❤️ Pathology of the Cardiovascular System (CVS)
🔹 Overview:
Cardiovascular pathology involves diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including inflammatory, ischemic, congenital, and degenerative conditions.
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🫀 1. Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD)
🔸 Definition:
Reduced blood supply to the heart due to coronary artery atherosclerosis.
🔸 Forms:
Angina pectoris – Chest pain due to temporary ischemia
Myocardial infarction (MI) – Heart attack; permanent damage
Sudden cardiac death – Often due to arrhythmia
Chronic IHD – Leads to heart failure
🔸 Risk factors:
Smoking, hypertension, high LDL, diabetes, obesity
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🫀 2. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
🔸 Types:
Primary (essential) – No specific cause (90–95% of cases)
Secondary – Due to kidney disease, endocrine disorders
🔸 Pathology:
Damages blood vessels → leads to stroke, MI, heart failure, renal failure
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🫀 3. Heart Failure
🔸 Definition:
Inability of the heart to pump sufficient blood
🔸 Types:
Left-sided HF → Pulmonary congestion (dyspnea, orthopnea)
Right-sided HF → Systemic congestion (edema, hepatomegaly)
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🫀 4. Valvular Heart Diseases
🔸 Common Valvular Lesions:
Valve Disease
Mitral Stenosis (often rheumatic), regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis (age-related calcification), regurgitation
Rheumatic heart disease: Immune response after streptococcal infection
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🫀 5. Congenital Heart Diseases
🔸 Examples:
Atrial septal defect (ASD)
Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
Tetralogy of Fallot: Cyanotic heart disease
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
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🫀 6. Atherosclerosis
🔸 Definition:
Thickening of arterial walls due to cholesterol-rich plaques
🔸 Effects:
Leads to MI, stroke, peripheral artery disease
Major arteries affected: coronary, carotid, femoral
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🫀 7. Aneurysm and Dissection
🔸 Aneurysm:
Abnormal dilation of artery (e.g., abdominal aortic aneurysm)
🔸 Dissection:
Tearing of artery wall (common in aorta) → medical emergency
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🫀 8. Inflammatory Diseases
🔸 Endocarditis:
Infection of heart valves (bacterial)
Symptoms: Fever, murmur, emboli
🔸 Myocarditis:
Inflammation of heart muscle (viral, autoimmune)
🔸 Pericarditis:
Inflammation of pericardial sac
Symptoms: Chest pain relieved by leaning forward
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🫀 9. Arrhythmias (Abnormal Heart Rhythms)
🔸 Common Types:
Atrial fibrillation: Irregular, rapid heart rate
Ventricular fibrillation: Life-threatening
Bradycardia/Tachycardia: Too slow/fast heartbeat
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🫀 10. Cardiomyopathies
🔸 Types:
Dilated – Enlarged chambers (most common)
Hypertrophic – Thickened heart muscle (genetic)
Restrictive – Stiffened heart walls
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🔬 Diagnostic Tools:
ECG
Echocardiogram
Troponin (for MI)
Chest X-ray
Angiography
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📊 Summary Table:
Condition Key Feature
IHD/MI Ischemia, chest pain, infarction
Hypertension High BP, end-organ damage
Heart failure Pulmonary/systemic congestion
Valve disease Stenosis/re
gurgitation, murmurs
Congenital defects Structural issues from birth
Atherosclerosis Plaque buildup in arteries
Endocarditis Valve infection
Arrhythmia Irregular heartbeat
Cardiomyopathy Muscle abnormality
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