Circulatory System
What is the circulatory system?
The circulatory system is a system with the primary function of transporting vital substances throughout the entire body, as well as to maintain homeostasis. Some of the vital substances include: oxygen, hormones, and nutrients, and are mostly transported through the body via the blood.
Diagram demonstrating the circulatory system
The circulatory system is a system with the primary function of transporting vital substances throughout the entire body, as well as to maintain homeostasis. Some of the vital substances include: oxygen, hormones, and nutrients, and are mostly transported through the body via the blood.
Alexander Disease does not directly affect the circulatory system. However, there are symptoms caused by Alexander Disease which impacts upon the circulatory system. Of these symptoms, heart disease would be a major condition which may be triggered indirectly by Alexander Disease. Heart Disease (also known as cardiovascular disease) refers to any disease which negatively impacts upon the cardiovascular system. Specifically, Alexander Disease has the greatest possibility in triggering two of the numerous heart diseases existent: heart failure, and hypertensive heart disease.
Heart Failure
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to function to the standards required by the body in order to maintain a healthy flow rate of blood throughout your body. Often times, a heart failure will be related to other cardiovascular diseases including hypertensive heart disease or cardiac arrest, and will result in symptoms varying in severity dependent on the cause and the extent of the heart failure. General symptoms include: exercise intolerance, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and fluid accumulation between the chest wall and the lungs. Heart failure is treated differently depending on the severity of the heart failure, however the treatments range from dietary changes and medications, towards the more extreme implanted devices, and the rare heart transplant. (19)
Hypertensive Heart Disease
Hypertensive heart disease refers to any complications which affects the heart due to high blood pressure. If an individual suffers from high blood pressure for extended periods of time, the heart must work harder in order to pump the same amount of blood through the body in an individual with normal blood pressure. As the heart is forced to work harder, progressively, the heart muscles thicken which may eventually thicken so far as to block off blood supply towards the heart. This may lead to cause symptoms similar to ones experienced in heart failure, or angina (chest pain). High blood pressure results from symptoms related to Alexander Disease. In conjunction with the already thickened heart muscles, the blood vessel walls thicken as well. All of these effects combine to place the individual at a much higher risk of suffering from heart attacks, failures, and strokes. (18)