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Essay Unit 14 - Physiological Disorders and their Care
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Unit 14, TaskA physiological disorder is a condition where an illness causes the organs in the body to not perform
their job properly. There are many physiological disorders but I’m going to be looking into coronary
heart disease and bowel cancer.
As atheroma (plaque) builds up on the interior of the coronary artery, coronary heart disease
develops over a long period of time. Consequently, the artery walls get so narrow that oxygen-rich
blood cannot pass through, so it restricts blood flow to the heart. Coronary heart disease can be
extremely dangerous, especially if an atheroma breaks off as this might result in the formation of a
blood clot. This is dangerous because it increases the risk of a blockage in the artery, which can
result in a heart attack because the blood supply is cut off (British heart foundation, 2019).
The causes are the development of fats, cholesterol, and other materials over time on the inner
walls of the heart's arteries. It is known as atherosclerosis when the artery walls become thinner as a
result of the build-up of plaque, which prevents blood flow and results in heart attack or stroke. High
cholesterol can cause damage to your coronary arteries. Diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking,
and not enough exercise all contribute to high cholesterol. High cholesterol can lead to damage of
the coronary artery. Age is one element that puts people at risk since it raises the likelihood that
your arteries may become weakened as you become older. Males are more likely to contract it,
although women who are going through menopause have higher odds. You are more prone to get it
if your close family has it (Mayo clinic, 2022).
You may not face signs/symptoms for a long time. Some things you may experience may include
stable angina, which is the most common symptom and is temporary chest pains or discomfort.
Something you may feel is shortness of breath (dyspnea) when doing light physical activity.
Sometimes a symptom could be a heart attack. Some symptoms of CHD include feeling dizzy or
lightheaded, heart palpitations, nausea and weakness. Women had additional symptoms with CHD
these may include when people have pain in their shoulders, back and neck, fatigue and insomnia
and feeling hot and flushed (Cleveland clinic , 2022).
An investigative test is carried out to rule out other conditions based on the symptoms that you are
facing. This is like a blood test. Whereas a diagnostic test is diagnosing your condition to confirm that
you have the illness or disease. This is like an MRI. When doing an investigative test for CHD, the
doctor may first ask for your family and medical history. They will do a blood test, with CHD they will
be checking your cholesterol, this is because if you have a high cholesterol, you are more prone to
CHD, a heart attack or a stroke. When doing diagnostic tests for CHD they do both MRI scans and CT
scans. With CHD they will be looking for a fatty plaque around the heart on the scan. For CHD they
may do more tests like an exercise stress test and a coronary angiography, this is taking x-rays of the
heart, it is the best method to diagnose CHD. (NHS, 2020)
Treatment for CHD mainly involves changing your lifestyle like having a healthy diet, doing exercise
and not smoking. There are drugs available to help treat it like cholesterol drugs which lower your
cholesterol and help to reduce plaque build-up. ACE and ARBs help lower you blood pressure and
prevent the illness from getting worse. You can also have surgery to help it like having a stent put in,
this helps widen the artery and improve the blood flow to the heart and make sure it doesn’t close
again. (Mayo Clinic , 2022) British heart foundation is a charity that provide support for people with
heart problems. They have a helpline if you have any enquires and have a support group and online
community to help you. In this you can talk to other people that have heart problems and talk about
anything you may be concerned about. (British heart foundation, 2019) (NHS, 2022) (NHS, 2022)
, A cardiologist is the main carer for someone with CHD as they are the ones who do examinations on
you to test what all your symptoms could lead to. Nurses are a critical part of your careers as they
manage your comfort throughout preparation and recovery. (Medtronic , n.d.) Someone with CHD
may go to a rehabilitation meeting to make sure that they are adapting their lifestyle to make sure
they have a good diet, enough exercise and they can talk about things about with other people in
similar situations.
CHD can affect a person physically as they won’t be able to exercise as they get less oxygen to their
heart as the arteries are narrow and blocked, but they should do exercise as this may benefit them.
They also have symptoms of shortness of breath and fatigue which will reduce the amount of
exercise they can do. This means they are more likely to be obese as they cannot do intense
exercise, which could lead to more health problems. (Beckerman,2021)
It has been shown that CHD can lead to a decrease in cognitive health. it can lead to an increased
risk of dementia (Paddock, 2019). It can affect a person intellectually as they may be limited to what
they can do at work because of chest pains, shortness of breath and fatigue. This may lead to them
not being able to work because of the symptoms they may face. This can stop decrease their
intellectual health as they will be resting.
CHD can have a big effect on a person emotionally. In a survey 51% of people have felt depressed,
47% of people have felt scared, 18% of people have felt isolated, 38% of people felt like people
didn’t understand and 13% have struggled to socialise. This shows how CHD can lead to mental
health issues and effect a person emotions. (BHF, N.D)
Socially someone with CHD may have to miss social events for hospital appointments or since they
physically can’t because they are at risk of being obese which could make symptoms worse, this may
lead to a decrease in relationships which may make them feel isolated and frustrated. They may feel
like no one understands their situation.
Local services can be a big help to a person suffering with a medical condition. With CHD Derbyshire
have a Cardiac Rehabilitation centre which offers services to help people with cardiac problems.
They offer programs for exercising and give information to inform people on things they may not
know. The Rehabilitation reduces angina and can help you to maintain a healthy weight and help
lower blood pressure. (NHS, N.D)
One of the most prevalent types of cancer is bowel cancer. Cancer is a condition in which cells
multiply and develop out of control. The malignant cells might destroy healthy tissue or organs and
damage them. If cancer is not treated, it may spread to other parts of the body. Metastasis is the
term for this (NHS, 2022). Bowel cancer can cause the digestive system to completely or partially
block it.
Bowel cancer may develop for a variety of reasons. Age, genetics, and lifestyle factors are among
them. Older people are more likely to have bowel cancer. more than 40% of British citizens 75 and
older. Bowel cancer is more likely to affect you if you have a first-degree relative who has been
diagnosed with it. Like your diet, your lifestyle can raise your risk. Consuming excessive amounts of
red meat, processed meat, or fibre can raise your risk. If your BMI is between 25 and 30, being
overweight puts you at more risk than someone with a healthy BMI. Exercise can reduce your risk of
developing bowel cancer since it keeps you physically active. Smoking is associated with a higher risk
of developing bowel cancer; therefore, daily smoking can worsen the condition. Excessive alcohol
consumption can put you at risk as well (Cancer Research UK, 2021).
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