Signs that shows when the heart is in danger.

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The function of the heart is no news to us all, even a man without education on the street knows that the heart is highly important and when there is a sickness affecting the heart, it is a big deal. Today, I want to write about the functionality of the heart and how we can identify quickly when there is a problem with it.

The heart is the major organ of the cardiovascular system, it is a network of blood vessels pumping blood all through the body. The heart is not so big, it is more like the size of a fist, it is comfortably located in the middle of the chest, slightly close to the left. The heart is the muscle at the center of the circulation system, responsible for the pumping of blood around the body while the heart beats, this blood sends nutrients and oxygen to other body parts, and it also moves unwanted carbon dioxide and other waste products away.

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The heart consists of three tissue layers, which it is made up of;

The epicardium: The epicardium is the outermost and most protective layer of the heart, made up of mesothelium, which is a type of cell that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body as well as fat and the connective tissues. This said epicardium, surrounds the hearts and the roots of the coronary vessels emerging from it, this includes the aorta, the inferior vena cava, and the superior vena cava.
The myocardium: The myocardium is the middle muscular layer of the heart, it is the thickest layer lying between the single-cell endocardium layer and the outer epicardium, making up the visceral pericardium. It is composed of specialized muscle cells known as cardiomyocytes, these cells have a very unique cellular feature correlating with the contractile function.

The main function of the myocardium is to speed up the contraction and relaxation of the heart walls, this will happen in order to receive and pump the blood in the body into the systemic circulation.

The endocardium: Endocarditis is the inflammation of the inner part of the heart known as the endocardium, which also lines the heart valves at the end of each of the chamber. It is the innermost layer of the heart's all, it creates a barrier between the cardiac muscles and the bloodstream as it contains necessary blood vessels. The endocardium also houses the heart's conduction system responsible for the regulation of the activity of the cardiac muscles.
These existing three layers are surrounded by the pericardium, which is a thin outer lining that protects the heart.

The heart is also made up of four chambers, these chambers make up the heart, there are two of them located on the left side and the other two on the left side. The heart constantly pumps blood all around the body, I am speaking about five liters of blood constantly, this process is called Circulation. The combination of heart, blood vessels, and blood come together to make up the cardiovascular system.

The right side of the heart receives oxygen insufficient blood, as most of the oxygen rich blood has been used by the brain and the body, it then pumps this into the lungs, where it is able to pick up a fresh supply of oxygen, this same blood returns to the left side of the heart where it stays ready to be pumped back out to the brain and the remaining part of the body. The movement and functionality of the blood circulation, happens only through a network of blood vessels;

The arteries, that carry blood rich in oxygen from the heart to other body parts, they get smaller as they move farther away from the heart.
We have the capillaries, that connect the smallest arteries to the smallest veins, these ones function by helping to exchange water, oxygen, carbon dioxide as well as other nutrients and waste substances occurring between the blood and their surrounding tissues.
Veins are responsible for carrying the blood that has insufficient amount of oxygen back towards the heart, as the veins get closer to the heart, they increase in size.

We also have the heart valves, functioning greatly like gates, which helps to keep the blood moving in the appropriate direction. The heart has four major valve;

Aortic valve found on the left side.
Mitral valve found on the left side as well.

All of these functionalities will not be possible without the presence of electrical signals, electrical signals are sent into the heart muscle with the information on when it should contract and relax. The electrical signal begins in the right atrium which is the heart's natural pacemaker, it crosses the artria making it possible for them to contract, then blood id pumped through the valves into the ventricles.

At the point where the atria meets the ventricles, there is an area of special cells known as the atrio-ventricular node, this node passes electrical signals all through the heart muscle by a system of electrical pathways known as the conducting system. The muscle of the ventricles contracts, and blood is pumped through the pulmonary and the aortic valves into the main arteries. The atrio-ventricular node at this point proceeds to produce another electrical signal which makes the cycle start again.

Pulmonary valve found on the right side likewise the tricuspid valve.

What could go wrong with the heart?

We can conclude that, the heart has been perfectly shaped and the functions aligning greatly based on the description that has been made above, but something could go wrong that would cause distortion with this arrangement therefore creating issues with the heart.

The structure of the heart may go wrong, as some people are born with an underdeveloped heart, such heart did not properly develop before birth, this condition is called Cogenital heart disease, sometimes this condition could be inherited.

Another problem the heart can develop is the problem with the cardiovascular system, which could be a case of heart attack, stroke or angina. Heart disease can happen when the coronary arteries become highly narrowed through a gradual build-up of fatty material. In a case where the coronary arteries gets narrowed or blocked, the blood supply to the heart would get impaired, this heart disease is the most common one that exists.

When the arteries becomes so narrow that it is unable to deliver sufficient blood into the heart, it can cause angina which is a pain experienced in the arm, chest, neck, stomach and jaw.
If there is a break off or the rupturing of the fatty material, a blood clot will be formed causing stroke or heart attack.

The electrical system can also get interrupted, a normal heart ought to beat between 60-100 times every minute, this rhthmic beating is highly dependent on the electrical signs being conducted throughout the heart. However, when the interruption occurs with the electrical system, the heart rate gets interrupted as the heart may either beat extremely fast which is tachycardia or very slow which is bradycardia, the heart may also beat in an irregular pattern, which is the arrhythmia.

Heart attack, high blood pressure, heart valve problems, cardiomyopathy(which is a general term to describe conditions affecting the heart muscle), are all conditions that can damage the heart muscle, making it very weak and unable to pup blood as it should normally do.

When the heart muscle becomes unable to meet the body's demand for oxygen ad blood, various symptoms could be developed like; extreme tiredness, swelling of the ankle, breathlessness. When this happens, it is called heart failure as a result of the failure of the heart to pump blood around the body and function efficiently.

The heart calve could also develop a problem, remember that, it is impossible for the heart to properly function if the heart valves are not working appropriately, this can affect blood flow all through the heart.
The valve could leak or the valve coulg get narrowed and stiffen , when the valve begins to leak, it is called valve regurgitation or valve incompetence and when the valve gets narrowed and stiffen, it is called valve stenosis.

It is necessary to state that, not all heart problems has a clear warning sign, but these problems may signify the urgent need to seek proper test and help accordingly.

Chest discomfort: This is a common sign that the heart is in danger, the artery may be blocked, and this would make you feel pain, tightness and pressure in the chest. This pain may not last beyond a brief moment, but there could be a case of heart attack without a chest pain.
Nausea and Indigestion: This symptom is more common in women more than men, symptoms like nausea, heartburn and stomach pain is very possible but may not always be the case.
Pain that moves to the arm region: Pains that moves to the left part of the body has to be greatly suspected.
Regularly feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Pain in the jaw or the throat.
Fatigue.
Snouring/sleep apnea.
Cough that refuses to go.
Irregular heart beat.
Swelling of the feet, legs and the ankles.

Conclusion.

The heart is a significantly important organ of the human body, this organ has to be treated as such, once there is any strange feeling, medical care needs to be sorted and waste no time in fixing whatever the problem they be.