6.4 Atheroma Flashcards
Atheroma is…
A fatty deposit that builds up inside the wall or arteries, may take years to develop and can eventually lead to CHD, such as strokes or heart attacks
Atheroma is more likely to develop…
Where the lining of an artery has been damaged in some way, often happens where an artery branches, especially if the person has high blood pressure
Macrophages engulf cholesterol droplets by…
Phagocytosis
Macrophages begin…
To appear white and foamy - known as ‘foam cells’
Foam cells invade the artery wall and…
Form fatty plaques. The plaque slowly builds up and starts to narrow the lumen
Apart from foam cells, the plaque also contains…
Dead smooth muscle cells and fibres
After many years…
Calcium is also deposited in the atheroma - making the artery wall harder and less flexible
As atheroma builds up, the lining of the artery becomes uneven…
The endothelium may split so that the artery lining becomes rough - disturbing blood flow through the artery - becomes turbulent (more likely for a blood clot to form)
Blood clot starts to form is called a…
Thrombus (may become so large that it blocks off the blood supply through the artery)
Blood clot may break off it is called an…
Embolus, which travels in the blood until it gets to another place where the artery is narrowed - may cut off the blood supply to a particular tissue
When a thrombus blocks an artery it causes…
A thrombosis
Sometimes the coronary arteries exams blocked (atheroma or by a thrombosis) if this happens, the heart muscle cannot…
Obtain enough glucose and oxygen, the region beyond the blocked artery does- leads to myocardial infarction
Atheroma can also lead to…
Angina
As atheroma builds up the lumen of the artery becomes much…
Narrower
Narrowing of the artery reduces the amount of blood that can pass, if this happens in a coronary artery it reduces…
The supply of oxygen and glucose to the heart muscle - angina
