This February we celebrate Hearth Month! Heart Month encourages everyone to focus on their cardiovascular health by raising awareness of heart disease and other heart-related conditions. A great way to understand what heart disease is, is to first understand the anatomy of the heart.
The heart is composed of four main chambers. There are two atria and two ventricles. The two largest veins of the body, the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava, deliver unoxygenated blood from the body into the right atrium. From the right atrium, blood is pumped into the right ventricle via the tricuspid valve. It is then pumped into the right and left pulmonary arteries via the pulmonary valve. The pulmonary arteries carry blood to the lungs for gas exchange.
Two pulmonary veins from each lung carry oxygenated blood to the heart. The blood enters the left atrium before being pumped into the left ventricle via the bicuspid valve. From there, it is pumped into the aorta via the aortic valve. The aorta is the largest artery of the body and the first artery of systematic circulation. This means is carries oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
Cardiovascular disease is a term that includes several different conditions of the heart. Specifically, these include coronary heart disease, strokes, peripheral arterial disease and aortic disease. Coronary heart disease happens when there is a blockage stopping oxygen-rich blood from reaching the cardiac muscle. This in turn can lead to angina, a heart attack or heart failure. A stroke occurs when there is a blockage of blood to part of the brain. This can lead to brain damage or death. Peripheral arterial disease happens when there is a blockage in the arteries to the arms or legs. Aortic disease refers to any condition affecting the aorta.
Check out Complete Anatomy to learn more this Heart Month!
