Body Fluids and Circulation

(a) Anaemia – It is due to the less amount, of haemoglobin. It may be caused by loss of blood (haemorrhage), destruction of RBCs (haemolysis or faulty formation of blood).
(b) Angina pectoris – It is also called angina. It causes chest pain. In this disease enough oxygen does not reach the heart muscles and the patient experiences heart pain usually in front of the chest. It is more common among the middle aged and elderly people.
(c) Atherosclerosis or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) – It refers to the deposition of fatty substances specially cholesterol and triglycerides in the tunica interna and smooth muscles of medium sized and large arteries which results in plaque formation, which deform the arterial wall. Gradually these plaques grow and as a result, the lumen of the artery decreases and the flow of the blood is reduced. In extreme cases these plaques may block the artery completely. This may result in heart attack or stroke.
(d) Hypertension (High blood pressure)- It is the common disease affecting heart and blood vessels. A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered normal, but the increase in blood pressure beyond 140 mm Hg (systolic) and 90 mm Hg (diastolic) is called high blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure can harm heart, brain, kidneys and eyes.  Hypertension can be due to mental stress, tobacco smoking, intake of diet having high cholesterol.
(e) Heart failure – It is the state of heart when it does not pump blood effectively enough to meet the need of the body. Congestion of lungs is one of the main symptoms of this disease. Heart failure is not the same as cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating) or a heart attack (when the heart muscle is suddenly damaged by inadequate blood supply).
(f) Erythroblastosis foetalis – It is the destruction of foetal erythrocytes in pregnancy resulting from Rh+ male and Rh" female where foetus blood is Rh+, resulting in formation of anti Rh antibodies in maternal blood.