Victory Park Cardiovascular Disorders Research Center

(A VPESS, VPI and LGESS Joint Project)

Victory Park Cardiovascular Disorders Research Center is a global community of Medical Practitioners, dedicated to train together and explore innovative techniques and methods to aide in the healing and recovery process of the afflicted.

Some of the Proposed Research to be explored is as follows:

Cardivascular Disorders
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not one single disease or condition. It is a group of different disorders that affect your heart and blood vessels. Some people are born with cardiovascular disease; others develop it during their lifetime. Because there are so many types of cardiovascular disease, it is often helpful to separate them into problems affecting the:

• Heart (the "cardio" part of cardiovascular)
• Blood vessels (the "vascular" part of cardiovascular).

Types of Cardiovascular Disease in the Heart

The cardiovascular disease types in the heart are more commonly known as heart diseases. What is sometimes a little confusing for people is that "heart disease" is a term more often used to describe the most common type of heart disease: coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease. But there are many other types of heart disease, including:

• Angina pectoris, or just angina, including:

1. Stable angina
2. Unstable angina
3. Variant angina (also known as Prinzmetal's angina)

• Arrhythmias, which are problems with the heart's electrical system that can cause fast, slow, or irregular heartbeats. These include:

1. Atrial fibrillation
2. Heart block, including first-degree AV block, second-degree AV block, and complete AV block o Premature atrial complex (PAC)
3. Atrial flutter o Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT)
4. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome o Premature ventricular complex (PVC)
5. Ventricular tachycardia o Ventricular fibrillation
6. Long QT syndrome

• Cardiomyopathy (a disease affecting the heart muscle itself), including:

1. Dilated cardiomyopathy
2. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
3. Restrictive cardiomyopathy

• Congestive heart failure, also known just as heart failure

• Congenital heart disease (conditions people are born with), such as:

1. Atrial septal defect (ASD)
2. Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
3. Patent ductus arteriosus o Pulmonic stenosis
4. Congenital aortic stenosis
5. Coarctation of aorta
6. Tetralogy of Fallot o Tricuspid atresia
7. Truncus arteriosus o Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve
8. Transposition of the great vessels

• Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as heart disease, ischemic heart disease, or coronary heart disease (CHD)

• Cor pulmonale, which is an enlarged right ventricle

• Heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction or MI

• Heart valve disease, such as:

1. Mitral stenosis
2. Mitral valve regurgitation
3. Mitral valve prolapse o Aortic stenosis
4. Aortic regurgitation
5. Tricuspid stenosis
6. Tricuspid regurgitation

• Myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle

• Rheumatic heart disease

• Pericarditis (inflammation of the lining that surrounds the heart), including constrictive pericarditis

• Sudden cardiac death

• Syncope

• Cardiac tumor, with myxoma being the most common.

Cardiovascular Disease in the Blood Vessels

Blood vessels are the structures within the body that move blood so that oxygen and nutrients can get to all of the tissues and so that waste products can be removed. The four types of blood vessels include arteries, veins, capillaries, and lymphatics. Arteries and capillaries carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from the heart and lungs to all parts of the body. Veins carry blood that has been depleted of oxygen and nutrients back to the heart and lungs.

Some examples of cardiovascular disease types in the blood vessels include:

• Aortic aneurysm

• Aortitis, which is inflammation of the aorta

• Arteriosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries

• Aortic dissection

• High blood pressure (hypertension), including:

1. Essential hypertension
2. Secondary hypertension
3. Malignant hypertension

• Stroke
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Other problems in the arteries, such as:

1. Atherosclerosis of the extremities (arteriosclerosis obliterans)
2. Arterial embolism
3. Acute arterial occlusion, which is when a blood vessel becomes blocked
4. Raynaud's phenomenon
5. Arteriovenous fistula
6. Vasculitis
7. Thoracic outlet syndrome

• Other problems in veins, including:

1. Venous thrombosis
2. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
3. Thrombophlebitis
4. Varicose veins
5. Spider veins

• Lymphedema

Common Cardiovascular Disease Types

As you can see, there are many types of cardiovascular disease. The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the most common types, including:

• Atherosclerosis
• Coronary heart disease
• Angina
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Heart failure

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis (thickening and hardening of the arteries). As we age, some hardening of the arteries can occur naturally. When a person has atherosclerosis, the inner walls of the arteries become narrower due to a buildup of plaque. Plaque results from deposits of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. Blood clots form, thus blocking the blood flow. This can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include:

• High blood cholesterol
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Not being physically active

Coronary Heart Disease (or Coronary Artery Disease)

Coronary heart disease, the most common cardiovascular type, affects the blood vessels (or coronary arteries) of the heart. It causes angina (chest pain) and heart attacks. The good news is that you can do something about heart disease. Risk factors for coronary heart disease include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Not being physically active

Angina

Angina is a pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough blood. It often feels like a pressing or squeezing pain, generally in the chest under the breastbone, but sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. The most common trigger for angina is physical exertion. Other triggers include:

• Emotional stress
• Extreme cold or heat
• Alcohol
• Smoking

Angina seldom causes permanent damage to the heart, unlike a heart attack. A heart attack happens when the blood flow to a part of the heart is suddenly and permanently cut off.

Stroke

Lack of blood flow to the brain from a blood clot, or bleeding in the brain from a broken blood vessel, causes a stroke. Without a good blood supply, brain cells cannot get enough oxygen and begin to die. You can also have what is sometimes called a "mini-stroke," or transient ischemic attack (TIA), where no damage is done to the brain. Even though they do no damage, TIAs are serious and can put you at greater risk of having a full stroke. Risk factors for stroke include:

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Smoking
• Diabetes

High Blood Pressure

There are ways to measure blood pressure and several medications to lower it if it is too high. A blood pressure reading measures the force of blood pumped from the heart against the walls of your blood vessels. It is recorded as two numbers: a top number of systolic pressure (the pressure of blood in the vessels as the heart beats), and a bottom number of diastolic pressure (the pressure of the blood between heartbeats, when the heart rests).

Although the average blood pressure reading for adults is 120/80, a slightly higher or lower reading (for either number) may not be a problem. High blood pressure is diagnosed when the reading consistently exceeds 140/90. High blood pressure is often called a "silent" killer because it usually has no signs or symptoms. High blood pressure can cause heart failure and can also lead to:

• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Other health problems

Talk to your healthcare provider and get your blood pressure monitored regularly. If you have high blood pressure, diet, exercise, and medicine can help you in lowering it.

Heart Failure

Heart failure means that the heart is not able to pump blood through the body as well as it should. It does not mean that the heart literally stops. Heart failure develops slowly over time and can have a large impact on a person's life and ability to perform daily activities of living, such as dressing, bathing, and getting around.

• Congestive heart failure is a term often used to describe heart failure. Congestion, or the buildup of fluid, is only one symptom of heart failure and does not occur in all people who have heart failure. There are two main categories of heart failure: systolic and diastolic. Within each category of heart failure, the symptoms vary from person to person.
• Systolic heart failure happens when the heart's ability to pump blood decreases. The heart cannot push enough blood into the circulatory system, which causes the blood coming into the heart from the lungs to back up and leak fluid into the lungs (called pulmonary congestion).
• Diastolic heart failure occurs when the heart has trouble relaxing or resting. The heart muscle becomes stiff and cannot fill with blood, causing lung congestion and other areas of fluid buildup (most often in the feet, ankles, and legs). Talk with your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the signs of heart failure. There are drugs that can treat heart failure. Having a healthy diet and getting regular exercise can lower your risk for heart failure.