Sick sinus syndrome (SSS), also called sinus node dysfunction, is a syndrome comprising a group of symptoms rather than a single disease. Its clinical manifestations are based on slow sinus arrhythmias (such as sinus bradycardia, sinus arrest, and sinoatrial block), which may cause symptoms such as dizziness and syncope. Various tachyarrhythmias may also occur, including…
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation refers to atrial fibrillation lasting less than 48 hours that may terminate spontaneously. Although an episode may last up to 7 days, 48 hours is a key point with important clinical significance. After 48 hours, spontaneous termination becomes less likely, and anticoagulant therapy should be considered. TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference…
Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), also known as ventricular premature beats, are premature ventricular activations originating from ectopic pacemaker sites below the atrioventricular node. A PVC following every sinus P wave is called bigeminy; a PVC occurring after every two sinus P waves is called trigeminy; two consecutive PVCs are called a couplet; three or more…
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural or functional heart disease. It may result from initial myocardial injury due to various causes (such as myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, inflammation, or excessive hemodynamic load), leading to impaired cardiac contraction and relaxation, reduced ventricular filling and ejection, and cardiac output that is insufficient to…
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is short for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. It is primarily caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which narrows or blocks the arterial lumen and leads to myocardial ischemia and hypoxia. Depending on the location and extent of coronary artery disease, the degree of vascular obstruction, and the rate at which…
Hyperlipidemia refers to elevated levels of cholesterol and/or triglycerides in the plasma. The broader term also includes various lipid abnormalities involving low- and high-density lipoproteins. There are currently three classification methods. The first is phenotypic classification. In 1970, the World Health Organization classified lipoprotein abnormalities into five types according to the degree of elevation of…
Primary hypertension is a cardiovascular syndrome characterized primarily by elevated systemic arterial blood pressure. Hypertension often coexists with other cardiovascular risk factors, which may affect important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys and ultimately lead to organ dysfunction. Common symptoms include dizziness, headache, neck stiffness, a heavy-headed or unsteady feeling, palpitations, tinnitus, blurred…
Sinus bradycardia is a sinus rhythm with a heart rate below 60 beats per minute. It is common in young people, athletes, and during sleep, and may result from increased vagal tone; in these settings, it is physiological. It may also occur in 10%–15% of patients with acute myocardial infarction, primarily in the early stage…
Atrioventricular (AV) block is an arrhythmia in which the electrical impulse from the atria is delayed or fails to reach the ventricles. Conduction disturbances at any point along the AV conduction pathway (within the atria, AV node, bundle of His and bundle branches, or Purkinje system) can cause AV block. It is classified as first-degree,…
Cardiac neurosis, also known as cardiac neurotic disorder, is a neurosis characterized primarily by cardiac discomfort. Its clinical features include cardiovascular symptoms occurring alongside nervous system dysfunction, with no clinical evidence of organic heart disease causally related to the symptoms or of another physical illness affecting the heart. Patients often also have significant psychological difficulties,…
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy characterized by enlargement of the left or both ventricles accompanied by systolic dysfunction. It is often associated with heart failure and arrhythmias and has a very high mortality rate. It is characterized by myocardial degeneration, necrosis, and fibrosis, leading to impaired systolic pumping function, cardiac enlargement, and congestive…
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common and particularly important type of vascular disease among the group known as arteriosclerosis. The various forms of arteriosclerosis share the features of thickened, hardened arterial walls, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the lumen. AS is characterized by lesions that begin in the arterial intima, with successive accumulation of lipids…
Pulmonary heart disease is a condition caused by disorders of the bronchi, lung tissue, thorax, or pulmonary vessels that increase pulmonary vascular resistance, resulting in pulmonary hypertension and subsequent structural and/or functional changes in the right ventricle, potentially leading to right heart failure. It is classified as acute or chronic according to the speed of…
Viral myocarditis is inflammation of the myocardium, characterized primarily by nonspecific focal or diffuse inflammatory lesions and caused by infection with viruses that have an affinity for the myocardium. It is the most common type of infectious myocarditis. Mild cases may involve focal lesions and cause no symptoms; severe cases may lead to arrhythmias, heart…
