What is hypertensive heart disease?

i have been told i have this and in bracketts( flash pulmonary oedema with cardiac arrest ) i know i was very very ill but feel so silly as i no idea what it all means would be so grateful for any help

Flash pulmonary edema results from the Left Ventrical in your heart stops functioning properly and the blood backs up in your lungs very rapidly, causing you to suffocate in your own fluids. Cardiac arrest is your heart completely stopping - no beating whatsoever.

To learn more about hypertensive heart disease, visit
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/96/...


Cory, RN

Normally deoxygentated blood flows from all parts othe the body via veins to the right side of the heart, then to the lungs where it picks up oxygen, then to the left side of the heart, and then back to the body to deliver all the new oxygen.

What you have is high blood pressure, and this causes a domino effect. Well what happens is that hypertension (high blood presure) is constriction of the blood vessels and thus inreased pressure. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump against the increased resistance of the blood arteries. This causes the heart to start to fail from all the work it's been doing (work overload). This then causes the blood to remain in the lungs and leak out (that's the pulmonary edema), which then causes blood to stay in the right side of the heart, and thus further failure.

I would guess that you had a heart attack, thus the cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping out any blood what-so-ever), and that's very severe indeed, thus the sudden flash pulmonary edema. Infact, the cardiac arrest could have made the failure and the pulmonary edema worse, not sure which one came first in your individual case. In the future, keep an eye on your blood presure and get it under control, otherwise you'll continue to have problems.

Hypertensive heart disease is an important and common form of heart disease.
Features:
- Patient has a history of hypertension.
- Left ventricular hypertrophy, concentric type.
- Absence of other lesions that might induce cardiac hypertrophy. Eg: Aortic valve stenosis .
Pathogenesis:
There is myocytic hypertrophy in response to the increased work.
Thickened myocardium reduces left ventricle compliance, impairing diastolic filling.
Individual myocyte hypertrophy increases the distance for oxygen and nutrient diffusion from adjacent capillaries.
In a significant number of patients there is associated coronary atherosclerosis accompanying hypertension which may further lead to ischemia.
Gross features:
Thickened left ventricle wall with increased heart weight. The left ventricle wall thickness is usually more than 2cm wall thickness. The average heart weight is 500 to 600 gm. It may be as much as 1100gm.
The papillary muscle and trabeculae carneae are rounded and prominent and cardiac chamber is small (concentric hypertrophy).
When cardiac failure ensues, dilatation of the chamber also may be prominent.
Endocardial fibrous thickening may be present in the left ventricle in instances of long-standing hypertension.
After the onset of left ventricular failure, there may be dilatation and hypertrophy of the right side of the heart.
Microscopic features:
Myocytes and nuclei are enlarged.
In long-term cases diffuse interstitial fibrosis and focal myocyte atrophy and degeneration may develop, with left ventricle chamber dilatation and wall thinning.
Myocardial edema and foci of necrosis characterized either by intense eosinophilia or by complete dissolution of the muscle fibers occur in malignant hypertension.

Hypertensive heart diseases are the heart diseases involving "high blood pressure".
"Flash pulmonary oedema with cardiac arrest" means u must have your pulmonary artery swelling and it is a very risky stage keep in touch with doctor and avoid smoking, drinking, heavy excersizes and heavy mealsas it will worsen the situation.
Take care. Good luck and Bye.