Pathology of the cardiovascular system is the leading cause of premature mortality in the population. Diseases have a branched classification. Therefore, it is important to have an idea about the main pathologies that annually claim the lives of thousands of people.

The main criterion characteristic of many cardiac pathologies is shortness of breath. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it is not related to the execution physical activity and is able to manifest itself even at night. The symptom occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood into the pulmonary circulation. As a result of this deficiency, the lips and nasolabial triangle become bluish.

Redness of the tip of the nose is another sign that appears even at the beginning of the development of the disease.

With the occurrence of cardiac pathology, patients develop swelling of the lower extremities. The heart can't handle high load, due to which the liquid stagnates in the legs and does not rise through the vessels.

Hidden signs

Signs of heart problems begin to appear long before the full onset of the disease. Typical symptoms for a diseased heart are:

• Sensation of constant lack of air in the lungs.
• Pain in the chest. Most often, the patient confuses retrosternal pain with heartburn or muscle spasm without seeking medical help.
• Constant fatigue, lethargy - most often occurs in females who, due to their employment, do not pay any attention to it.
• Decreased sexual activity or manifestation of erectile dysfunction - occurs in men due to the development coronary disease hearts.
• The appearance of snoring during sleep and insomnia also indicates the development of hidden symptoms of the pathology of the cardiovascular system.
• Edema, as a hidden sign of the disease, in the early stages of the onset of cardiac pathology appears in the afternoon, so the patient, if he finds them, considers this the result of fatigue and a hard day's work.

The first signs of coronary heart disease

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a deviation that occurs due to a lack of oxygen for the myocardium to function normally. The main clinical signs of IHD are:

1. Burning pain behind the chest. According to their properties, the pains are pressing and arching in nature. Pain occurs paroxysmal, temporarily subsiding and resuming with renewed vigor. Pain can be given under the scapula on the left, shoulder and in the left side of the lower jaw.
2. Weakness, lethargy throughout the body - such symptoms of a diseased heart are characteristic of a developing coronary disease.
3. Shortness of breath - the problem begins to arise from the performance of small loads, gradually developing into a constant, tormenting patient.
4. Increased sweating.
5. Palpitations, arrhythmia, angina attacks.

If you experience symptoms of heart problems, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. The sooner you resort to therapeutic measures, the less likely the development of more formidable complications. Treatment of heart disease must be strictly under medical supervision to prevent the occurrence of severe situations such as myocardial infarction.

Types of cardiovascular pathologies

Conventionally, all diseases of cardiac activity can be divided into several types, which differ in localization, symptoms and pathological processes that affect the functioning of the organ:

1. Atherosclerotic heart disease is caused by the development of a disease that occurs due to the accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries and veins, gradually blocking the vessel. The causes of this pathology can be obesity, smoking, increased thrombosis.
2. Rheumatic disease is the most common type of pathology in which the heart valve ceases to perform its intended function.
3. Coronary heart disease. This disease is associated with a lack of blood circulation. It is caused by a small supply of oxygen to the muscular part of the heart and the occurrence of atrophy of its walls.
4. Bovine heart disease is also a common disease in which the organ is significantly enlarged, reaching sizes that are 2-3 times the normal size.

Each type includes a large number of diseases that determine the location of the pathological process and symptoms.

Most common heart disease

Pathologies of the main organ are due to its insufficient work, due to the influence of external and internal influences on it. To date, the most common diseases of the heart system are:

1. Arrhythmia is the absence of rhythm in the work of the muscular part of the heart.
2. Arterial hypertension or hypotension - high or low blood pressure.
3. Ischemic heart disease is a disease of the muscular part of the organ associated with insufficient oxygenation of the blood.
4. Angina pectoris is a sudden pain behind the sternum that occurs due to insufficient blood circulation in the muscular layer of the heart.
5. Myocardial infarction - necrosis of the muscular wall of the organ.
6. Congenital heart defects are anatomical changes in the structure.
7. Rheumatic diseases of the cardiovascular system.
8. Diseases of the arteries of the heart.

These diseases require immediate therapy, which is aimed not only at treating the symptoms, but also affects the cause of the pathological process.

Heart failure and ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease is a disease that occurs due to damage to the muscle layer of the organ. This category includes angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, which characterize the main pathological processes that provoke poor formation of the heart muscle. IHD is a consequence that causes the onset of the spread of acute pathology, if signs of a diseased heart are not detected in a timely manner and treatment is not started. Before heart failure develops, ischemia dominates the muscular wall of the organ for a long time.

Heart failure is a disease in which the arteries of the heart cannot eject a stable volume of blood into the bloodstream due to the low muscle strength of the organ. This situation occurs against the background of untreated coronary artery disease and is a complication of a long-term ischemic condition.

If it is not timely to start treatment for coronary artery disease, heart failure develops. It is necessary to detect and treat ischemia in time in order to prevent the appearance of more formidable pathologies of the muscles of the main organ.

Inflammatory processes in the heart

The main inflammatory processes occurring in the organ are endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis. These pathologies can be rheumatic and non-rheumatic, depending on the affected part of the heart. They are infectious and non-infectious.

With endocarditis, the inflammatory process is localized in the inner wall of the organ - the endocardium. The main clinical signs of pathology are heart murmurs when listening, then symptoms of circulatory failure of the main organ.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease that occurs in the muscular wall of the heart (myocardium). This disease is caused by such clinical symptoms as the expansion of the size of the main organ, shortness of breath, tachycardia, arrhythmia and circulatory disorders. Objectively, the ECG with this pathology shows a change in the T wave.

Pericarditis is an inflammation of the outer membranes of the organ. This pathology is due to two directions of the course of the disease. The dry appearance of the disease is clinically accompanied by persistent pain in the heart, which has a aching dull character. Objectively, when listening, there is a pericardial friction rub. Exudative - causes shortness of breath at rest, patients are in a forced position, heart tones are muffled, coronary insufficiency and an increase in the size of the organ occur.

How to properly treat an inflamed heart - only specialists know. Nutrition in the treatment of these diseases is based on limiting the consumption of salty and fatty foods, with the infectious nature of inflammation, patients are prescribed a prescription for antibacterial drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ortofen, Indomethacin tablets), a glucocorticoid agent (Prednisolone, Hydrocortisone) .

Heart defects

Heart disease is an anomaly resulting from changes in the anatomical structure of the organ, valves and large vessels, there is an interruption in the supply of blood to tissues. Defects are congenital and acquired.

Congenital heart defects are anomalies that form in the fetus in the womb. The reasons for the development of these pathologies can be diseases during pregnancy, taking illegal drugs and harmful substances during gestation, as well as heredity and poor environmental conditions.

Acquired malformations are formed after a person has suffered other heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and trauma to the heart muscle.

Depending on the location of the pathological area, there are:

• Valvular defects - when a valve in the heart is disrupted (mitral, aortic, tricuspid, pulmonary).
• Defects of the septa of the heart - interventricular and interatrial.

Diagnosis of congenital malformations begins with a complete examination of the pregnant woman. A woman undergoes ultrasound screening 3 times during gestation. A newborn baby is also subject to verification immediately after birth. The basis for the diagnosis of acquired heart disease is the constant medical examination of people (age does not play a role). It includes ultrasound, auscultation and echocardiography.

In the early stages of heart disease, the most effective method treatment - surgical, in which the surgical method eliminates or facilitates the development of the disease. Therapy of late stages of defects is aimed at maintaining conditions in conservative ways. In this case, a medicine is prescribed to eliminate the symptoms.

Diagnosis of cardiac diseases

Diagnostics allows you to control the work of the heart system. Constant monitoring makes it possible to identify such ailments in the early stages and avoid complications. The main methods for recognizing heart disease are:

• auscultation of the heart;
• percussion;
• palpation;
• echocardiography;
• stress tests;
• Velergometry;
• x-ray of the heart;
• coronary angiography.

It is necessary to undergo examinations by a cardiologist at least once a year. This will not only avoid the occurrence of advanced stages of the disease, but also maintain health at long years. Treatment is carried out necessarily under the supervision of a doctor, without using any folk methods.

The heart is the motor that controls the entire body. To recover from pathological processes in a timely manner means to improve health and increase life expectancy. Prevention is also a great way to prevent heart disease.

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The cardiovascular system provides all tissues and organs with nutrients and oxygen.

Therefore, if a sick heart does not cope with its functions, then this is reflected in the whole body. All symptoms that occur during heart disease can be divided into subjective, which the patient himself feels, and objective, which are detected by a specialist during examination and additional examination of the patient.

Pain syndrome in cardiovascular pathology

How to recognize that disturbing symptoms are cardiac?

The first signs that make you think about it are a manifestation of the pain syndrome. People, feeling discomfort in the projection of the heart on the chest on the left side of the sternum, begin to worry. After all, this is how the main motor in the body signals that not everything is in order in its work.

Pain can be pulling, aching, stabbing, while not depending on physical activity and emotional state. In this case, we are talking about cardialgia. They are characteristic of inflammatory lesions of the heart (myocarditis, endocarditis, pericarditis), vegetative dystonia.

Often, malformations are also accompanied by cardialgia, the mechanism of their development is more often associated with compression of the nerve plexus by the heart, which increases in size with such a pathology.

But there is another type of pain associated with myocardial ischemia, which develops with reduced patency of the coronary vessels that feed the heart. The most common cause of narrowing of the lumen of the arteries is atherosclerotic changes in their walls, as a result of impaired fat metabolism.

The pain is compressive, restrictive, pressing or burning in nature, localized behind the sternum. At the same time, it can spread to the left hand, under the shoulder blade, in lower jaw and even emit a picture of an acute abdomen, for example, in the abdominal variant of a heart attack.

It mainly appears and intensifies after physical or psycho-emotional stress. Such pain is characteristic of coronary heart disease: angina pectoris, heart attack. Otherwise, they still talk about it as a cry of the heart for help, since there is a violation of its blood supply.

Myocardial hypoxia occurs due to a lack of oxygen, and with a significant degree of occlusion of the coronary arteries, parts of the heart muscles can die - necrosis. This type the pain is very intense, unlike cardialgia, it can be stopped only with nitroglycerin preparations and narcotic analgesics.

Dissection of an aortic aneurysm is accompanied by sudden burning pain in the chest or back, depending on the level of location of the pathologically altered part of the vessel, with spread to the arms, shoulder blades or legs and pelvis, respectively.

Pain is not relieved by nitroglycerin. In this case, there is a sharp drop in blood pressure. With thromboembolism of the main trunk of the pulmonary artery, tearing pain may occur due to irritation of the nerve endings.

Some conditions can mimic the pattern of heart disease. Often osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, myalgia, intercostal neuralgia have symptoms similar to those of the heart: pain with similar localization, but their severity and manifestation, as a rule, vary depending on the position of the body.

Recognizing the nature of pain is the task of a specialist; this may require additional diagnostic methods: ECG, MRI, general and biochemical blood tests, and other studies.

Manifestations of disturbed rhythm and conduction

Signs of heart disease in humans are felt in the same way as interruption, fading, fluttering, increased heartbeat. These are all symptoms of a disturbed rhythm. If the conduction system of the heart is involved in the pathological process, they will be the first.

The normal heart rhythm is sinus, with an approximate heart rate of 70 beats per minute in an adult.

It is set by the sinus node, located near the right atrial appendage. It controls the work of all other structures. This well-established mechanism is broken when, for some reason, another component of the conduction system becomes the pacemaker. This is how atrial fibrillation occurs if the atria or fibrillation take over this function, if the ventricles set the rhythm.

At the same time, the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle can reach up to 500, and the movements of the myocardium become chaotic, unable to provide normal cardiac output and cover the needs, first of all, of brain tissues in oxygenated blood.

As a result, a person may experience dizziness, darkening in the eyes, in a difficult situation, loss of consciousness. Defibrillation may be required to restore a normal rhythm.

Like other signs that accompany heart disease, a decrease in heart rate below 60 beats per minute requires special attention. Although bradycardia can be a variant of the norm in people who are intensively engaged in physical activity, sometimes such a condition is a manifestation of a blockade in the conduction of a nerve impulse.

Also, difficulties in conducting a bioelectric signal in severe cases are accompanied by dizziness, weakness, and fainting.

Change in blood pressure

If the blood pressure is above 140/90 mm Hg. Art. or below 95/60 mm Hg. Art., then there is cause for concern.

The cause of a persistent increase in pressure in the vascular bed may be hypertension. It is characterized by headaches, dizziness, flashing "flies" in the eyes.

Lack of appropriate treatment for this disease increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Often, hypertension is accompanied by pathological changes in the retina, which leads to a decrease in visual acuity. The vessels of the kidneys are damaged, and this causes a decrease in glomerular filtration in the advanced stage of the disease.

hypotension- low pressure. Sometimes this condition is normal, for example, in athletes. A sharply and rapidly decreasing arterial pressure by the type of collapse may be a manifestation of cardiogenic shock in myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, rupture of an aneurysm of the heart or aorta.

Chronic hypotension is characteristic of vegetovascular dystonia. A similar condition can also be observed with a decrease in cardiac output, due to chronic heart failure or stenosis of the aortic orifice.

Dyspnea

Whatever the nature of the disease of the heart, all the symptoms of its insufficient function are the same. Shortness of breath is one of them.

It, as a rule, has an inspiratory character - difficulty occurs on inspiration, a feeling of lack of air is characteristic.

With progressive chronic heart failure, the patient takes a forced position - half-sitting, even in a dream, in order to reduce the manifestation of shortness of breath due to congestion in the lungs. Coughing and wheezing often occur.

Symptoms of shortness of breath in the case of the development of a heart disease such as PE are associated with embolism of the pulmonary artery and its branches. In thirty percent of cases with this pathology, hemoptysis also occurs. Shortness of breath is accompanied by heart defects during decompensation, angina pectoris, aortic aneurysm dissection, myocardial infarction.

Difficulty breathing can also occur in an absolutely healthy person when performing intense physical activity, in the absence of a training skill. If there is heart disease, then signs of shortness of breath occur even with little activity, and in severe cases even at rest.

Signs of stagnation of blood in the systemic circulation

As a result of various diseases of the heart, the right ventricle begins to poorly cope with its task. Inability to pump the required volume of blood leads to its delay in the venous bed. Clinically, this is manifested by edema.

Cardiac edema intensifies, unlike renal edema, in the evening. Localized at the beginning lower limbs: there is a feeling of heaviness in the legs by the end of the day, shoes become tight, and traces of tight-fitting clothing remain on the shins.

But if there is a progressive deterioration in the work of the heart, the swelling spreads to the overlying sections: the thighs, the lumbar region, there may be an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Stagnation in the portal vein system leads to an increase in the size of the liver - hepatomegaly. The patient experiences heaviness in the hypochondrium on the right side, and palpation of his liver is painful due to the stretching of the capsule, the edge of the organ extends beyond the left costal arch.

The activity of the liver in the early stages remains unchanged, all functions are preserved. If portal hypertension (increased pressure in the portal vein) persists for a long time, it is possible to develop fibrotic changes in the liver tissue with deformation of its structural apparatus, that is, cirrhosis of cardiac origin occurs.

In severe cases of heart failure, splenomegaly also develops - an increase in the size of the spleen.

There may be swelling of the veins of the neck, which is aggravated in the supine position.

Changes in appearance with heart disease

External manifestations of heart disease are due to insufficient supply of oxygen-enriched blood to the tissues. The skin is pale, and the fingertips, nasolabial triangle, earlobes become bluish in color, which is called acrocyanosis.

With a long-term chronic illness, the shape of the distal phalanges of the fingers changes to upper limbs. It thickens, and the fingers become like drumsticks. And the nails look like watch glasses.

If the pathology is congenital, and at the same time it is accompanied by an increase in the size of the heart, then, due to the flexibility of the frame chest V childhood, a bulge may form in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe ribs - a heart hump.

This deformation differs from the curvature of the bones caused by a violation of calcium metabolism in rickets.

With an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta in people with an asthenic body type, a pulsation in the abdomen can be visualized.

Hypoxic manifestations in cardiac pathology

Oxygen starvation of the brain with impaired heart function can be manifested by pain, decreased mental functions, dizziness, fainting, sleep disturbance. Characterized by general weakness, fatigue.

Hypoxia of the excretory organs leads to impaired diuresis. What can be expressed by reduced urination up to 500 ml per day and less - oliguria. Also common is nocturia.

"The war for a ticket to the national team is not for life, but for death."

Irina Bobrova

My interlocutor, Alexei Shipilov, is the head coach of the Moscow Region goalball team. Goalball - sport game for the blind. The essence of the game - a team of three people must throw the ball with a built-in bell into the opponent's goal. Shipilov could probably represent his goalball athletes at the Paralympics. But he is not even close to being allowed to the prestigious competitions. Why?

The same athletes have been sent to the Paralympics for many years. The same coaches have been involved in national teams for years. There is no place for strangers at the sports festival, - says Alexey. - For example, there is one person who is the coach of six national teams. This is nonsense. He is the head coach of the men's and women's goalball teams, and also heads the men's and women's team according to torball - varieties of goalball. In addition, he also coaches the Russian football team for the blind. Among other things, this man is the world football champion among the visually impaired. Performs in class b2.

- Class b2 - what is it?

A person performing in this category sees up to 6 percent. An athlete with such vision is not considered totally blind. Such vision is called - "with the remainder."

- What does such an athlete see?

He can only make out silhouettes. At a distance of one and a half to two meters, he is not even able to see the face of the interlocutor. Can't read the twentieth font on a computer screen, even at close range. But nevertheless, among our athletes in the b2 category, there are those who drive easily. The same coach in six disciplines feels great behind the wheel ...

- As far as I understand, fraud in wheelchair sports has been around for a long time?

This appeared when decent prize money began to be paid for medals. This situation is typical not only for Russia. Ukraine does not disdain similar scams. Their athletes are paid decent prize money, and the financial conditions in the country are much worse than ours. Therefore, it is much more important for a healthy person to get to the Paralympics there: one must think that for a ticket to the Paralympic team there is a war of life and death.

- How are things in other countries?

There are no prize money in other countries. Therefore, it makes no sense for a healthy person to pretend to be disabled. For what? And when our pseudo-Paralympic athletes come to the international start, the classifier doctors who allow athletes to the games cannot think that a healthy person will impersonate a disabled person.

- Do they require medical certificates from athletes before the start of the games?

Nobody shows the help.

- Doctors-classifiers check vision?

Understand that there are many different diagnoses in terms of vision. This is such an area where even a good specialist sometimes finds it difficult to determine whether a person sees or not. An athlete may have an external defect of the eye itself, or there may be a defect at the level of nerve conduction - the eye itself looks absolutely healthy. The latter often occurs as a result of injury - the conduction of the optic nerve to the brain is disrupted. And with an absolutely healthy eye, a person “at the exit” will not have vision at all. The doctor cannot quickly determine these subtleties. Doctors at competitions only state the fact - whether there is a diagnosis or not. But even in the absence of a diagnosis, there can be many reasons why a person will not see. Athletes come to the Paralympic Games with diagnoses prescribed by Russian doctors.

- Is it even easier to pretend to be deaf?

It's harder there. The deaf are checked on special equipment, which does not depend on the person. An audiogram is made that shows whether sound is coming in or not.

In Europe, there are devices with which you can figure out a deceiver by sight. Before the Paralympic Games in Vancouver, our strongest skier was filmed in this way. Just there for an eye test. French doctor used a unique technique. There were flickers in front of the eye, and a sensor was fixed on the athlete’s head, which read whether the pupil perceives information or not. With a flash, the pupil changed, there were fluctuations. After that check, our skier, who was considered the favorite in the relay, was removed. The reason was not stated. They said, "I didn't qualify." But this is an isolated case. No more such checks were made.

- It turns out that now athletes are tested only for doping?

Certainly. But it seems to me that the situation with doping of our Paralympic athletes is far-fetched. Paralympic athletes don't have to dope. This is not a sport highest achievements. Besides, what's the point for a healthy person who replaces a disabled person to take doping if he is physically stronger than a blind person anyway?..

- Poor vision significantly affects physical fitness?

In order to more or less prepare a blind athlete for competitions, we need to train with early childhood, from 7–8 years. Coordination of movements can be developed in a blind person if such a task is set. But in our country there are no opportunities to bring up a goalball team from scratch.

During the game, goalball players pull dark blindfolds over their eyes. It turns out that the chances of the blind and the sighted on the court are equalized?

In any case, coordination and orientation in space are better in the sighted, even if they cover their eyes with a bandage. Moreover, healthy athletes receive a salary for cheating, they have the motivation to learn how to run in complete darkness. By the way, sighted people also train in bandages. A healthy athlete only needs a couple of months to learn how to navigate in the dark. But in swimming and athletics there are no bandages. Although about athletics I can’t say anything, there are worthy coaches. In swimming, this problem has been standing for a very long time.

- What is the percentage of healthy people at the Paralympics?

Hard to tell. Some names we know, some we don't. There are also new people. This year, the composition of the national team was kept secret until the last. As a coach, I couldn't get it either.

- Do you think the members of the IOC are aware of these machinations?

I think it's known. And when our Paralympic athletes were suspended from the Games in Brazil, this moment was also discussed for sure.

- Why is this problem silent?

The IOC does not know how to deal with this. The situation is hopeless also because the entire leadership of the Blind Sports Federation is aware of what is happening, but does nothing. I can responsibly declare that the president of the federation, Lidia Abramova, was informed by me, and not only that we have many figureheads among the disabled. But things are still there.

If all pseudo-disabled people were removed from the Russian team, would we not win so many medals at the Paralympics, would we not break into the lead?

Such a number of medals our real disabled will definitely never receive.

It is strange that the same figureheads from year to year become participants in the Games. Is there no age limit for the Paralympics?

There is an age limit. And some falsely disabled people after some time are replaced by others. But those who have been performing for a long time will fight to the last. Do you have any idea what kind of money we are talking about? Paralympic athletes receive the same prize money as regular Olympians. For the "gold" they are paid 4 million rubles, for the second place - 2.5 million, for the "bronze" they receive more than a million. "Above" athletes are paid extra regional prize money. Muscovites receive another 4 million for "gold", the administration of the Moscow Region allocates apartments to its own. Plus, they give them cars ...

Why do people with disabilities, such as the blind, need a car?

Apparently, it is assumed that someone will carry them. But some people are good at driving themselves. When a swimmer, Paralympic champion Alexander Nevolin-Svetov, a visually impaired person of the first group, got into an accident, even a doctor who made false diagnoses to the athlete was held accountable. But nevertheless, Nevolin-Svetov is again in the composition of our team. World Blind Football Champion and Russian Champion Ilkam Nabiev is also visually impaired and played football in the b2 category. However, he calmly drives a car, drives to meetings. Or Oksana Savchenko, also a Paralympic champion, was seen driving a car… The situation is so unpunished that people even stopped being ashamed and hiding anything.

- Have you tried to get into the national team with your athletes?

I can assume that there are corruption schemes in the national team. After all, coaches also receive prize money, so only their own get to the Paralympics. Who is in the circle. Perhaps, at the end of the competition, everyone shares with whomever they need. I don't belong in this company.

- Are there total blind people in the Russian team?

Their minimum number. I know a total athlete, judoka Victoria Potapova, who miraculously got into the national team. I think it was turned on to cover up. Basically, all Russian athletes are in category b2. Although other countries, without exception, bring totally blind children to the Games. And do you know why? Because their totals are competitive. For example, the Turkish goalball team, where most of the athletes are total players, became European champions. Abroad, they deal with such disabled people from childhood. We don't need disabled people. The Ministry of Sports allocates crazy money for fees only to a certain circle of people. And ordinary disabled people cannot find funds to pay for a trip to the Russian Championship. Nobody needs the blind in the regions.

- Have you tried to fight it?

I tried to expose a coach who has been deceiving people both domestically and internationally for 10 years. Reported the information to the President of the Federation of the Blind. No measures were taken against the coach, but punitive sanctions began against me. As a result, they generally want to remove me from coaching and threaten to cancel my applications for participation in the Russian championships.

You say that in Europe this is unimaginable. But a few years ago, the entire Spanish team was suspended from the Games, where supposedly mentally retarded people took part. In fact, it turned out that there were no disabled people in the team.

I remember. Then happened big scandal with the Spaniards, after which disabled people with a diagnosis of "mental retardation" were generally excluded from the Paralympics program. Only in Last year they seem to have again decided to admit to the Games. But these are isolated cases.

- Be that as it may, are there enough real disabled people in our team?

Certainly. We have a lot of worthy supporters, wheelchair users. But the majority of honest visually impaired people who trained and wanted to participate in the Paralympics ended up in flight.

- Really our sighted athletes who pretend to be blind have never been pierced?

They don't seem to care. When there has been complete impunity for so many years, everyone is aware of what is happening, the leadership is covering up fraud, what kind of fear can we talk about? At the Paralympics itself, these guys behave competently - they go everywhere with escorts.

- Can the current system be defeated?

The only thing that can break this system is a big international scandal. I don't see any other way.

The reverse side of the Paralympic medal.

Sports existing in the Paralympic Games

Summer sports

• · rowing;
• Wheelchair basketball
• · Bocce;
• · Cycling;
• · Dressage;
• · Goalball;
• · Kayaking (this game for the disabled will be included in the program of games from 2016);
• · Judo;
• · Athletics;
• · Table tennis;
• · Paratriathlon;
• · Sailing;
• · Swimming;
• · Bullet shooting;
• wheelchair rugby
• · Sitting volleyball;
• · Archery;
• · Wheelchair tennis;
• · Weightlifting;
• wheelchair fencing;
• Football 5x5;
• Football 7x7.

Winter sports

• · Skiing(includes slalom, giant slalom, super combination, downhill, para-snowboard);
• wheelchair curling
• · Ski race;
• · Biathlon;
• Sledge hockey.

Of the presented, only 9 summer and 2 winter species sports are suitable for the participation of people with visual impairments.

Summer sports in the Paralympic Games that can be played by visually impaired people

1) Adaptive rowing

Rowing is the youngest sport in the Paralympic Games. Rowing was introduced to the Paralympic program in 2005 and will be held for the first time at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Adaptive rowing, or simply rowing, is a sport for athletes whose physical abilities meet the criteria set by the rules. The term "adaptive" implies that the appropriate equipment is "adapted" for the athletes, not the sport itself is "adapted" for the athletes. The International Rowing Federation (FISA) is the main regulatory body.

Both men and women take part in the competition. The classification includes four classes of boats: LTA4+, TA2x, AW1x and AM1x. Classes LTA4+ and TA2x are mixed (men and women) boats. Races are held over 1000 meters for all four classes (despite the fact that the LTA4+ class competed over 2000 meters prior to the 2005 World Rowing Championships).

Rowers with visual impairments may compete in the LTA4+ class. In this case, the commands with flags will have to be voiced (note "Red Flag"). At the same time, the control commission is instructed to give Special attention safety of rowers with visual impairments.

2) Cycling

Cycling is one of the newest competitions in the history of Paralympism. The first competitions were held in the early eighties. Athletes with visual impairments took part in these cycling competitions. This type of competition fell in love with the Paralympic Games. Already in 1984 on international games disabled, this type of competition was held among amputee athletes. And already in Barcelona, ​​at the games in cycling competitions, cyclists of all three groups competed on a special track and also on the track.

Usually such competitions are held both in individual and group competitions. Three cyclists from one country take part in the group classification. For visually impaired athletes, special bicycles are used, paired with a seeing teammate. They can also race on the track. But amputees and cyclists with motor impairments take part in individual competitions. For this, specially equipped bicycles are also used.

Cycling is characterized as movement on the ground for which vehicles are used, driven by the muscular strength of a person. This sport includes racing on the track, highway, cross-country, mountain biking. There are also competitions in figure riding and ball games on bicycles - cycling and cycling. The main goal in this competition is the fastest overcoming the distance. cycling view sport is managed International Union cyclists. This cycling watchdog is based in Switzerland. But in Russia, exactly the same functions are performed by such an organization as the Federation cycling Russia.

3) Dressage

Disabled people can take part in equestrian competitions various groups: paraplegics, amputees, blind and visually impaired, mentally retarded and many others, the main desire. Equestrian competitions are held in the individual competition, as well as group competitions. In this event, the players must demonstrate their skills to the judges in passing a short section, on which the pace and direction of movement alternate. At the Paralympic Games, athletes are grouped according to a separate classification, and already within the selected groups, winners are determined who were able to demonstrate the best results.

In these individual competitions, athletes demonstrate their skills in two types of riding - this is a mandatory program and kur. The mandatory program includes tests that have been specially selected and approved by the rules. Kur is a free style, it is an individually prepared choreographic performance to music, including movements prescribed by the rules.

During the team classification, teams of three or four people demonstrate their abilities, in addition, one of the team members must have a qualification level of 1 or 2. The result in the team classification is determined by the sum of three best performances in the test. If the team consists of four people, then the performance with the lowest number of points is not taken into account.

The main thing in this competition is individuality. This event brings a sense of fullness of life to people who are limited in the physical sense. The most important thing is that the horse and the person subtly feel each other, be a single whole. That's when the performance is excellent. Russian athletes for the first time they were able to take part in this competition in 1999 at the World Championships in Denmark.

Goalball is a sports game in which two teams compete. The main task of both teams is to throw the ball with a built-in bell into the opponent's goal.

This sport was opened in 1946, and the main purpose of its creation was humane motives to help the rehabilitation of veterans of the Second World War, namely, the visually impaired. Goalball is part of the program of the Paralympic Games. This sport made its debut in 1976 in the city of Toronto, and it appeared in the official program only in 1980. In 1978, the world's first official world championship was organized.

At its core, Goalball is an adaptive team game that in some ways resembles football. The goal of creating the game was indeed achieved, as the players could quickly adapt to their not so joyful situation. A new game gradually began to win more and more fans, it acquired the status of an interesting and gambling game and soon almost completely lost its purely therapeutic significance. Now, goalball is a real passion for thousands of visually impaired and blind people around the world.

This sport came to Russia only in the 60s of the last century. Then the first sections began to open in boarding schools for the blind or visually impaired. The game fell in love with our compatriots, and already at the beginning of the 70s, enthusiasts began to spend friendly matches between teams.

5) Paralympic Judo

The Paralympic Games can boast of the presence in the program of such a sport as judo. It is, however, a little different from the judo included in the program. Olympic Games. The main difference is the textures on the mats, they are made in order to indicate the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe competition and the areas where it is held. Athletes - Paralympic athletes fight among themselves for the main prize, which is gold medal. The texture of the mats is the only difference between traditional and Paralympic ones, but the rules of the game are identical to the rules of the International Judo Federation. Judo entered the Paralympic Games in 1988. And four years later, 53 disabled athletes, representing 16 countries of the world, took part in the games in Barcelona.

Judo means "gentle way" in Japanese. This sport combines both spiritual and physical principles. It is he who reflects the "soft" attitude of the judoka to the opponent and to life. With a bow, the competition begins and also ends. During the competition, the athlete must demonstrate his respect to the opponent 7 times, in addition, the duration of each bow is about 4 seconds. When bowing, the waist is bent at 30 degrees.

Women began to take part in judo competitions in the Paralympic Games only from 2004. Now this sport is practiced at the international level in 30 countries. Paralympic judo is a sport for blind and visually impaired athletes. The main feature of an athlete is the ability to balance, to feel the opponent well physically and on an intuitive level. The athlete must have the qualities that belong to the blind. There are 13 weight categories. Judo in the Paralympic Games is administered by the International Federation for the Sports of the Blind.

6) Athletics

Athletics entered the program of the Paralympic Games in 1960. Athletics includes a very wide range of various kinds competitions. Disabled people of almost all groups with various health disorders can take part in these competitions. Wheelchair users, prosthetists, the blind, etc. can act as athletes. Interestingly, blind athletes participate together with the suggestive one. To competitions in the category Athletics can be attributed - track, throw, jumping, pentathlon and marathon. Competitions between athletes are held in accordance with the functional classifications of the participants.

Athletics is characterized as a set of sports that include: running, walking, jumping and throwing. It can combine running sports, race walking, technical types sports, that is, jumping and throwing, as well as all-around, highway running and cross-country running. Athletics is recognized as one of the main and most popular sports.

Usually, the exercises related to athletics are carried out with the aim of physical training. In addition, it was they who were used for competitions in the distant past by our ancestors. It is generally accepted that the history of athletics began with the track competitions at the Olympic Games. Ancient Greece. These competitions were held in 776 BC. Even in ancient times they knew a lot about competitions, even then many exercises were very common. Ancient people knew a lot about exercise, their usefulness and necessity.

Modern athletics began its journey with separate attempts in different countries to hold competitions in running, jumping and throwing. A little later, the program began to include running on short distances, hurdles, weight throwing, and even later - long jumps and high jumps with a run. So gradually the arsenal of sports included in athletics grew and strengthened.

7) Swimming

Initially, swimming was included in the program of physiotherapy and rehabilitation of the disabled. And now it is a very popular sport. Today, swimming competitions between the disabled are one of the most interesting and popular events of the Paralympic Games. Disabled people of any group of functional limitations can take part in this competition. There is only one condition, and that is that prostheses and other assistive devices may not be used in the competition.

Swimming is a sport that consists in overcoming various distances in the shortest possible time. There are limits to this sport. For example, in a submerged position, it is allowed to swim no more than 15 m after the start or turn. However, in the breaststroke competition, the bathing restriction is reformulated differently. But high-speed types of scuba diving are no longer swimming, but underwater sports.

Swimming is also an integral part of the modern pentathlon - a 200-meter swim, a triathlon, that is various distances in open water and part of some applied all-around. Our ancestors in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia and other countries knew how to swim, and all the methods of swimming known to them are very reminiscent of modern crawl and breaststroke. At that time, smooth had only an applied character. It was used during fishing, in the hunt for waterfowl, underwater fishing, as well as in military affairs. It was only in ancient Greece that swimming began to be used as a means of physical education.

In 1896, swimming added to the list of competitions in the Olympic Games, after which this competition is held constantly and is very popular. Despite their physical handicaps, disabled athletes have achieved great success in this area of ​​competition.

8) Weightlifting

In the Paralympic Games, this type of competition was first included in the program in 1992, competitions were held in Barcelona. Then, for the first time, 25 different countries demonstrated their sports delegations for weightlifting competitions. After this event, weightlifting became widespread in the Paralympic Games, it began to be included in the program of each competition. Even more representatives of the countries took part in the competition of this type in 1996 at the Games in Atlanta. 58 participants from various countries arrived here. However, 68 participating countries were declared, but ten of them were let down by funding.

Since this year - 1996, the number of applications for participation in weightlifting competitions has grown exponentially. This sport has aroused great interest in itself. Everyone wanted to show off. Approximately 109 countries on five continents are now permanently participating in the Paralympic weightlifting program.

On this moment All groups of disabled people can participate in these competitions. They compete with each other in ten weight categories. Moreover, both men and women take part. For the first time, a weightlifting competition among the weaker sex was held only in 2000 at the Paralympic Games in Sydney. The ships brought 48 women from various countries of the world. After this event, women became regular participants in the Paralympic weightlifting competitions.

At the moment, the weightlifting competition is divided into two exercises - a snatch and a push. Snatch is an exercise in which the athlete lifts the barbell overhead with one continuous movement from the platform to fully extended arms. The push is an exercise that consists of two separate movements. One thing is that at the moment of taking on the chest, the athlete tears the barbell off the platform and raises it to the chest. The second - with a sharp movement sends the bar up to straight arms.

9) Football 5x5

Football 5x5 is an adapted version of traditional mini-football, which is played by blind or visually impaired athletes (people with cerebral palsy or other neurological diseases take part in 7x7 football). International Sports Federation Blind (IBSA) oversees the conduct of matches and provides management. The competitions themselves provide for the use of adapted FIFA rules.

The playground is slightly smaller than the standard one, it has small fences one meter high. This factor removes the offside position, and, accordingly, throwing the ball out from behind the sideline, which makes the game more dynamic.

The team consists of four visually impaired outfield players and a sighted goalkeeper. Five people (spare) may be present in the reserve.

In order to ensure balance in the game itself, all field players put on special armbands in order to equalize the level of visibility of all those present on the field. You can remove these masks only during a break in the game. In addition, each team may have its own guide, who is usually located outside the opposing team's goal. With the help of his voice, he directs the attacker to the opponent's goal. The ball has sound effects that it emits during its movement, the diameter of the ball is 20 cm. The goalkeeper is allowed to give commands to his players, but only when the game is taking place in his goal area. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball.

Free kicks have three possible violations:

• Violations of the location of the dressing;
• Goalkeeper going out of his zone;
• Excessive physical contact of one player with another.

The match consists of two halves of 25 minutes each, and has one 10-minute break. The team that scores more goals wins. In case of an equal number of goals, the winner, as in the traditional version of football, is determined by a penalty kick.

Englishman Tim Reddish from Nottingham, 55-year-old chairman of the British Paralympic Association, for his unusual sports career won over 50 medals, 23 of which are gold. He is a swimmer. Reddish began to go blind at the age of 31 due to an incurable hereditary eye disease, and 17 years ago he lost his sight completely, but did not lose heart.

The famous athlete took part in a clinical trial of a bionic eye prosthesis and is now able to distinguish the outlines of objects, for example, his medals, and find out the time from a dial clock in good light.

The artificial implantation operation lasted eight hours and was carried out at King's College London Hospital. In addition to Reddish, 8 more people took part in testing the expensive prosthesis. Such an artificial eye costs about 100 thousand pounds, but the German manufacturer provided samples for the experiment for free.

An electronic retina - a light-sensitive chip - is a square with a side length of 3 mm, similar to a digital camera matrix, consisting of 1500 microscopic sensors. It is implanted under the non-working retina, in the case of our champion - his right.

The image from the sensor is transmitted to a magnetic signal amplifier implanted inside the skull, behind the ear, and then to the optic nerve. Each pixel of the artificial retina imitates the cells of the photoreceptor layer, called cones in ophthalmology. They convert light signals into electrical signals. The patient carries the battery to power the system in his pocket, a wire sticks out of his head, but compared to complete blindness, this is tolerable nonsense.

If such bionic prostheses become cheaper, then with their help it will be possible to restore sight to 15 million earthlings who have suffered due to irreversible retinal degeneration.