood pressure on the walls of blood vessels during systole and diastole. Blood pressure is determined by a tonometer or sphygmomanometer - the Riva-Rocci apparatus according to the Korotkov method. A rubber cuff is placed on the patient's shoulder. It is filled with air in order to compress the soft tissues and arteries. The phonendoscope is installed on the elbow bend, where tones are heard on the ulnar artery. Releasing air from the cuff, at the same time listen to the tones on the ulnar artery. The appearance of the first tones corresponds to the maximum arterial pressure, its figures are determined at this moment on a mercury manometer (tonometer). By the disappearance of the auscultated tones, the figures for the minimum arterial pressure are set. In a healthy person, the maximum arterial pressure can range from 115 to 145 mm Hg. Art., and the minimum is from 95 to 60 mm Hg. The level of blood pressure depends on a number of circumstances: constitution, age, emotional state, food intake, physical activity (blood pressure rises after unrest, eating and decreases after rest). The maximum arterial pressure is above 145 mm Hg. Art. and a minimum above 95 mm Hg. Art., if such figures are often detected, should suggest a hypertensive state. Hypotension should be considered a maximum blood pressure below 100 mm Hg. Art. and a minimum below 55 mm Hg. Art.

Sometimes, even at the first glance at a "heart" patient, one can determine the disease that he suffers from.

In heart failure (in mild cases), patients prefer to lie on their right side, since lying on their left side causes them discomfort in the region of the heart.

Patients with left ventricular failure prefer a sitting position.

Increased reabsorption of water by the tubules of the kidneys. DYSPNEA. In heart disease, shortness of breath is one of the earliest symptoms. In mild cases, it bothers the patient only in a state of physical exertion, with moderate diseases - when performing normal work, and in severe cases, it appears even at rest.

The appearance of shortness of breath in diseases of the cardiovascular system can be explained by several reasons:

Stagnation in the pulmonary circulation;

Disorder of cerebral blood supply and hypoxemia (insufficient oxygen supply) of the medulla oblongata;

Lung diseases (emphysema, pneumosclerosis), when their respiratory surface decreases, breathing becomes frequent and shallow, which further worsens the supply of oxygen to the blood.

HEART BEAT. Heartbeat is the subjective sensation of heart contractions. In a practically healthy person, it can occur during physical exertion, after a heavy meal, or during stressful conditions. In diseases of the cardiovascular system, palpitations appear already in the early stages of the disease.

Often, palpitations are the result of cardiac neurosis and occur with increased excitability of the heart.

PAIN. In a healthy person, pain in the region of the heart can also occur with increased excitability of the nervous system, but more often it is the result of a pathological process. Pain is the watchman of our body, and when the watchman gives a signal, it means that there are failures somewhere.

If the pain occurs as a result of a spasm of the coronary vessels, then they are called angina pectoris. In these cases, acute anemia of the myocardium develops, and the pain is the "cry of the starving myocardium." Angina pectoris pains are burning, squeezing or pressing in nature.

With inflammation of the membranes of the heart, the pain can be permanent dull in nature. In diseases of the aorta, it also has a dull permanent character and is felt behind the sternum.

Shortness of breath is a frequent and often the main complaint of patients with circulatory failure, its occurrence is due to excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood and a decrease in oxygen content as a result of congestion in the pulmonary circulation.

In the initial stage of “circulatory insufficiency, the patient experiences shortness of breath only during physical exertion. In the case of progression of heart failure, shortness of breath becomes constant and does not disappear at rest.

Breathlessness is distinguished from shortness of breath. characteristic of cardiac asthma, which occur most often suddenly, at rest or some time after physical overload or emotional overstrain. They are a sign of acute left ventricular failure and are observed in patients with acute myocardial infarction, with heart defects and high blood pressure (BP). During such an attack, patients complain of extreme lack of air. Often, pulmonary edema develops very quickly in them, which is accompanied by a strong cough, the appearance of bubbling in the chest, the release of a foamy liquid, and pink sputum.

heartbeat- a feeling of strong and frequent, and sometimes non-rhythmic contractions of the heart. It usually occurs with frequent heartbeats, but may be felt in individuals without heart rhythm disturbances. In the presence of a pathology of the heart, palpitations can be a sign of functional myocardial insufficiency in patients with diseases such as myocarditis, myocardial infarction, heart defects, etc. Often this unpleasant sensation occurs in patients with cardiac arrhythmia (paroxysmal tachycardia, extrasystole, etc.). However, you need to know that palpitations are not always a direct sign of heart disease. It can also occur due to other reasons, such as hyperthyroidism, anemia, fever, reflex due to pathology of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract, after the use of certain drugs (aminophylline, atropine sulfate). Since palpitations are associated with increased excitability of the nervous apparatus that regulates cardiac activity, it can be observed in healthy people with significant physical exertion, excitement, in case of abuse of coffee, alcohol, tobacco. The heartbeat is constant or occurs suddenly in the form of seizures, such as proximal tachycardia.

Often patients complain of a feeling of “interruptions” in the heart, which are accompanied by a feeling of fading, cardiac arrest and are mainly associated with such cardiac arrhythmias as extrasystolic arrhythmia, sino-arterial blockade.

Particular attention should be paid to patients who complain of pain in the region of the heart and behind the sternum, which is observed during the course of various diseases. It can be caused by a violation of the coronary circulation (most often occurs with the development of angina pectoris or myocardial infarction), diseases of the pericardium, especially acute dry pericarditis; acute myocarditis, cardiac neurosis, aortic lesions. However, you should be aware that often patients complain of "pain in the region of the heart" or "pain in the heart" when the organs and tissues surrounding the heart are affected, in particular the ribs (contusion, fracture, periostitis, tuberculosis), intercostal muscles (myositis), intercostal nerves (neuralgia, neuritis), pleura (pleurisy).

Pain in the heart

The course of various heart diseases is characterized by pain, has a different character, therefore, when questioning the patient, it is necessary to find out in detail its exact location, place of irradiation, causes and conditions of occurrence (physical or psycho-emotional overstrain, appearance at rest, during sleep), character (prickly, squeezing, burning, feeling of heaviness behind the sternum), duration, from which it passes (from stopping while walking, after taking nitroglycerin, etc.). Pain is often observed due to myocardial ischemia resulting from insufficiency of the coronary circulation. This pain syndrome is called angina pectoris. In the case of angina pectoris, pain is usually localized behind the sternum and (or) in the projection of the heart and radiates under the left shoulder blade, neck and left arm. Mostly its character is constricting or burning, its occurrence is associated with physical labor, walking, in particular with lifting up, with excitement. Pain, lasts 10-15 minutes, stops or decreases after taking nitroglycerin .

Unlike the pain that occurs with angina pectoris, the pain that occurs with myocardial infarction is much more intense, prolonged and does not go away after taking nitroglycerin.

In patients with myocarditis, pain is intermittent, of course not intense, dull in nature. Sometimes it gets worse with physical activity. In patients with pericarditis, pain is localized in the middle of the sternum or throughout the heart. It is prickly or shooting in nature, can be long (several days) or appear in the form of seizures. This pain is aggravated by movement, coughing, even pressing with a stethoscope. Pain associated with damage to the aorta (aortalgia) is usually localized behind the sternum, has a constant character and is not marked by irradiation.

For neurosis, the most characteristic localization of pain is at the apex of the heart or more often in the left half of the chest. This pain is prickly or aching in nature, it can be prolonged - it may not disappear for hours and days, it is aggravated by excitement, but not during physical exertion, and is accompanied by other manifestations of general neurosis.

Patients with heart disease may be bothered by coughing, which is caused by stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation. In this case, a dry cough is usually noted, sometimes a small amount of sputum is secreted. Dry, often hysterical cough is observed in the case of an increase in the heart, mainly the left atrium in the presence of an aortic aneurysm.

Hemoptysis in patients with heart disease in most cases is caused by stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation and facilitated release of erythrocytes from capillaries stretched with blood into the lumen of the alveoli, as well as rupture of small bronchial vessels. More often, hemoptysis is observed in patients with stenosis of the left atrioventricular orifice and pulmonary embolism. If an aortic aneurysm ruptures into the airways, profuse bleeding occurs.

Edema. as shortness of breath, is the most common complaint of patients with heart disease in the stage of decompensation. They appear as a symptom of venous congestion in the systemic circulation and are initially determined only in the afternoon, usually in the evening, on the back of the feet and in the ankle area, and disappear overnight. In the case of progression of edematous syndrome and accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, patients complain of heaviness in the abdomen and an increase in its size. Especially often there is heaviness in the right hypochondrium due to stagnation in the liver and its increase. In connection with circulatory disorders in the abdominal cavity, in addition to these signs, patients may experience poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and stool disorders. For the same reason, kidney function is impaired and diuresis decreases.

Headache (cephalgia) may be a manifestation of high blood pressure. In the event of a complication of hypertension - a hypertensive crisis - the headache intensifies, accompanied by dizziness, tinnitus, and vomiting.

In the presence of heart disease (endocarditis, myocarditis, etc.), patients complain of an increase in body temperature, often to subfebrile numbers, but sometimes there may be a high temperature that accompanies infective endocarditis. When asking patients, it is necessary to clarify at what time of the day the body temperature rises, its increase is accompanied by chills, profuse sweating, how long the fever lasts.

In addition to the aforementioned main, most important complaints, patients may note the presence of fatigue, general weakness, as well as decreased performance, irritability, and sleep disturbance.

The most interesting news

Symptoms of diseases of the cardiovascular system

The most important most common signs of circulatory disorders in diseases of the cardiovascular system are shortness of breath, pain, palpitations, cyanosis and swelling. They constitute the content of the first complaints of the patient, they (shortness of breath, cyanosis, edema) in most cases are the first to be noted during an objective examination. In any case, if the patient himself does not indicate them, the presence or absence of these symptoms must be noted by the examining physician. In addition to these symptoms, which are noticeable to the patient, changes in blood pressure that are often not felt by patients are of great importance. All these symptoms, combined with each other and with other symptoms (fatigue, loss of efficiency, etc.), give a picture of circulatory failure.

Dyspnea in cardiac patients is one of the earliest and most persistent symptoms. At the very beginning of the development of heart failure, it appears only with greater physical exertion, and with the full development of insufficiency, shortness of breath does not go away even with complete rest.

The reasons for the development of shortness of breath in a cardiovascular patient are mainly: 1) stagnation of blood in the lungs and their worst aeration - mechanical shortness of breath; 2) reduced excretion or increased formation of metabolic products, especially acidic ones, and carbon dioxide - toxic shortness of breath. The accumulation of incompletely oxidized metabolic products during work and in a healthy person is somewhat faster and in greater quantities than the supply of oxygen necessary for their complete oxidation. The difference between required and actual oxygen consumption is called "oxygen debt". In heart failure, under-oxidized products accumulate more, “oxygen debt” lasts longer; increased breathing turns into shortness of breath. In severe heart failure, "oxygen debt" becomes permanent. In addition, a more or less significant role is played by: 3) increased excitability of the respiratory center due to oxygen starvation; 4) accumulation of gases in the stomach and intestines, as well as fluid in the abdominal cavity, leading to a rise in the diaphragm.

Shortness of breath, as an indicator of heart failure predominantly of the left heart, includes a subjective sensation and objective signs, and in some cases, either the subjective or the objective side may prevail.

Shortness of breath in a cardiovascular patient can take many forms. The following are most often observed: 1) shortness of breath during physical exertion; 2) constant shortness of breath; 3.) inability to hold one's breath; 4) rapid breathing without painful sensations; 5) shortness of breath that appears in the morning, as a result of a decrease in the tone of the cardiovascular system during sleep, but passes in the middle of the day: habitual work often raises the dynamics of blood circulation; 6) dyspnea of ​​the Cheyne-Stokes type; 7) shortness of breath, appearing with the transition to a horizontal position, causing awakening after two to three hours of sleep; 8) the most painful form of shortness of breath in a heart patient, occurring in the form of suffocation episodically, cardiac asthma (asthma cardiale).

Attacks of cardiac asthma usually develop suddenly in the form of severe shortness of breath, not associated with physical stress. On the contrary, asthma develops more often at night. Eating and drinking a lot at night contributes to asthma. The patient wakes up with a feeling of extreme lack of air (suffocation), with a feeling of compression of the chest. There is usually no pain. The face is bluish, the skin is covered with cold sweat. Frequent small pulse up to 140 beats per minute. Frequent cardiac arrhythmias. Breathing speeded up to 30-40 per minute. When the fit passes, another attempt to lie down causes it to reappear. Percussion noted increased sonority throughout the lung, auscultatory - often small moist rales, mainly in the lower lobes (stagnation). The mechanism of cardiac asthma is explained differently. The following explanation is most accepted: in the supine position, due to the partial absorption of edema, the amount of circulating blood increases, often already increased with heart failure. If the left heart has weakened more than the right, then more blood enters the small circlethan the left ventricle can pump out of it; the capillaries of the small circle are overfilled, and thus both the respiratory surface and the mobility of the lung are sharply reduced. In addition to the mechanical moment, shifts in the autonomic nervous system towards vagotonia seem to be of great importance. This is evidenced by the suddenness of the beginning, and often the end of the attack, and often after it a copious separation of liquid urine with a specific gravity of about 1003-1000 (urina spastica). In addition to muscular insufficiency of the left ventricle (for example, with defects in the aortic valves), another obstacle to the emptying of the small circle may be pronounced mitral stenosis. With it, asthma attacks are observed only in the presence of a strong right ventricle and an increased demand on the work of the heart. Under these conditions, the phenomena of stagnation in the lungs increase sharply and sharply, and an attack occurs. As soon as the right ventricle begins to weaken, asthma attacks with stenosis disappear. Thus, cardiac asthma is an indicator of the weakness of the left ventricle while maintaining the strength of the right.

With a significant attack of asthma, the blood serum begins to sweat into the cavity of the alveoli, and acute pulmonary edema develops. Pulmonary edema begins in the lower lobes, and the fluid, displacing air from the airways, gradually rises higher and higher. Depending on this, a strong cough appears, shortness of breath increases sharply, when listening, a large number of first very small, and then large moist rales are determined, and foamy liquid sputum, usually pink in color, resembling cranberry mousse, is released in large quantities.

Pain is a common complaint in heart patients. When taking into account the significance of pain, two main points must be remembered: 1) the individual sensitivity of the nervous system can change and distort the external manifestations of subjective sensations; 2) the intensity of pain is not always proportional to the danger and even more so the degree of anatomical changes.

In case of pain in the heart area, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the tissues and organs surrounding the heart - ribs (fracture, tuberculosis, gumma), intercostal muscles (myositis), nerves (neuralgia, neuritis), pleura (pleurisy), etc. Pain depending on the lesion hearts are called:

1) diseases of the pericardium, most often acute dry pericarditis:

2) acute stretching of the heart muscle;

3) acute myocarditis;

4) diseases or functional disorders of the activity of the coronary vessels;

5) lesions of the aorta;

6) pressure of the dilated parts of the heart and blood vessels on the nerve formations.

When analyzing heart pain, attention should be paid to the following features: 1) exact localization, 2) intensity, 3) character, 4) connection with other phenomena, 5) duration, 6) direction of return, 7) associated characteristic phenomena.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic pathology associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the lumen of blood vessels. Such plaques are an accumulation of fats and the growth of surrounding tissues. Clogging of blood vessels leads to their deformation and the occurrence of obstruction, as a result of which blood circulation throughout the human body is disturbed. A plaque torn off from a vessel is very dangerous for human life and often leads to instant death.

The disease is usually accompanied by circulatory disorders in the lower extremities (the threat of gangrene), the brain and heart. Atherosclerosis of the heart vessels leads to ischemia. At the first suspicion of this pathology, you should call a doctor. So, an attack of atherosclerosis of the heart vessels begins with the onset of pressing pain in the chest and dizziness, the appearance of shortness of breath and a feeling of lack of air. Such an attack can be stopped with nitroglycerin. Frequent recurrence of such conditions ends in myocardial infarction, death or disability.

Cardiac ischemia

Ischemic heart disease is a condition in which the heart muscle does not receive the amount of blood necessary for the normal functioning of the organ. The cause of this pathology is the narrowing or complete blockage of blood vessels. There are several forms of ischemic disease. Each of them can be considered as an independent disease.

angina pectoris

Angina pectoris is one of the main manifestations of coronary artery disease, manifested by frequent pain in the region of the heart, which can radiate to the left shoulder, arm or neck. Most often, an attack of angina pectoris begins after an experienced emotional shock or physical exertion. At rest, heart pain usually subsides. A separate type of angina pectoris is characterized by the occurrence of chest pain in the absence of any stress and physical activity. An attack of rest angina can occur suddenly, for example, at night and ends after taking a tablet of validol or nitroglycerin. In addition to chest pain, an attack of the disease is accompanied by excessive sweating, slowing of the pulse rate, and blanching of the face. Rest angina is life-threatening and can result in myocardial infarction.

Treatment is complex. First, the patient is subject to a comprehensive examination, then the specialist prescribes the necessary medications (to prevent attacks in the future). The patient is shown compliance with the diet, the alternation of physical activity with rest, the absence of stress and excessive stress on the body. A good effect in the treatment is given by drugs that have a vasodilating effect.

myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is an extremely life-threatening condition characterized by the death of certain sections of the heart muscle. Oxygen starvation of the myocardium due to a violation of the circulatory process in it leads to the occurrence of this pathology. Most often, myocardial infarction develops in people who have reached the age of forty. In general, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease increases dramatically with age.

The main symptom of myocardial infarction, as well as an attack of angina pectoris, is intense pain behind the sternum. Pain with angina pectoris is easily stopped by a nitroglycerin tablet or goes away on its own within 10-15 minutes. Pain during a heart attack can persist for several hours. At the first suspicion, medical workers should be called, the patient should be placed on a soft, flat surface, and he should be given 30 drops of Corvalol to drink. Further, no action should be taken until the arrival of doctors. Among the other symptoms of myocardial infarction: darkening in the eyes, sweating, blanching of the skin, fainting. Sometimes there are atypical cases of the disease, when the main symptoms as such are absent or they are very erased. A person may experience pain in the abdomen, difficulty breathing, dizziness.

Myocardial infarction requires urgent placement of the patient in the intensive care unit of a medical institution. Lack of assistance can lead to serious consequences in the form of heart failure, heart failure, cardiogenic shock. Conservative treatment involves the introduction into the patient's body of drugs that lower venous pressure, relieve pain, normalize the work of the heart. For human life, only the first hours of a heart attack are dangerous, then the possibility of a fatal outcome decreases. After normalization of the patient's condition, they are transferred to the hospital. The rehabilitation period after myocardial infarction lasts at least six months, some drugs are prescribed for life.

Aneurysm

An aneurysm is a pathological condition of the vessel wall, in which an expansion of its separate section occurs. Often an aneurysm is localized in the aorta, blood vessels of the brain and heart. The cause of the development of this pathology may be atherosclerosis, infectious disease, injury. There are congenital aneurysms. Regardless of the place of formation, an aneurysm is always dangerous, its rupture is a great danger to human life. The symptoms of the disease vary depending on the place where the expansion of the vessel has occurred. An aneurysm that occurs on the wall of the myocardium is most often a consequence of an experienced heart attack. The presence of this pathology affects the work of the heart as a whole and contributes to the development of heart failure. Death from rupture of an aneurysm of the heart occurs instantly.

In medical practice, aneurysm of cerebral vessels (intracranial) is quite common. The disease proceeds, as a rule, without any main symptoms until the part of the vessel filled with blood reaches a huge size or until it breaks. Its rupture is accompanied by a severe headache, clouding of consciousness, double vision, vomiting, fainting. The rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is preceded by a rupture that lasts for several days in a row. Complete elimination of the disease is achieved only by surgery.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system rank first in terms of incidence and number of deaths worldwide. This is facilitated by many reasons, including an unhealthy lifestyle, bad habits, poor nutrition, stress, heredity and much more. Every year, the age of cardiac pathologies is getting younger, the number of patients who have received disability after suffering heart attacks, strokes and other complications is growing. That is why doctors strongly recommend that you be attentive to your body, immediately go to the hospital when alarming symptoms appear.

What is cardiovascular disease

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels are a group of pathologies affecting the functioning of the heart muscle and blood vessels, including veins and arteries. The most common pathologies are coronary heart disease, diseases of the cerebral vessels and peripheral arteries, rheumatic heart disease, arterial hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, heart defects and much more. Defects are divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital develop in the womb, acquired often become the result of emotional experiences, poor lifestyle, various infectious and toxic lesions.

Important! Each disease requires timely diagnosis and competent medical treatment, since with a negligent attitude there is a risk of developing serious complications and death of the patient.

The list of common diseases of the cardiovascular system includes coronary heart disease. This pathology is associated with impaired blood circulation in the myocardium, which leads to its oxygen starvation. As a result, the activity of the heart muscle is disrupted, which is accompanied by characteristic symptoms.

Symptoms of coronary artery disease

When sick, patients experience the following symptoms:

• pain syndrome. The pain can be stabbing, cutting, pressing in nature, aggravated by emotional experiences and physical exertion. IHD is characterized by the spread of pain not only to the sternum region, it can radiate to the neck, arm, shoulder blade;
• dyspnea. Lack of air appears in patients first with intense physical exertion, during hard work. Later, dyspnoea occurs more frequently when walking, while climbing stairs, sometimes even at rest;
• increased sweating;
• dizziness, nausea;
• a feeling of sinking heart, rhythm disturbance, less often fainting.

On the part of the psychological state, irritability, panic attacks or fear, frequent nervous breakdowns are noted.

Due to circulatory disorders, ischemia of certain parts of the heart occurs

Causes

The factors that provoke IHD include anatomical aging of the body, gender characteristics (men get sick more often), race (Europeans are more likely to suffer from pathology than Negroid races). The causes of coronary disease include overweight, bad habits, emotional overload, diabetes, increased blood clotting, hypertension, lack of physical activity, and so on.

Treatment

Treatment methods for IHD include the following areas:

• drug therapy;
• surgery;
• elimination of the causes provoking pathology.

Among the medicines, antiplatelet agents are used - drugs that prevent the formation of blood clots, statins - drugs to lower bad cholesterol in the blood. For symptomatic treatment, potassium channel activators, beta-blockers, sinus node inhibitors, and other drugs are prescribed.

Hypertonic disease

Arterial hypertension is one of the most common diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels. The pathology consists in a persistent increase in blood pressure above acceptable standards.

Signs of hypertension

Signs of cardiovascular pathology are often hidden, so the patient may not be aware of his disease. A person leads a normal life, sometimes he is disturbed by dizziness, weakness, but most patients attribute this to ordinary overwork.

Obvious signs of hypertension develop with damage to target organs, may be of the following nature:

• headaches, migraines;
• noise in ears;
• flickering midges in the eyes;
• muscle weakness, numbness of the arms and legs;
• speech difficulty.

The main danger of this disease is myocardial infarction. This serious condition, often ending in death, requires the immediate delivery of a person to a hospital, and the necessary medical measures.

Causes

The reasons for the persistent increase in pressure include:

• strong emotional overload;
• excess body weight;
• hereditary predisposition;
• diseases of viral and bacterial origin;
• bad habits;
• excessive salt in the daily diet;
• insufficient physical activity.

Often, hypertension occurs in people who spend a long time at the computer monitor, as well as in patients whose blood often has bursts of adrenaline.

A common cause of hypertension is bad habits

Treatment

Treatment of cardiovascular disease, accompanied by an increase in pressure, is to eliminate the causes of the pathological condition and maintain blood pressure within normal limits. For this, diuretics, inhibitors, beta-blockers, a calcium antagonist and other drugs are used.

Important! A sharp increase in pressure is called. This dangerous complication requires urgent medical care with the use of complex therapy.

rheumatic heart disease

The list of cardiovascular diseases includes a pathology accompanied by a malfunction of the heart muscle and valve system - rheumatic heart disease. The disease develops as a result of damage to the organ by group A streptococci.

Symptoms

Symptoms of cardiovascular disease develop in patients 2 to 3 weeks after suffering a streptococcal infection. The first signs are pain and swelling of the joints, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The general state of health of the patient worsens, weakness, depression appear.

Pathology is classified into pericarditis and endocarditis. In the first case, the patient is tormented by pain behind the sternum, lack of air. When listening to the heart, muffled tones are heard. Endocarditis is accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, pain that occurs regardless of physical exertion.

Causes

As already mentioned, diseases provoke heart damage, the causative agents of which are group A streptococci. These include tonsillitis, scarlet fever, pneumonia, erysipelas of the dermis, and so on.

Treatment

Patients with severe rheumatic heart disease are treated in a hospital setting. For them, a special diet is selected, which consists in limiting salt, saturating the body with potassium, fiber, protein and vitamins.

Among the medicines used are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, painkillers, quinoline drugs, immunosuppressants, cardiac glycosides, and so on.

cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disorder of the functioning of the heart muscle of unknown or controversial etiology. The insidiousness of the disease is that it often proceeds without visible symptoms, causing the death of 15% of patients with this pathology. Mortality among patients with characteristic symptoms of the disease is about 50%.

Cardiomyopathy often causes sudden death

signs

Patients with cardiomyopathy have the following symptoms:

• fast fatiguability;
• disability;
• dizziness, sometimes fainting;
• pallor of the dermis;
• tendency to edema;
• dry cough;
• dyspnea;
• increase in heart rate.

It is cardiomyopathy that often causes sudden death in people leading an active lifestyle.

Causes

The causes of cardiovascular disease, such as cardiomyopathy, are as follows:

• poisoning;
• alcoholism;
• diseases of the endocrine system;
• arterial hypertension;
• myocardial damage of an infectious nature;
• neuromuscular disorders.

Often it is not possible to determine the cause of the development of the disease.

Treatment

Treatment of cardiovascular disease requires lifelong adherence to preventive measures aimed at preventing serious complications and death. The patient needs to give up physical activity, bad habits, diet and proper lifestyle. The patient's menu should exclude spicy, smoked, sour, salty foods. Forbidden strong tea, coffee, carbonated sweet water.

Drug therapy includes drugs such as β-adrenoblockers, anticoagulants. Severe pathology requires surgical intervention.

Important! The lack of treatment of cardiomyopathy leads to the development of heart failure, valvular organ dysfunction, embolism, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac arrest.

It is customary to talk about cardiovascular diseases when a person has any violation of the heart rate or failure of the electrical conduction of the heart. This condition is called arrhythmia. The disease may be latent or manifest as palpitations, palpitations, or shortness of breath.

Arrhythmia is accompanied by heart rhythm failures

Symptoms

Signs of arrhythmia depend on the severity of the course of the disease, are as follows:

• rapid heartbeat is replaced by a sinking heart, and vice versa;
• dizziness;
• lack of air;
• fainting;
• suffocation;
• angina attacks.

In patients, the general state of health worsens, the threat of fibrillation or ventricular flutter develops, which often leads to death.

Causes

The development of pathology is based on factors that provoke morphological, ischemic, inflammatory, infectious and other damage to the tissues of the heart muscle. As a result, the conductivity of the organ is disturbed, blood flow decreases, and a malfunction of the heart develops.

Treatment

To prescribe treatment, the patient must necessarily consult a specialist, undergo a complete examination. It is necessary to find out whether arrhythmia has developed as an independent pathology or is a secondary complication of any disease.

Treatment methods:

• physiotherapy exercises - helps to restore metabolic processes, normalize blood flow, improve the condition of the heart muscle;
• diet - necessary to saturate the body with useful vitamins and minerals;
• drug treatment - beta-blockers, blockers of potassium, calcium and sodium channels are prescribed here.

People suffering from various heart pathologies are required to take drugs to prevent complications. These are vitamin complexes and sedative drugs that reduce the load and nourish the heart muscle.

Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries. This causes blockage of blood vessels, circulatory disorders. In countries where people eat fast food, this problem occupies one of the leading positions among all heart diseases.

Atherosclerosis causes blockage of arteries

signs

For a long time, atherosclerosis does not manifest itself in any way, the first symptoms are noticeable with significant deformation of the vessels, due to bulging of the veins and arteries, the appearance of blood clots and cracks in them. Vessels narrow, which provokes a violation of blood circulation.

Against the background of atherosclerosis, the following pathologies develop:

• ischemic stroke;
• atherosclerosis of the arteries of the legs, which causes lameness, gangrene of the extremities;
• atherosclerosis of the arteries of the kidneys and others.

Important! After suffering an ischemic stroke, the risk of developing a heart attack in a patient increases three times.

Causes

Atherosclerosis is caused by many causes. Men are more susceptible to pathology than women. It is assumed that this is due to the processes of lipid metabolism. Another risk factor is the age of the patient. Atherosclerosis affects people mainly after 45-55 years. An important role in the development of the disease is played by the genetic factor. People with a hereditary predisposition need to carry out the prevention of cardiovascular diseases - monitor their diet, move more, give up bad habits. The risk group includes women during pregnancy, since at this time the metabolism in the body is disturbed, women move little. It is believed that atherosclerosis is a disease of the wrong way of life. Its appearance is affected by overweight, bad habits, unhealthy diet, poor ecology.

Treatment

To prevent complications of the disease and normalize the functioning of blood vessels, patients are prescribed treatment with medications. Statins, LC sequestrants, nicotinic acid drugs, fibrates, anticoagulants are used here. In addition, exercise therapy and a special diet are prescribed, which implies the rejection of foods that increase the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Growth and scarring of connective fibers in the area of ​​the myocardium, resulting in a violation of the functioning of the heart valves - this is cardiosclerosis. The disease has a focal and diffuse form. In the first case, we are talking about local damage to the myocardium, that is, only its separate area is affected. In the diffuse form, tissue scarring extends to the entire myocardium. Most often this occurs with coronary heart disease.

Cardiosclerosis causes connective tissue hypertrophy

Symptoms

The focal form of cardiosclerosis sometimes has a latent course. With a close location of lesions to the atrio-sinus node and areas of the conduction system, serious violations of the functioning of the heart muscle occur, manifested in arrhythmia, chronic fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms.

Diffuse cardiosclerosis causes signs of heart failure, such as increased heart rate, fatigue, chest pain, and swelling.

Causes

The following diseases can serve as the cause of the development of pathology:

• myocarditis;
• myocardial dystrophy;
• infectious lesions of the myocardium;
• autoimmune pathologies;
• stress.

In addition, provoking factors are atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Treatment

Therapy aimed at eliminating the symptoms of pathology and preventing cardiovascular disease, which is carried out in order to prevent complications, helps to cope with cardiosclerosis, prevent such negative consequences as rupture of the wall of an aneurysm of the heart, atrioventricular blockade, paroxysmal tachycardia, etc.

Treatment necessarily includes limiting physical activity, eliminating stress, taking medications. Among the medicines used are diuretics, vasodilators, antiarrhythmic drugs. In especially severe cases, surgery is performed, the installation of a pacemaker.

myocardial infarction

A heart attack is a dangerous condition that is triggered by blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. This causes a violation of the circulation of blood in the tissues of the brain and heart. The condition develops against the background of various cardiovascular pathologies and requires immediate hospitalization of the patient. If medical assistance is provided within the first 2 hours, the prognosis for the patient is often favorable.

A heart attack causes acute pain in the sternum, a sharp deterioration in general well-being

Signs of a heart attack

A heart attack is characterized by pain in the sternum. Sometimes the pain syndrome is so strong that the person cries out. In addition, the pain often spreads to the shoulder, neck, and radiates to the stomach. The patient experiences a feeling of constriction, burning in the chest, numbness of the hands is noted.

Important! A distinctive feature of myocardial infarction from other diseases is the incessant pain at rest and after taking a Nitroglycerin tablet.

Causes

Factors leading to the development of a heart attack:

• age;
• transferred small focal heart attacks;
• smoking and alcohol;
• diabetes;
• hypertension;
• high cholesterol;
• overweight.

The risk of developing a serious condition increases with a combination of the above conditions.

Treatment

The main goal of therapy is the rapid restoration of blood flow in the region of the heart muscle and brain. To do this, use drugs that help the resorption of blood clots, such as thrombolytics, agents based on heparin, acetylsalicylic acid.

Upon admission of the patient to the hospital, angioplasty of the coronary artery is used.

Stroke

A stroke is a sudden disruption of blood circulation in the brain, resulting in the death of nerve cells. The danger of the condition is that the death of brain tissue occurs very quickly, which in many cases ends in death for the patient. Even with the provision of timely assistance, a stroke often ends with a person's disability.

Symptoms

The following signs indicate the development of a stroke:

• severe weakness;
• a sharp deterioration in the general condition;
• numbness of the muscles of the face or limbs (often on one side);
• acute headache, nausea;
• impaired coordination of movements.

You can recognize a stroke in a person on your own. To do this, ask the patient to smile. If one part of the face remains motionless, it is more often about this condition.

Causes

Doctors identify the following reasons:

• atherosclerosis;
• excess body weight;
• alcohol, drugs, smoking;
• pregnancy;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• high cholesterol and more.

Treatment

Diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and its treatment are carried out in a hospital in the intensive care unit. During this period, antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, tissue plasminogen activators are used.

How to prevent this pathology? You can determine the individual risk of developing cardiovascular pathologies using the SCORE scale. A special table allows you to do this.

This technique allows you to determine the level of risk of developing cardiovascular pathologies and severe conditions that develop against their background. To do this, you need to select gender, age, status - smoker or non-smoker. In addition, the table should select the level of blood pressure and the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

The risk is determined according to the color of the cell and the number:

• 1 - 5% - low risk;
• 5 - 10% - high;
• over 10% is very high.

With high marks, a person should take all necessary measures to prevent the development of a stroke and other dangerous conditions.

Pulmonary embolism

Blockage of the pulmonary artery or its branches by blood clots is called pulmonary embolism. The lumen of the artery may be completely or partially closed. The condition in most cases causes the sudden death of the patient, only in 30% of people the pathology is diagnosed during life.

Signs of thromboembolism

Manifestations of the disease depend on the degree of lung damage:

• if more than 50% of the pulmonary vessels are affected, a person develops shock, shortness of breath, pressure drops sharply, the person loses consciousness. This condition often provokes the death of the patient;
• thrombosis of 30 - 50% of the vessels causes anxiety, shortness of breath, a drop in blood pressure, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle, ears, nose, heart palpitations, pain in the sternum;
• if less than 30% is affected, symptoms may be absent for some time, then a cough with blood, pain in the sternum, fever appears.

With a slight thromboembolism, the prognosis for the patient is favorable, the treatment is carried out by medication.

Causes

Thromboembolism develops against the background of high blood clotting, local slowing of blood flow, which can provoke a prolonged lying position, and severe heart pathologies. The factors causing pathology include thrombophlebitis, phlebitis, vascular injury.

Thrombus formation in the lung

Treatment

The goals of treatment of pulmonary embolism include saving the life of the patient, preventing the re-development of blockage of blood vessels. Normal patency of veins and arteries is ensured by surgery or medication. To do this, use drugs that dissolve blood clots and drugs that help thin the blood.

Rehabilitation in case of a disease of the cardiovascular system in the form of thromboembolism of the pulmonary vessels is carried out by correcting nutrition and lifestyle, regular examinations, and taking drugs that prevent the formation of blood clots.

Conclusion

The article lists only the most common cardiovascular pathologies. Having knowledge about the symptoms, causes and mechanism of development of a particular disease, it is possible to prevent many serious conditions, to provide timely assistance to the patient. A proper lifestyle, a healthy diet and timely examination with the development of even minor alarming symptoms will help to avoid pathologies.

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide: no other cause causes as many deaths each year as CVD.
• An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVD in 2016, accounting for 31% of all deaths worldwide. 85% of these deaths were due to heart attack and stroke.
• More than 75% of CVD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• Of the 17 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases before the age of 70 years, 82% are in low- and middle-income countries, and 37% are caused by CVD.
• Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol through population-wide strategies.
• People with or at high risk of CVD (due to the presence of one or more risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, or a pre-existing disease) need early detection and care through counseling and, if necessary, , taking medications.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, which include:

• coronary heart disease - a disease of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle;
• cerebrovascular disease - a disease of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain;
• peripheral arterial disease - a disease of the blood vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs;
• rheumatic heart disease - damage to the heart muscle and heart valves as a result of a rheumatic attack caused by streptococcal bacteria;
• congenital heart disease - deformations of the structure of the heart existing from birth;
• deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism - the formation of blood clots in the leg veins that can displace and move to the heart and lungs.

Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute illnesses and occur mainly as a result of blockages in blood vessels that prevent blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is the formation of fatty deposits on the inner walls of blood vessels that supply blood to the heart or brain. Bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or blood clots can also cause a stroke. Myocardial infarction and stroke are usually caused by a combination of risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.

What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

Major risk factors for heart disease and stroke are poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and the harmful use of alcohol.

An individual's exposure to behavioral risk factors can manifest as high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. These "intermediate risk factors" can be assessed in primary care settings and may indicate an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and other complications.

Quitting tobacco use, reducing salt intake, consuming fruits and vegetables, regular physical activity, and avoiding the harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In addition, drug therapy may be needed to reduce the risk of CVD and prevent heart attack and stroke in diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated lipid levels. In order to increase people's motivation to choose and maintain healthy behaviors, health policies are needed to create an enabling environment for healthy choices and their affordability.

In order for people to choose and maintain healthy behaviors, policies are needed to create an environment conducive to ensuring healthy choices are accessible and affordable.

There are also a number of factors that influence the development of chronic diseases, or underlying causes. They reflect the main driving forces leading to social, economic and cultural change - globalization, urbanization and population aging. Other determinants for CVD are poverty, stress and hereditary factors.

What are the common symptoms of cardiovascular disease?

Symptoms of heart attack and stroke

Often, the underlying disease of the blood vessels is asymptomatic. A heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of a disease. Symptoms of a heart attack include:

• pain or discomfort in the middle of the chest;
• pain or discomfort in the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back.

In addition, the person may experience difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath; nausea or vomiting; feel dizzy or lose consciousness; covered with cold sweat and become pale. Women are more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back and jaw pain.

The most common symptom of a stroke is sudden weakness in the face, most often on one side, arm, or leg. Other symptoms include sudden numbness of the face, especially on any one side of an arm or leg; confusion; difficulty speaking or difficulty understanding speech; difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; severe headache without a specific cause, as well as loss of consciousness or unconsciousness.

People experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

What is rheumatic heart disease?

Rheumatic heart disease is damage to the heart valves and heart muscle as a result of inflammation and scarring caused by rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is caused by an abnormal reaction of the body to a streptococcal infection. The disease at first usually manifests itself in the form of tonsillitis or tonsillitis in children.

Rheumatic attack mainly affects children in developing countries, especially in conditions of widespread poverty. Worldwide, almost 2% of all cardiovascular deaths are associated with rheumatic heart disease.

Symptoms of rheumatic heart disease

• Symptoms of rheumatic heart disease include: shortness of breath, fatigue, irregular heartbeats, chest pain, and loss of consciousness.
• Symptoms of a rheumatic attack include: fever, joint pain and swelling, nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

Why is cardiovascular disease a development issue in low- and middle-income countries?

• At least 75% of CVD deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• People in low- and middle-income countries often cannot benefit from integrated primary health care programs for the early identification and treatment of individuals with risk factors, as can people in high-income countries.
• People in low- and middle-income countries suffering from CVD and other noncommunicable diseases have less access to effective and equitable health services that meet their needs (including early detection services). As a result, many people die at a younger age from CVD and other non-communicable diseases, often during their most productive years.
• The poorest people in low- and middle-income countries are particularly affected. At the household level, ample evidence is emerging to show that CVD and other noncommunicable diseases contribute to further impoverishment of families due to catastrophic health care costs and high out-of-pocket spending.
• At the macroeconomic level, CVDs place a heavy burden on the economies of low- and middle-income countries.

How can the burden of cardiovascular disease be reduced?

For the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease, WHO has identified a set of “best buys” or highly cost-effective interventions that are feasible even in low-resource settings. They include 2 types of interventions - for the whole population and individual interventions that can be used in combination with each other to reduce the high burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Examples of measures that can be taken to reduce CVD at the national level are the following:

• a comprehensive tobacco control policy;
• taxation to reduce consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and salt;
• construction of walking and cycling paths to increase the level of physical activity;
• strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;
• ensuring proper nutrition of children in schools.

To prevent first myocardial infarctions and strokes, individualized health care interventions should be targeted at individuals with moderate or high levels of overall cardiovascular risk or those with individual risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia that exceed levels recommended for carrying out the treatment.

The first measures (an integrated approach that takes into account all risk factors) are more cost-effective than the second, and they can significantly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events. This approach is feasible in low resource settings, including the use of non-physician medical personnel.

Secondary prevention of CVD in people with pre-existing disease, including diabetes, requires treatment with the following medicines:

• aspirin;
• beta blockers;
• angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors;
• statins.

The positive results obtained are mostly unrelated, however, if used in combination with smoking cessation, almost 75% of recurrent vascular disorders can be prevented. There are currently significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures, especially at the primary health care level.

In addition, costly surgery is sometimes required to treat CVD. These include:

• coronary artery bypass grafting;
• balloon angioplasty (in which a small balloon catheter is inserted through an artery to open a blocked vessel);
• plastic and valve replacement;
• heart transplant;
• surgery using an artificial heart.

Some CVDs require medical devices to treat. These devices include pacemakers, artificial valves, and patches to close holes in the heart.

WHO activities

Under the leadership of WHO, in 2013 all Member States (194 countries) reached agreement on global mechanisms to reduce the burden of preventable NCDs, including the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020. This plan aims to reduce the number of premature deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025 through 9 voluntary global targets. 2 of these global targets directly address CVD prevention and control.

The sixth goal of the Global NCD Action Plan is to reduce the prevalence of high blood pressure worldwide by 25%. High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The global prevalence of raised blood pressure (defined as systolic and/or diastolic pressure ≥140/90 mmHg) among people aged 18 years and over was about 22% in 2014.

To achieve this goal, the incidence of hypertension must be reduced through the implementation of nationwide policies that address behavioral risk factors, including the harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, overweight, obesity and high salt intake. Early detection and cost-effective management of hypertension for the prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke and other complications requires an approach that takes into account all risk factors.

Goal 8 of the Global NCD Action Plan is to ensure that at least 50% of eligible people receive drug therapy and counseling (including glycemic control) to prevent myocardial infarction and stroke. Prevention of heart attack and stroke with a comprehensive overall cardiovascular risk approach is more cost-effective than treatment based on single risk factor thresholds alone, and should be part of the basic package for universal health coverage. sanitary assistance. Achieving this goal will require strengthening key components of the health system, including funding for health care services to ensure access to essential health technologies and essential medicines for NCDs.

In 2015, countries will begin setting national targets and assessing progress against the 2010 baseline set out in the 2014 global situation report on noncommunicable diseases. The UN General Assembly will convene the third high-level meeting on NCDs in 2018 to review countries' progress towards achieving the voluntary global targets by 2025.