Coronary heart disease (Elgin's Group)

Q i. What is the cause of the disease?

A:Coronary disease (or coronary heart disease) refers to the failure of coronary circulation to supply adequate circulation to cardiac muscle and surrounding tissue. It is already the most common form of disease affecting the heart and an important cause of premature death in Europe, the Baltic states, Russia, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. It has been predicted that all regions of the world will be affected by 2020.

It is most commonly equated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, but coronary disease can be due to other causes, such as coronary vasospasm. It is possible for the stenosisto be caused by the spasm.

Q ii. How does the component of blood/ blood vessel affected in the disease?

A:How does the component of blood/ blood vessel affected in the disease?

When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the heart doesn't get the blood it needs to work well. Over time, this can weaken or damage the heart. If a plaque tears, the body tries to fix the tear by forming a blood clot around it. The clot can block blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack.

Q iii: What is the function of the blood component/ structure in circulatory system?

A: Coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. Like all other tissues in the body, the heart muscle needs oxygen-rich blood to function, and oxygen-depleted blood must be carried away. The coronary arteries consist of two main arteries: the right and left coronary arteries. The left coronary artery system branches into the circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery.

Since coronary arteries deliver blood to the heart muscle, any coronary artery disorder or disease can have serious implications by reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart, which may lead to a heart attack and possibly death. Atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque in the inner lining of an artery causing it to narrow or become blocked) is the most common cause of heart disease.

Q iv: How does this blood component/ structure differ from the rest in the circulatory system?

A: The cells are crescent-shaped, shaped like the sickle used to cut wheat, are stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in the blood vessels.It contains abnormal haemoglobin rather than the normal haemoglobin. Causes: pain episodes,strokes,increased infections,leg ulcers,bone damage,yellow eyes or jaundice,early gallstones,lung blockage,kidney damage and loss of water in urine,painful erections in men(sequestration),eye damage,low red blood cell counts (anemia) & delayed growth

Q v: How will the absence of the blood component / structure affect the health of the patient?

A: When these hard and pointed red cells go through the small blood tube, they clog the flow and break apart. This may cause pain, damage and a low blood count, or anemia. Abnormal haemoglibin: They stick together when it delivers oxygen to the body’s tissues. These clumps of haemoglobin are like liquid fibers.It is formed when there is a mutation, caused by a single nucleotide effecting the change in the β-globin (.composed of five genes located on a short region of chromosome 11, responsible for the creation of the beta parts (roughly half) of the oxygen transport protein Hemoglobin) , resulting in the substitution of valine for glutamic acid as the sixth amino acid of β-globin.

Q vi: How technology is used to facilitate the analysis of one’s state of health and improve one’s lifestyle?

A: In order for patient preferences to be effectively used in the delivery of health care, it is important that patients be able to formulate and express preferences, that these judgments be made known to the clinician at the time of care, and that these statements meaningfully inform care activities. Decision theory and health informatics offer promising strategies for eliciting subjective values and making them accessible in a clinical encounter in a manner that drives health choices. Computer-based elicitation and reporting tools are proving acceptable to patients and clinicians alike. It is time for the informatics community to turn their attention toward building computer-based applications that support clinicians in the complex cognitive process of integrating patient preferences with scientific knowledge, clinical practice guidelines, and the realities of contemporary health care.

Q vii: How technology is used to save lives with respect to the disease investigated?

A: Ice slurry is an equal mix of ultra-small (equivalent to the diameter of a human hair) ice particles and a salt water liquid carrier. It is a mixture of ice and salt water that may be injected into the lungs for rapid cooling to sustain the heart and brain cells after cardiac arrests, thus "freezing" the body until the patient can recieve medical help.

NOTE: the questions are not completed yet, I am just inputting all the answers that I have so far into the blog. I will edit this pose when I get the answers.