2010 BC Guide in Determining Fitness to Drive

Chapter 17: Cardiovascular Disease and DisordersBACKGROUND17.1 About cardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular disease is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of disorders relating to theheart and blood vessels.Coronary artery diseaseCoronary artery disease, which is also called coronary, ischemic or atherosclerotic heart disease,is characterized by the presence of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the heart. Atherosclerosis isthe progressive build-up of fatty deposits called plaque, which narrows the coronary arteries andreduces blood flow to the heart. Complications of coronary artery disease include: angina (pain or discomfort due to lack of oxygen to the heart muscle) myocardial infarction (heart attack), and ischemic cardiomyopathy (permanent damage to the heart muscle).Disturbances of cardiac rhythmDisturbances of cardiac rhythm, or arrhythmias, include: tachycardia (rapid heart rate) bradycardia (slow heart rate) fibrillation or flutter (abnormal twitching of the heart muscle), and heart block.These arrhythmias may arise from the heart muscle itself or the conduction system and are oftensecondary to underlying heart disease.Valvular heart diseaseDisease affecting the heart valves may result in stenosis and regurgitation, and is associated withan increased risk of thromboembolism.In valvular stenosis, the valve opening is smaller than normal due to hardening or fusing of thevalve’s leaflets. This may cause the heart to have to work harder to pump blood through thevalves. In valvular regurgitation or “leaky valve”, the valve does not close tightly enough,allowing some blood to leak backwards across the valve. As the leak worsens, the heart has towork harder to make up for the leaky valve, and less blood may flow to the rest of the body.Stenosis and regurgitation may coexist.160