Signs, Symptoms and etiology of common diseases, conditions, and injuries: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Anemia

Symptoms: Fatigue, dizziness, cold extremities, headache, irregular heartbeat

Etiology: most common cause is blood loss, dysfunction in creation of hemogolbin, excessive destruction of RBC

Diagnosis: Blood tests TX depends on cause, blood loss treated with blood transfusion, other cause treated through iron or Vitamin K increased

Athersclerosis

Symptoms: chest pain, transient Ischemic attacks(TIAs), peripheral artery disease, and kidney disfunction.

Etiology: hardening of arteries due to fatty deposits cause narrowing of vessels potentially due to high BP, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and other diseases

DIagnosis: Physical, med hx, blood tests, Doppler ultrasound, EKG, stress test, angiogram, CT or MRI TX involves healthy lifestyle, meds like blood thinners, cholesterol medication and more, angioplasty, stents, endarterectomy, or bypass surgery.

Congestive heart failure

Symptoms: fatigue, peripheral edema, SOB

Etiology: Heart’s decreased ability to pump adequately due to coronary artery disease, high BP, cardiomyopathy, vavular disease or heart defects

Diagnosis: Medical hx, physical, blood tests, EKG, echocardiogram, and chest x-ray TX varies depending on type and severity. Can include weight loss, controlling BP, ACE inhibitors, and beta blockers

Hemophilia

Symptoms: excessive bleeding, frequent bruising

Etiology: an absence of clotting factors in the blood as the result of a genetic defect

Diagnosis: family hx, physical, blood tests TX involves therapy to slowly infuse clotting factors into a vein

Hypertension

Symptoms: Higher than normal BP, headaches, irregular heart rhythms, vision changes, or chest pain

Etiology: Genetics, smoking, obesity, stress, too much salt intake

Diagnosis: Consistently high BP over two or three office visits over the course of one to four weeks TX involves meds, weight management, healthy diet, and stress reduction

Myocardial Infarction (MI) or heart attack

Symptoms: Acute chest pain, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and profuse sweating

Etiology: Cardiac muscle becomes ischemic and dies, typically due to occlusion of the cardiac muscle b/c of atherosclerosis of the coronary artery

Diagnosis: EKG and blood tests TX involves Fibrinolytic agents, diagnostic angiogram, stenting, and bypass surgery is severe enough