Atherosclerosis

Question 1

What is Atheroma?

Answer 1

Accumulation of intracellular and ectracellular lipid in the intima and media of arteries

Question 2

What is atherosclerosis?

Answer 2

Thickening and hardening of artery walls due to an atheroma

Question 3

What is atheriosclerosis?

Answer 3

Thickening of artey walls, usually as a result of hyertension and diabeties

Question 4

What is the macroscopic appearance of atherosclerosis?

Answer 4

Fatty streak- Yellow and slightly raised lipid deposits
Simple Plaque- Rasied yellow/ white, irregular outline large and coalesce
Complicate plaque- thrombosis, haemorrhage into plaque, calcification, aneurysm formation

Question 5

What are the early macroscopic changes of atherscerosis?

Answer 5

Proliferation of smooth muscle cells
Foam cells accumilate
Ectracellular lipid

Question 6

What are the later microscopic changes in atherosclerosis?

Answer 6

Disruption of elastic lamina
Damage to media
Ingrowth of new blood vessels
Plaque surface rupturing

Question 7

What are modifiable risk factors of athersclerosis?

Answer 7

Hyperlipademia 
Hypertension 
Smoking 
Geograpy (worse in developed nations)
Obesity
Infection

Question 8

What are non modifiable risk factors of athersclerosis?

Answer 8

Age
Gender (more in men)
Genetic predispoiton (eg. Hyperliperdemia conditions)

Question 9

Preventions of Athersclerosis

Answer 9

Decreading LDL
Stopping smoking 
Controlling hypertension 
Controlling weight
Sensible alcohol intake 
Anti-oxidants (as protective factors)

Question 10

Treatment of athersclerosis

Answer 10

Lipid lowering drugs

Thrombolysis, angioplasty, stents ect

Question 11

What are the common sites of Athersclerosis?

Answer 11

Heart- MI, cardiac failure, chronic ischeamic heart disease
Brain- TIAs , cerebal infarction
Kidneys- hypertension, renal failure
Legs- Peripheral vascular disease, gangrene
Bowel- Ischaemic colitis, Malabsorbtion, bowel infarction

Question 12

What cells are inolved in the formation of an atherscltotic plaque?

Answer 12

Macrophages
Laucocytes
Smooth muscle cells
Intra and extracellular lipid

Question 13

How do athersclerosis lesions grow?

Answer 13

1-Endothelial insult
2-Lipid droplets and monocytes cross into media and accumilate (foam cells form)
3-foam cells cause endothelium bulge, sm cells migrate and proliferate (fatty sctreak)
4-Plaque grows, Platelets adhear to paltelets
5-Cells in the centre plaque die (necrosis), dead cells relase cholesterol, small vessels grow through plaque, may undergo calcification