The heart is made up of
muscle tissue which functions to help blood flow throughout the body more
efficiently. If these muscles have problems, then the work of the heart to pump
blood will also be disrupted.
Find out the functions
and workings of the heart muscle here.
Understand the anatomy of the heart muscle
In general, human muscles
can be divided into three different groups, namely smooth muscle, skeletal
muscle, and heart muscle. All these muscles have different functions.
The heart muscle itself
is a combination of striated muscles and smooth muscles that are cylindrical
and have bright and dark lines. When viewed carefully using a microscope, this
muscle has many cell nuclei in the middle.
The muscle in the heart
is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. The heart muscle is
considered the strongest muscle because it is able to work continuously all the
time without resting to pump blood.
If this muscle stops
working, the circulatory system will stop so death occurs.
How the heart muscle works
Different from other
muscles, the heart muscle works unconsciously.
So, you cannot control
the performance of this muscle. Activities carried out by these muscles are
influenced by special cells called pacemaker cells.
These cells are
responsible for controlling the contraction of your heart. The nervous system
will then send signals to pacemaker cells that encourage them to speed up or
slow down your heart rate.
Diseases that affect the heart muscle
Cardiomyopathy is a
disease that can affect muscle tissue in your heart.
This disease makes it
harder for your heart to pump blood because the heart muscle weakens,
stretches, or has problems with its structure.
If left without proper
treatment, this disease can cause heart failure.
Cardiomyopathy has
several types, including:
1. Hypertropic cardiomyopathy
Hypertropic
cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscles in the lower chamber area enlarge
and thicken for no apparent reason.
This thickening of the
muscles in the heart causes the heart to work harder to pump blood.
This disease generally
appears as a congenital disorder from birth due to genetic mutations. However,
if your parents, grandparents, and closest relatives have this disease, then
you will be more likely to experience it too.
2. Dilated cardiomyopathy
Compared to other types,
this disease is most often experienced by many people. Dilated cardiomyopathy
is caused because the heart muscle in the left ventricle enlarges and stretches
so it is not effective for pumping blood out of the heart.
This condition is
generally caused due to coronary artery disease or heart attack.
Although dilated
cardiomyopathy can affect people of all ages, middle-aged men tend to be more
likely to experience it.
3. Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Restrictive
cardiomyopathy occurs when the muscles in the heart become stiff and less
elastic, so that the heart cannot expand and pump blood properly. This type of
heart disease is far more rare than heart disease such as coronary artery
disease or heart valve problems.
Most cases occur in the
elderly. If not treated with the right treatment, this disease can lead to
heart failure.
