Biorhythms (cont.)
What are examples of specific diseases affected by biorhythms?
Angina
Angina is chest pain or pressure due to an insufficient supply of oxygenated
blood to the heart muscle.
- Oxygenated blood is normally delivered to the heart muscle by arteries to the heart (coronary arteries).
- Inadequate oxygenation of
heart muscle (ischemia) can
occur because of either narrowing or spasm of the coronary arteries.
- Narrowing of the coronary arteries (coronary artery disease or CAD) is usually caused by
arteriosclerosis
(cholesterol deposits on the inner wall of the arteries).
- In patients with
narrowed coronary arteries, factors that increase work demand and oxygen
consumption of the heart (such as
exercise,
excitement, increased blood pressure and
heart rate) can precipitate heart
muscle ischemia and angina.
Patients who develop angina only during stress or
physical exertion have stable, exertional angina. When a coronary artery becomes
critically narrowed, heart muscle ischemia or angina can occur with minimal or
no exertion. These patients have unstable angina, and are at imminent risk of
heart attack (myocardial infarction). A heart attack occurs when a diseased coronary artery
becomes completely obstructed by a blood clot, leading to irreversible death of
heart muscle. During the early hours of a heart attack, irregular heart rhythms
can occur which commonly cause sudden
cardiac death.
Heart ischemia resulting in angina can be caused by spasm of the coronary
arteries. This is a rare condition called vasospastic angina (also known as
Prinzmetal's angina) and is not associated with exertion.
It has been known for some time that the symptoms of
ischemic heart disease
are more common in the morning hours than at any other time of day.
- Patients experience episodes of stable angina with lower levels of exertion
in the morning than in the afternoon.
- The occurrence of episodes of vasospastic angina is higher in the morning
than in the afternoons.
- In patients with CAD, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes indicative of heart
muscle ischemia are seen more frequently in the morning than in the afternoon.
Next: Heart attack »
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