Essay Example on Cardiovascular Diseases: The Leading Cause of Death Globally

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases get ranked as the number one major cause of most deaths globally. These diseases affect the blood vessels of the heart. They are typically associated with fats build-up in the arteries and risks of clots formation. Some of the common conditions for cardiovascular diseases include cardiomyopathy, heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia, congenital heart defects and CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) (Joseph et al., 2017). Gastrointestinal diseases (GI) indicates those illnesses associated with the digestive tract. The most common conditions of this category include; constipation, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), PUD (Peptic Ulcer Disease), stomach flu and IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) among others. Crohn’s is one of the most common IBD (Torres et al., 2017). The study is limited to discussing cardiomyopathy and Crohn's diseases, where the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of each condition will get outlined.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

History of the Diseases

Cardiomyopathy (CM)

Cardiomyopathy refers to the heart muscle or myocardium disease. Mostly, the muscles surrounding the heart weakens, making it difficult to pump blood to other body parts. Various types of cardiomyopathy exist depending on the various causative factors such as drugs or diseases of the coronary (Joseph et al., 2017). These conditions may result in heart failure, a valve problem, an abnormal heartbeat, among others. The three main types of cardiomyopathy include; dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive CM. DCM (Dilated cardiomyopathy) results due to heart muscle failure of pumping blood efficiently (Weintraub et al., 2017). It arises due to the enlargement of the left side ventricle. The enlargement is due to the muscles becoming thinner and easy to stretch. Middle-aged persons are the one most prone to this condition, especially the male gender (Joseph et al., 2017). Hypertrophic condition results due to heart muscles thickening. Children are the once affected more by this condition. It gets regarded as being inherited from family due to genetic problems. Restrictive cardiomyopathy condition affects the elderly more and is said to be contributed by muscles becoming less elastic and rigid. Other cardiomyopathy types which get thought to belong to either of the named above include; peripartum, alcoholic and ischemic CM (Goland & Elkayam, 2019).

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease refers to a type of IBD. The leading cause, ways to curb it and an exact cure remain unknown to date. Researchers have also failed to state which demographic is most at risk since no accurate results have been outlined. The disease may be both debilitating and painful, which may, in worst cases, cause life-threatening complications (Torres et al., 2017). The condition causes digestive tract inflammation that can then result in severe diarrhea, malnutrition, weight loss, fatigue or even pains in the abdominal region. When patients of Crohn's receive treatment, they can carry on with their normal functioning.

Cause(s) of the Diseases

Cardiomyopathy (CM)

In most cases, the CM cause remains unknown. However, in various people, it gets said to be inherited (passed from the parent) or acquired from other conditions. Multiple factors contribute to the acquired CM which includes; having valve problems of the heart, complications during pregnancy, having long-term HBP (high blood pressure) when the tissues of the heart get damaged after a heart attack and abnormal heart rate (Joseph et al., 2017). Having a metabolic disorder like diabetes, thyroid or obesity disease and malnutrition of vital minerals and vitamins like thiamin (Goland & Elkayam, 2019). Those individuals who consume a lot of alcohol and use harmful drugs like anabolic steroids or cocaine are also at a higher risk of acquiring CM. Connective disorders of the tissues, continuous use of radiations and drugs for chemotherapy and cancer may also pose great danger. Other conditions like amyloidosis, sarcoidosis and hemochromatosis too may lead to cardiomyopathy disease.

Crohn’s Disease

As stated earlier, the leading cause of the disease is unknown up-to-date. Earlier on, stress and diet got suspected of causing the disease, but doctors realized that the two could aggravate but fail to cause Crohn's disease. Immune system malfunctioning and heredity get said to play a significant role in the development of the disease. For the immune system dysfunction, a bacterium or virus get reported to trigger the disease (McCormick & Logomarsino, 2017). The immune system attempts to apply the defensive method to eliminate the microorganisms. Still, in the process, the unusual response makes the immune system for striking the digestive tract cells causing the disease. Another cause thought to cause Crohn's is a family inheritance that gets contributed by genetic disorders.

Symptoms of the Diseases

Cardiomyopathy (CM)

Earlier stages of cardiomyopathy may pose no symptoms or signs. However, after the condition has advanced, various symptoms and signs get witnessed. An individual may start experiencing chest pressure or discomfort, fatigue, fainting, dizziness or lightheadedness. Feet, legs and ankles swell, the person begins to cough when they lay down, their abdomen get bloated, and even they experience breathlessness while at rest or even with exertion (Joseph et al., 2017). When left untreated, the symptoms get worse. In some, the disease takes time to worsen while in others, it is quick.

Crohn’s Disease

Some of the symptoms and signs include; fatigue, fever, diarrhea and blood in the stool. Individuals begin experiencing abdominal cramping and pain, sores in the mouth, others losses weight, and their appetite reduces. Drainage or pain around or near anus gets felt as a result of the inflammation. When the condition gets severe, bile or liver ducts, joints, eyes, and skin may get inflamed (McCormick & Logomarsino, 2017). When the disease affects the children, sexual or growth development may get delayed.

Clinical Tests for Diagnosing the Diseases

Cardiomyopathy (CM)

The doctor conducts a physical examination, takes the medical history of both the patient and their family’s as well as get to know when the symptoms first occurred. Several tests to be made include; taking an X-ray of the chest, treadmill test for stress, undergo echocardiogram and ECG (Echocardiogram), cardiac MRI and CT scan, genetic screening or testing as well as undergo blood tests (Joseph et al., 2017).

Crohn’s Disease

For the Crohn's disease, the doctors go ahead to diagnosing it after they have ruled out all other likely causes. In reality, no test is available for Crohn's disease, but doctors may confirm its presence by taking blood tests from the patient. The analyses include one for anemia and another for fecal occult. A CT scan, colonoscopy, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), capsule and balloon-assisted endoscopy are the procedures applied by the doctors (Torres et al., 2017).

Treatment for the Diseases

Cardiomyopathy (CM)

The type of treatment for CM is dependent on the kind of condition one possesses. Medications may be prescribed by the doctor to boost blood flow, pumping ability, slow heart rate, prevent blood clots, get rid of excess fluid as well as reduce heart rate. An individual may undergo surgery where devices (e.g., ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator), VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) and pacemaker) get implanted to boost the functioning of the heart (Joseph et al., 2017). There are also other non-surgical procedures like Radiofrequency and septal ablation that get also utilized in CM treatment.

Crohn’s Disease

Up to now, no particular treatment for Crohn's has been determined. However, to reduce inflammation, anti-inflammatory drugs get given to the patient. They include; corticosteroids and oral 5-aminosalicylates. Other drugs that the patient get given are the immune suppressors which minimize the inflammation by targeting at the immune system (McCormick & Logomarsino, 2017). They include; azathioprine, infliximab, methotrexate and ustekinumab. Antibiotics, pain reliever, vitamin B-12 shots and Fe supplements get also given to the patient.

Morbidity and Mortality

CM

According to a study conducted in the United States, approximately 30.3 million adults get diagnosed with heart disease, which equates to 12.1% (Weintraub et al., 2017). Heart diseases are the number one killer diseases worldwide. 647, 457 individuals die annually from heart disease (Weintraub et al., 2017). The rate of mortality given a population of 100,000 is 198.8 (Weintraub et al., 2017).

Crohn’s Diseases

According to a study conducted from 1999 to 2017 in the US for the Crohn’s disease, the rate of spreading is high (about 16 hospitalizations per 100,000 beneficiaries) (Roda et al., 2020). Urban areas are more affected compared to rural areas. Surgery rates got observed to be 17 per 100 patients (Roda et al., 2020). Blacks are the most affected as compared to whites. Studies have proven that approximately 780,000 United States’ residents have the disease (Roda et al., 2020).

References

Goland, S., & Elkayam, U. (2019). Peripartum cardiomyopathy. Cardiac Problems in Pregnancy, 128-154. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119409861.ch10

Joseph, B. S., Augustine, L. S., & Joe, T. H. (2017). Pupils’ Knowledge Level about the Contraindications of Cardiovascular Diseases of the Heart like Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), Hypertensive Heart Disease (HHD), and Pulmonary Heart Disease (PHD) as Health Education Strategy in Preventive Health. Journal of Exercise Science & Physiotherapy, 13(2). http://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cardiomyopathy/what-is-cardiomyopathy-in-adults

McCormick, N. M., & Logomarsino, J. V. (2017). The Specific Carbohydrate Diet in the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease: A Systematic Review. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research, 6(4), 2392-2399. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1441/17126a80b09cda32899ca22af34146f5293d.pdf

Roda, G., Ng, S. C., Kotze, P. G., Argollo, M., Panaccione, R., Spinelli, A., ... & Danese, S. (2020). Crohn’s disease. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 6(1), 1-19. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-020-0156-2

Torres, J., Mehandru, S., Colombel, J. F., & Peyrin-Biroulet, L. (2017). Crohn's disease. The Lancet, 389(10080), 1741-1755. http://milkdigestion.com/References/Torres,%20Colombel%202016.pdf

Weintraub, R. G., Semsarian, C., & Macdonald, P. (2017). Dilated cardiomyopathy. The Lancet, 390(10092), 400-414. https://www.thesilverfridge.com/s/out.pdf