A Lesson in Cardiovascular Disorders Quiz

Answer: High blood pressure.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Increased activity and high metabolism usually is related to hyperthyroidism. A decreased ability to focus on the things around you is often related to ADHD.

Answer: Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is caused from the inability to produce enough insulin or the inability to metabolize insulin properly. High blood pressure can cause increased filtration in the glomerulus of the nephron unit. This can cause permanent damage to the kidneys, which can result in renal failure.

Increased pressure can overdilate the arteries. If this happens in the brain, this can result in a headache. Too much pressure on the arteries can cause an aneurysm.

Answer: Metoprolol

Metoprolol is a beta blocker. This family of drugs blocks the beta adrenergic receptors in the heart muscle. This will take some of the stress off the heart and cause it to work less. Beta blockers usually end in "olol", such as metoprolol and atenolol. Lisinopril is an example of an ACE inhibitor.

This family of drugs slows the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. They work in two ways. They increase the excretion of sodium, which in turn also increases the excretion of water. They also cause vasodilation, resulting in less stress on the vascular walls. ACE inhibitors usually end in "pril", such as lisinopril and monopril. Norvasc is a calcium channel blocker, which blocks the calcium receptor sites in cardiac tissue. Losartan is an example of angiotensin receptor blocker, ARB.

This family of drugs block receptor sites for angiotensin, causing almost the same results of ACE inhibitors. These drugs usually end in "sartan" such as losartan and candesartan.

Answer: Shortness of breath and blood tinged sputum

Left sided CHF happens when the left ventricle becomes weak and is not pumping out the blood properly. As a result, blood gets backed up in the lungs. Congestion in the lungs is a result, therefore you would end up with difficult respiration and some blood in the sputum. Puffiness of the face and swollen ankles results from right sided CHF, which is when blood returning from systemic circulation gets backed up in the body. Anasarca is also from right sided CHF.

This is a term for generalized edema.

Answer: Nitroglycerine

Angina pectoris in a medical term for chest pain. This pain is usually caused from cardiac muscle ischemia. Ischemia means lack of oxygen. Angina happens when the coronary arteries cannot get blood to heart tissue fast enough and pain results from the lack oxygen. Nitroglycerine dilates arteries very quickly, especially coronary arteries.

When these arteries pop open, the blood rushes to the heart tissue and provides oxygen. Usually the pain goes right away.

Answer: Sublingual

Nitroglycerine is absorbed rapidly through the skin. Sublingual means under the tongue. The underside of the tongue contains a large amount of blood vessels, which are right near the surface. A small nitro pill placed under the tongue usually does the trick. Some people claim that they feel complete relief within 30 seconds. Nitro works fast.

Answer: Headache

Nitroglycerine can cause a pounding headache. Nitroglycerine dilates coronary arteries, sometimes it dilates the arteries in the brain. Because the skull is immovable this extra dilation puts pressure on the brain. Usually acetaminophen works to relieve the pain.

Answer: Tachycardia

Tachycardia is the medical term which describes a rapid heart rate, this is usually a rate above 100 beats per minute.

Answer: True

Each of these electrolytes can affect the heart if they are out of range, and a severe potassium imbalance can cause deadly arrythmias. People who use diuretics regularly should have their potassium levels checked regularly. Diuretics can cause the body to lose more potassium than it should. People with adrenal cortex disorders such as Cushing's or Addison's disease should also watch their potassium levels closely. Your doctor can order easy labs which can show these levels.

Answer: Rapid heart rate

Believe it or not, a very high heart rate can cause a decrease in the amount of blood pumped out of the heart per minute. This is the cardiac output. The reason for this is because the ventricles fill with blood when the heart is at rest. If the heart beats so fast then the ventricles cannot fill properly and therefore there is not enough blood to be pumped out.