Deadly Circulatory Diseases

The circulatory system is made up of the heart and blood vessels. This system carries blood to all the vital organs, providing much needed nutrients and oxygen to the cells while removing toxic by-products. The circulatory system is prone to developing diseases that can ultimately prove deadly--even with treatment. Some of the more common circulatory diseases include leukemia, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, stroke and congestive heart failure.

Leukemia

• Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. When cancer occurs, cells form and divide abnormally, preventing the cells from being able to do their jobs. In the case of leukemia, the affected white blood cells are unable to fight off infections, rendering the body vulnerable to a host of bacterial and viral infections that often prove fatal.

Hemophilia

• Hemophilia is a blood abnormality that prevents the blood from being able to form clots. This hereditary disease affects only men that carry both recessive genes. Women can carry the genes that cause this disease, but will not develop it. Hemophilia causes massive bleeding in individuals, even with only a minor injury. Major injuries will cause most hemophiliacs to die from blood loss.

Sickle Cell Anemia

• Sickle cell anemia is an adaptation in African Americans in which the red blood cells have mutated to prevent malaria infection. The irregularly formed red blood cells are abnormally shaped and are extremely sticky, causing potentially fatal blood clots. Sickle cell anemia is hereditary and most individuals will succumb to complications of the disease by the time they reach their twenties or thirties.

Stroke

• Common causes of stroke include alcohol, smoking, high blood pressure and heart disease. When stroke occurs, several of the brain's functions are severely impacted, which can be life threatening depending on the centers of the brain that are affected and the severity of the event.

Congestive Heart Failure

• Congestive heart failure is another deadly circulatory disease. Congestive heart failure is caused by uncontrolled heart disease. Heart disease causes a thickening of the heart and blood vessels due to the build up of plaques along the inside walls. The thickened structures are not as elastic, causing the heart to have to pump harder to get blood to the organs. As the heart pumps harder, it is less able to push all of the blood out and a backflow occurs. This causes the heart to enlarge, forcing it to work even harder. Heart failure occurs when the heart is no longer able to effectively pump blood through the system.