Excitation conduction and contraction The electrical excitation of the heart muscle is effected by a cardiac conduction system, which, as with smooth muscles, is based on the presence of spontaneously discharging (depolarizing) pacemaker cells. The first instance of this system is the so-called sinus node, the primary pacemaker. Here, the heart rate is set at … Excitation conduction and contraction | Myocardium
Properties of the heart muscle With humans a heart muscle cell is on the average about 50 to 100 μm long and 10 to 25 μm broad. The left ventricle is the chamber from which blood is ejected into the body’s circulation.This must therefore provide a much higher pumping capacity than the right ventricle, which … Properties of the heart muscle | Myocardium
Heart muscle thickened If the heart muscles thicken, this is often a consequence of chronic overloading of the heart.If one speaks of the fact that the heart muscle is thickened (hypertrophy), the left ventricle is usually meant. This is usually between 6 and 12 millimeters thick. Due to chronic overloading in cases of high blood … Heart muscle thickened | Myocardium
Lysylhydroxylases represent a group of enzymes responsible for the hydroxylation of lysine residues within proteins. Thus, they mainly participate in the formation of connective tissue. Disturbances in the function of lysylhydroxylases manifest themselves in such diseases as scurvy or hereditary Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. What are lysylhydroxylases? Lysylhydroxylases are enzymes whose function is to catalyze the posttranslational … Lysylhydroxylases: Function & Diseases
Synonyms in a broader sense Medical: cardiac insufficiency cardiac muscle weakness, pumping weakness of the heart, right heart weakness, left heart weakness English: Definition Heart failure, also known as cardiac insufficiency, represents the inability of the heart to supply the organs of the body with sufficient oxygen. Depending on the cause, a distinction is made … Heart failure
Classification of heart failure If there is a disturbance in the filling of the heart chambers with blood, which can be the case, for example, after an inflammation of the pericardium (medical term: pericarditis), it is diastolic heart failure (cardiac insufficiency).If, on the other hand, the ejection of blood from a filled ventricle is caused … Classification of heart failure | Heart failure
Diagnosis heart failure The most important cornerstone is the detailed questioning of the patient (anamnesis). In particular, previous illnesses, such as heart attacks, the exact course of symptoms or currently taken medication are of great importance. Patients who are already taking dehydrating medication (“water tablets”) can still be free of symptoms at rest, even though … Diagnosis heart failure | Heart failure
Heart failure in old age Heart failure is a typical old-age disease. It is estimated that about 10% of 75-year-olds are affected by the disease. But what is the cause? Many diseases of our cardiovascular system lead to cardiac insufficiency. Arterial high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia or coronary heart disease are extremely common, especially in … Heart failure in old age | Heart failure
Effects Microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria are able to damage the heart muscle via different points of attack, which ultimately causes a heart muscle malfunction. On the one hand, the pathogen can migrate into the muscle tissue and start the inflammatory process directly on site. At the molecular level, the virus initially causes tissue … Effects | Myocarditis
Viral and bacterial pathogens In the case of infectious myocarditis, viruses are most likely to be involved in developed countries. Mainly enteroviruses, especially Coxackie viruses and ECHO viruses, are found in microbiological detection. Other pathogens such as parvovirus B19 are also important as pathogens of rubella, adenoviruses and herpes viruses, especially human herpes virus six. … Viral and bacterial pathogens | Myocarditis
Diagnostics for suspected myocarditis Every medical diagnosis begins with the medical history. Here, the above-mentioned symptoms are asked for, and importance is also attached to a possible trigger of the disease (cold, flu-like infection). Afterwards, the physical examination is in the foreground. Here, special attention is paid to water retention. These can be detected in … Diagnostics for suspected myocarditis | Myocarditis
What is the therapy for myocarditis? Therapy is initially based on the severity of the myocarditis. In most cases, the symptoms (symptomatic therapy) and the causes (causal therapy) of the myocarditis are treated in parallel. Symptomatic therapy includes, first and foremost, physical rest and a temporary cessation of physical activity. Painkillers can also be prescribed … What is the therapy for myocarditis? | Myocarditis
