Got Food? - the Scientia Review

Arrhythmia
In a healthy human heart, all of the signals coordinate in a way that maintains the synchronous
beating of muscle cells. However, occasionally problems develop with the electrical activity in the heart
as the result of certain diseases or genetics. Personal lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise also play a
critical role in the development of cardiac issues (Berry et al., 2012).
Over 600,000 people are hospitalized every year for cardiac dysrhythmias, also known as
arrhythmias or irregular heartbeat. A person with an arrhythmia has abnormal electrical activity in the
heart, and therefore an unnatural heart rhythm. There are two main types of arrhythmias: bradycardia, in
which the heart has less than 60 beats per minute; and tachycardia, in which the heart has more than 100
beats per minute. The first step in diagnosing an arrhythmia is determining where in the heart it
originates. Once this is determined, specific treatment can be given to that region of the heart, if possible.
There are several treatment options available to patients with arrhythmias including medicine,
implantation of a pacemaker, anticoagulants (to reduce the risk of blood clots), cardiac defibrillation, and
cardiac ablation (―Your heart's electrical system‖, 2008).
The sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes
control pacing and beating of the heart.
Cardiomyopathy
The term cardiomyopathy refers to disease of the heart muscle, which results in damage to muscle
tone and reduction in ability to pump blood. This disease is not only the leading cause of heart failure in
the US but also the most common reason for heart failure. Of the 500,000 Americans living with
cardiomyopathy, a large number are not aware that they have this condition. For this reason,
cardiomyopathy is particularly dangerous because it often goes unrecognized and untreated. In contrast to
other types of heart conditions, cardiomyopathy often affects younger people.
There are four distinct types of cardiomyopathy: dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, and ischemic.
Dilated cardiomyopathy, also called congestive cardiomyopathy, the most common form of this disease.
It is characterized by weakening of the chamber walls of the heart. Dilated cardiomyopathy is usually
idiopathic because in most cases, doctors are not able to identify the cause.
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