Atheroma Flashcards
Define atherosceloris
This is the thickening and harding of the arterial walls as a consequence of atheroma
Define aterioscelorsis
Is the thickening of ateries and arterioles usually as a result of hypertension or diabetes mellitus
What are the three different types of plaque macroscopically?
Fatty streak, complicated plaque, and simple plaque
What are the features of a fatty streak
Lipid deposits in intima, yellow and slightly raised and the relationship to a atheroma is somewhat debatable
Name the features of a complicated plaque.
Thrombosis, aneyrsum formation,calcification, haemorrhage into the plaque
What are the features of a simple plaque/
An irregular outline, widely distributed, raised yellow/white, enlarge and coalesce
What are some of the common sites for an atheroma?
The aorta, especially abdominal, normal Atreial structure, leg ateries, cerebral ateries and the cartoid arteries
What are some of the clinial effects of an atheroma?
Ischeci heart disease (which an include heart failure, sudden death, myocardial infarction and angin pectoris) and cerebral ischaemi, which includes cerebral infarction, a stork, and periphral vascular disease, for example intermittent claudication, such as pain in the legs as a result of the reduced blood supply
What are some of the risk factors for formation of a atheroma?
Hypertension, age, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidmeia and gender
What are the different theories of atheroma pathogenesis?
The reaction to injury hypothesis, the thrombogenic theory, the monoclonal hypotheis
What are the different cells involved in the formation of an atheroscleortic plaque?
Lymphocytes, neturophils, marcophages, platlets smooth muscle cells
What are some of the processes involved in the formation of a atheroma?
Thrombosis, lipid accumulation, production of intercellular matrix , interactions between the different cell types and altered membrane permeability to lipids
In the unifying hptoehsis, which different factors are injury due to?
Raised LDL, toxins such as cigaret smoke, hypertension and hameodynamic stress
What does endotehail injury cause in the unifying hypothesis?
Migration of monocytes to the intimal, platlet adhesion, PDGF release, SMC proliferation and migration, insulation of lipid, LDL oxidation uptake of lipid by SMC and macrophages
How an you prevent the formation of atheromas?
No smoking, not too much alcohol, regular exercise and weight control, treat hypertension however some people will still contract the condition
