Disorders of Human Circulatory System: A constant supply of nutrients and oxygen should be there for the healthy functioning of living organisms. Different groups of animals have evolved different methods of transportation. We have a blood circulatory system that is responsible for the supply of nutrients and oxygen. But what if such a system gets diseased? 

This transportation system is very important to stay alive. But unhealthy lifestyles may hamper cardiac health. Not only lifestyle, but there are different factors that lead to different disorders of the circulatory system. What are the different disorders of the human circulatory system?  Let us read the full article to know more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of different disorders of the human circulatory system.

What is the Human Circulatory System?

The human circulatory system is one of the systems of the body that comprises the heart, blood and blood vessels like arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries carry blood away from the heart except for the pulmonary artery, while veins carry blood towards the heart except for the pulmonary vein. Capillary innervates tissue that connects artery and vein.

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Significance of Human Circulatory System

1. The circulatory system helps in the transport of nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body.
2. It helps in the exchange of gases.
3. It transports away waste products like carbon dioxide from tissues to the lungs for removal away from the body.
4. Waste products found in the plasma are urea, uric acid, ammonia and creatinine, which are removed by the kidneys.

Fig: Human Circulatory System

Common Factors Leading to Heart Diseases

Fig: Some Common Factors Causing Heart Diseases

Some Common Disorders of Human Circulatory System

1. Atherosclerosis and Arteriosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the narrowing of the arteries due to the deposition of fats, cholesterol on their lining, leading to the formation of plaques. This gradually decreases the lumen of the artery, due to which blood is pushed forcefully. When there is complete blockage of arteries due to the increase of the plaques, it causes a heart attack.
Arteriosclerosis is characterized by the hardening of arteries and arterioles due to the thickening of fibrous tissue and the consequent loss of elasticity. Here calcification makes the wall of arteries stiff and rigid. Such arteries may rupture as a result of loss of distension property.
The causes, symptoms of both diseases are almost the same.

Causes:
1. High cholesterol intake
2. High blood pressure
3. Obesity
4. High blood sugar
5. Arthritis
6. Smoking
7. High alcohol intake
8. Less fibrous foods intake
9. No exercise
10. Stress

Symptoms:
Symptoms may not appear until there is a heart attack or stroke. This occurs suddenly. Symptoms depend on which artery blockage is present. If it is in the carotid arteries which provide blood to the brain, then symptoms will be
1. Difficulty in breathing
2. Weakness
3. Headache
4. Maybe paralysis
If the blockage is present in the coronary arteries that provide blood to the heart, the symptoms will be-
1. Chest pain
2. Coughing
3. Faintness
4. Vomiting
5. Sudden weakness in arm or leg

Treatments:
Early treatment can save a life; else it is life-threatening.
1. Medications
2. Changing lifestyle like quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol, etc.
3. Healthy diet
4. Surgery

2. Hypertension

Blood pressure refers to the pressure of the blood against the wall of the arteries. If this pressure becomes frequent or persistent, then that results in high blood pressure. Blood pressure more than 120/80 mm Hg is considered hypertension. High blood pressure means the heart is working hard to pump the blood to the various organs. High blood pressure is the silent killer. It damages the arteries in the kidneys, eyes or brain, causing chronic nephritis, blindness and temporary or permanent paralysis, respectively.

Causes:
1. Stress or tension
2. Diabetes
3. Kidney disease
4. Thyroid problems
5. Certain congenital defects
6. Some medications like contraceptive pills, steroids, etc.

Symptoms:
Mild blood pressure does not have many symptoms but severe blood pressure causes
1. Headache
2. Nose bleed
3. Shortness of breath
4. Chest pain
5. Dizziness
6. Blood in urine

Fig: Consequences of Persistent Hypertension

3. Angina Pectoris

It means pain in the chest. It results from arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries. As in this disease, arteries are unable to stretch or expand much, so these arteries are unable to carry extra blood to the heart muscle at the time of stress when the heart is beating more vigorously. Due to less oxygen, the muscles of the heart experience pain. This pain goes off after some time but is a sign of a heart attack.

Causes:
1. High blood pressure
2. Diabetes
3. Obesity
4. Stress
5. Tobacco use
6. Family history
7. Blockage of major arteries of the heart
8. Narrowing of valves

Symptoms:
1. Chest pain
2. Fatigue
3. Dizziness
4. Sweating
5. Nausea, etc.

Treatments:
1. A person once diagnosed with angina should seek medical advice.
2. Doctors may treat angina with medications like aspirin.
3. Angioplasty, in which balloons or stents are used to open the blockage of the arteries to enhance the blood flow to the heart.

4. Heart attack

When there is the formation of a clot (thrombus) in a narrowed coronary artery, there is a stoppage of blood supply to the part of the heart which is beyond the clot. This area may die due to the lack of oxygen. This is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction. If the affected area is large, then it may prove fatal.

Causes:
One or more coronary arteries get blocked due to plaque formation of fat, calcium, cholesterol, etc. deposits.

Symptoms:
1. Severe pain in the heart.
2. Breathlessness
3. Restlessness
4. Nausea
5. Vomiting
6. Cold sweat
7. Fatigue
8. Sudden dizziness

Fig: Sign and Symptoms of Heart Attack

Treatments:
1. Immediately before the doctor arrives, aspirin can be chewed. Aspirin inhibits blood clots.
2. Antiplatelet drugs to stop clotting.
3. Thrombolytic therapy to dissolve clots of the coronary arteries.
4. Treatments like cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty, stent placement, bypass surgery to open blocked arteries.
5. Medications to lower blood pressure.
6. Cholesterol should be lowered in the diet.
7. No smoking
8. No unhealthy or fast foods
9. Blood pressure and sugar should be in control.

5. Heart Block

Heart block is a group of diseases characterized by the presence of obstruction (“block”) in the heart electrical pathway. This obstruction may slow down the conduction of electrical impulses or, in more severe cases, completely stop them from the right auricle (SA node)  to the ventricles.

Causes:
1. Congenital heart block
2. Heart damage
3. Muscle disorder
4. Clogged coronary arteries
5. Inflammation of heart muscle, etc.

Symptoms:
1. Irregular and slow heartbeat
2. Shortness of breath
3. Dizziness
4. Chest pain
5. Difficulty in exercise

Treatments:
After the second and third-degree of heart block, requires:
1. Immediate treatment
2. Cardiac monitoring
3. Pacemaker installation

6. Stroke

It refers to brain damage. It needs oxygen for its proper function. When blood flow to the brain cuts off, stroke happens, and brain cells are starved of oxygen and glucose and get damaged.

Causes:
1. Formation of clot in the artery carrying blood to the parts of the brain.
2. Rupturing of some brain arteries due to high blood pressure.
3. By a spasm of some brain artery.

Symptoms:
It depends on which part of the brain is affected. It may cause
1. Drooping face
2. Loss of speech
3. Weakness in arms or legs
4. Paralysis
5. Or sudden death

Treatments:
1. Daily medication after a stroke like aspirin.
2. Surgery
3. Stroke rehabilitation to recover some previously lost abilities due to stroke. Like speech therapy to recover communication ability, physical therapy to recover lost movement, etc.

Fig: Symptoms of a stroke

7. Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation, also known as arrhythmia,  is characterized by disturbance in heart rhythm, causing an irregular heartbeat. This results in a drop in blood pressure, due to which blood may not be able to deliver enough oxygen to the tissues.

Causes:
1. Age
2. Hypertension
3. Heart disease
4. Blood clot in the lung called pulmonary embolism
5. More alcohol intake
6. Sleep apnea
7. Family history, etc.

Symptoms:
1. Irregular heartbeat
2. Breathlessness
3. Pain or pressure in the chest
4. Low blood pressure
5. Fatigue, etc.

Treatments:
1. Medications to control heart rate, prevent clot formation, etc.
2. Blood-thinning medications are required even after the heart rhythm comes to normal.

Some Preventive Measures of Avoid Disorders of Human Circulatory System

1. Tension should not be taken.
2. Fatty foods, especially after the age of 35, should be avoided.
3. A healthy and balanced diet should be taken.
4. Should not get overweight
5. Exercise should be done daily.
6. Smoking should be quitted.
7. Alcohol or any illegal drugs should not be taken.
8. Overwork and strain should be avoided.
9. One should immediately connect to the doctor in case of any pain in the chest.
10. Regular checkups should be done.
11. Blood sugar and pressure should be kept under control.

Fig: Tips to Prevent Heart Diseases

Fig: Tips to Prevent Heart Attack

Summary

From the above discussion, we came to know about different common disorders of the circulatory system. Some of the disorders that have been discussed here are Atherosclerosis,  Arteriosclerosis, hypertension, angina pectoris, heart attack, heart block, stroke, and atrial fibrillation. Atherosclerosis is characterized by the formation of plaques in the arteries resulting in narrowing of the vessel, while in arteriosclerosis, there is a loss of elasticity of the arterial wall due to the thickening of its fibrous tissue. Persistent high blood pressure is a silent killer.

Angina pectoris refers to chest pain that can be due to various other heart diseases. When there is the formation of a clot in the arteries, there occurs heart attack. Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an irregular heartbeat. Different heart diseases have different treatments. Heart diseases may get fatal if left untreated. One should get regular heart checkups. These heart diseases can be controlled by changing lifestyles like taking a balanced diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol, getting into regular exercise, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Human Circulatory System

Q.1. What is the human circulatory system?
Ans: Human circulatory system is one of the systems of the body that comprises the heart, blood and blood vessels like arteries, veins and capillaries. Blood runs through the blood vessels to transport different nutrients and oxygen to different parts of the body.

Q.2. What are the disorders related to the circulatory system?
Ans: Heart attack, stroke, hypertension are some of the disorders related to the circulatory system.

Q.3. Why is the circulatory system important?
Ans: The Circulatory System helps in the transport of nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. It helps in removing waste products like carbon dioxide, urea, uric acid, ammonia and creatinine from the body.

Q.4. What causes heart attacks?
Ans: When one or more coronary arteries get blocked due to plaque formation of fat, calcium, cholesterol, etc. cause heart attacks.

Q.5. Can stroke cause death?
Ans: Yes, stroke can cause death.

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