P1,P2,P3,P4,M1,M2,M3,D1,D2.My document includes my assignment written for Unit 14 Physiological Disorders and their Care, for Level 3 Health and Social Care, where I achieved a Distinction first try. Some criteria may be grouped together but it is all achieved. I own everything written in my assign...
For my unit 14.1 assignment I chose Coronary Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes as the
physiological disorders to base my research on. This assignment covers the signs, symptoms,
causes and impact of the disorders on an individual. Additionally, I will be covering the types
of investigative and diagnostic procedures, as well as the treatment, support and carers that
are available for a service user. I will use external resources and references to assess and
justify the benefits and importance of them.
P1: Explain the causes, signs and symptoms of physiological disorders on service users
D1: Evaluate the impact of physiological disorders on the health and wellbeing of service users
Disorder 1 : Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is when there is a build up of fatty substances or the narrowing of the
coronary arteries that can cause a blockage or interruption of the hearts blood supply. This may
therefore reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood from getting to the heart which can be life
threatening. Blood clots can occur on the linings of blood vessels due to the build of plaques, which
therefore cause blockages that usually result in a heart attack. These can be fatal and very painful for
an individual to endure.
Causes
Coronary heart disease isn’t usually caused by only just one factor, there can be many factors that
can influence the development of CHD together. According to (British Heart Foundation, 2021) there
are 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK alone. Furthermore, there
are roughly 163,000 deaths from heart and circulatory disease each year in the UK, 43,000 of which
are premature deaths. This shows the large scale of how common and how severe heart and
circulatory diseases are. If some of the causes can be prevented by people’s own changes in
attitudes, it could potentially help save an extensive amount of lives. Causes can include; inherited
traits, lifestyle choices, diet and environmental factors.
Lifestyle choices
Lifestyle choices can include smoking, alcoholism, drugs misuse or limited
exercise. Smoking can be severely damaging to the arteries because of the
constant intake of nicotine and carbon monoxide that can put a strain on the
heart as well as damaging the artery lining. Smoking can cause the heart to
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work faster as well as leading to the build up of fatty substances narrowing the artery. Consequently,
it increases the risk of a heart attack or angina occurring.
Additionally, limited exercise can cause CHD because exercise can help regulate and control blood
pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels. This is important because high cholesterol can
block arteries, high blood pressure puts a strain on the heart and blood sugar levels helps provide
energy and nutrients for the body’s organs. As a result, keeping these at a controlled level is vital
because without them, it can increase the risk of CHD or heart attacks occurring.
Inherited traits
There hasn’t been a clear link between inherited traits and the cause of CHD proven yet. However,
(Mayoclinic, 2018) state that individuals whose father or brother have been diagnosed with heart
disease before age 55 or if their mother or sister have developed it before age 65, then there is a
higher risk of that individual having heart disease. As a result, it could be argued that there must be a
correlation between inherited traits and heart disease. Comparatively, it could also be argued that
the link between inherited traits and the cause of CHD isn’t due to genetics being passed on, but the
lifestyle choices that parents may have passed down onto an individual such as diet choices.
Diet
Having a poor diet can result in obesity. Obesity is a large risk factor of CHD because it requires more
blood to supply oxygen and nutrients, potentially resulting in high blood pressure. High blood
pressure means the heart has to work harder in order to pump the blood around. Furthermore, high
blood pressure can lead to the hardening and thickening of the arteries which would cause difficulty
with blood flow. Additionally, similar to limited exercise, a poor diet can also result in high
cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fat made by the liver and is found in the blood and too much of it
can be due to eating fatty food. Cholesterol can then build up in the arteries causing blockages and
resulting in heart attacks.
Environmental factors
Environmental factors can include stress or breathing in second hand smoke. Stress can be due to
experiencing another illness or problems with work. Stress can cause the heart rate to pick up and
blood pressure to rise as a result of the body releasing the hormone adrenaline. This could therefore
cause CHD as it can damage the artery walls and can create blood clots. Moreover, research into
breathing in second hand smoke shows that it can increase the risk of them getting heart and
circulatory diseases as well as breathing problems, especially for children who may have grown up in
a smoking environment (British Heart Foundation, 2017).
Signs
A sign is something that can be physically seen by someone like a doctor and is objective. There
aren’t that many signs of CHD because it’s mainly caused by internal organs and pain which is a
symptom. However, there are a few signs that could indicate CHD or problems with the heart.
Long term breathlessness is a common sign of CHD. This could be because the heart may have
difficulty getting oxygenated blood around the body, resulting in breathlessness. CHD can impact the
respiratory system and lungs, therefore if they’re damaged as well, it could also result in an
individual being breathless. Sudden shortness of breath could show signs of a heart attack occurring
because of the blockage of the arteries which can prevent the oxygenated blood from traveling
through the body.
Cold sweats are often a sign of CHD when there is a strain on the heart. This could be from extra
exertion when doing a physical task which causes the heart to pump faster in order to keep the body
temperature down. When the heart has to pump faster, it causes high blood pressure. As a result of
this, cold sweats happen for the purpose of lowering the blood pressure.
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Vomiting can also be a sign of CHD. (Study.com, 2021) state that no one’s sure as to why vomiting
can occur during a heart attack but there are theories. One of the theories is that during a heart
attack many muscle cells die which can release biochemicals into their surrounding environment.
These can activate part of the vagus nerve which is attached to the heart and can trick the digestive
system into believing that something in the digestive tract needs to be expelled, causing the body to
vomit. Vomiting doesn’t always occur during a heart attack but can be a sign that something is wrong
with the heart.
Symptoms
A symptom is something that an individual feels and can be subjective as pain tolerances can vary.
There are many symptoms of CHD.
Chest pain is a frequent symptom of CHD because blocked arteries and a shortness of breath can
cause an individual to feel discomfort and a pressure on the chest. Chest pains due to CHD can also
be called angina which is a similar feeling of indigestion but can be very painful during a severe
angina attack. It’s usually triggered by physical or emotional stress.
Fatigue and tiredness can be as a result of limited oxygenated blood being pumped around the body.
This is common in CHD patients because if the heart is damaged, it can limit the effectiveness of the
blood traveling through the body.
Palpitations often occur in people suffering from CHD because the heart has to pump faster which
can give the feeling of the heart pounding rapidly and is fluttering or skipping beats. This can cause
discomfort.
(NHS, 2019) state that other symptoms can include pain throughout the body, feeling faint, dizziness
or feeling sick.
Disorder 2: Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disorder related to the cells not reacting to insulin enough for the body to
function properly and can later influence the amount of insulin produced by the
pancreas. This also causes the level of sugar (glucose) to become too high.
Diabetes is a life changing disorder as it requires constant consideration about
sugar levels, and can also impact the function of the body’s organs. The difference
between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is that type 1 is where the body’s own
immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin, whereas type
2 diabetes is where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells
don’t react to the insulin (NHS, 2019).
Causes
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