Pathology of Cardiovascular System

What is Pathology of Cardiovascular System ?

Cardiovascular pathology is the study of diseases that affect the heart and vascular structures. Diseases of the myocardium, endocardium, pericardium, and vascular structures as well as congenital cardiovascular anomalies and tumors of the cardiovascular system will be discussed.

What are the 5 main parts of the cardiovascular system?

• Blood.
• The heart.
• The right side of the heart.
• The left side of the heart.
• Blood vessels.
• Arteries.
• Capillaries.
• Veins.

What are the 4 types of Cardiovascular Disease?

• Coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked or reduced.
• Strokes and TIAs.
• Peripheral arterial disease.
• Aortic disease.

What are the main types of cardiovascular disease?

1. Coronary artery disease is the build-up of plaque in the arteries supplying blood to the heart.
2. Peripheral artery disease is the build-up of plaque in the arteries supplying blood to the arms and legs.
3. Carotid artery disease is the build-up of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

The Heart

Inflammation

• Carditis: Inflammation of heart.
• Myocarditis: Inflammation of myocardium.
• Endocarditis: inflammation of endocardium.
• Rheumatic heart disease: cardiac disorders due to Rheumatic fever. Mainly carditis and valvular disorder found in Rheumatic fever.
• Rheumatic fever: an immunological systemic inflammatory condition that can affect heart.
• Cardiomyopathy -কার্ডিওমায়োপ্যাথি : myocardial abnormality leading to diminishing cardiac performance.

Hemodynamic:

• Ischemic heart disease: Ischemia of heart muscle.
• Myocardial infarction: Ischemic necrosis of cardiac muscle.
• Angina pectoris: Chest pain due to myocardial ischemia.

Hypertensive:

• Systemic hypertension: Persistent rise of systemic blood pressure above normal upper level.
• Pulmonary hypertension: Hypertension in pulmonary artery.

Hypertrophy:

• Ventricular hypertrophy: Enlargement of ventricle
• Atrial hypertrophy: Enlargement of atrium
• Cardiomegaly: Enlargement of heart

Functional disorder:

• Arhythmia-- it means irregular heartbeat.
• Atrial fibrillation-- Arhythmia characterized by rapid and irregular heart rate.
• Left ventricular failure-- Reduction of left ventricular output.
• Right ventricular failure-- Reduction of right ventricular output.
• Congestive cardiac failure-- This term congestive cardiac failure means right failure as a result of pre-existing left heart failure.
• Bi ventricular heart failure-- Reduction of both ventricular output.

Valvular Disease:

Regurgitation (Insufficiency)-- Failure of complete closure of valve leading to reversed blood flow.
Stenosis-- Inflammatory fibrosis of valve lead to valvular dysfunction.

Neoplasm:

Benign-- Myxoma, Lipoma, papillary Fibroelastoma

Malignant-- Cardiac angiosarcomas

Pericardium:

Pericarditis-- Inflammation of pericardium

Pericardial effusion-- Accumulation of excess fluid within pericardial sac.

Artery:

Inflammatory and necrotic-

• Vasculitis-- Inflammation of any blood vessel (artery and vein). Common causes includes bacterial, immunological, injury etc.
• Arteritis-- Inflammation of artery.
• Polyarteritis nodosa-- It is a necrotising inflammation of artery.
• Thrombo angitis obliterans-- It is the segmental thrombosing inflammation of small vessels of lower limb.
• Temporal arteritis-- Granulomatous inflammation of medium and small branches of temporal artery.
• Aneurism-- Localized abnormal dilatation of vessel. Principal cause include atherosclerosis, necrosis, inflammation etc.

Related to vessel wall-

• Atherosclerosis-- Thickening and loss of elasticity of arterial wall due to fibrofatty plaque formation.
• Arteriosclerosis-- Proliferative and hyaline thickening of small artery and arterioles.
• Vasospasm-- Spasm of blood vessels (includes both artery and vein).

Neoplasm-

Neoplastic disorders of blood vessels can arise from both artery and vein. Some common vascular neoplasm.

• Benign-- eg. Hemangioma
• Intermediate-- eg. Hemangioendothelioma
• Malignant-- eg. Angiosarcoma, Kaposi's Sarcoma.

Vein-

Phlebitis-- Inflammation of vein

Varicose vein-- Enlargement and dilatation of vein.

Arteriovenous fistula-- Abnormal channel between adjacent artery and vein.