atherosclerosis Flashcards
atherosclerosis
build of plaques yellowish fatty deposits inside of arteries
risks of plaques
build up until it restricts the flow of blood through the artery or blocks completely
where are plaques likely to form
in coronary or carotid arteries
steps of plaque forming that lead to atherosclerosis
-slight damage to endothelial cells lining the artery can lead to build up of lipids
-blood platelets form cap over fatty plaque- narrows whole artery
-further damage causes clot to form and this can block whole artery and lead to stoke/ heart attack
what can cause damage to endothelial lining of blood vessels
-high blood pressure
-chemicals in tobacco smoke
why does athosclerosis occur in arteries rather than veins
-blood pressure high in arteries which puts more strain on endothelial lining of artery rather than sow pressure in veins
what happens once damage occurs to endothelial lining
-bodys inflammatory response beings- white blood cells arrive at damage
-cells accmulate especially cholesterol in blood
-leads to plaque forming
what builds up around atheroma
calcium salts
-fibrous tissues
-cholesterol in the blood
effects of atheroma on artery
atheroma is hard so artery walls harden so less elastic than they should be
positive feedback example in atherosclerosis
-lumen of artery becomes smaller because of atheroma
-increases blood pressure making to harder for heart to pump blood
-raised blood pressure makes damage more likely in other areas of endothelial lining, more plaques form
-makes blood pressure even higher
whats an aneurysm
-if area of artery narrowed by atheroma, blood builds up behind blockage
-artery wall put under pressure so weakened
where do aneurysms occur
in blood vessels supplying brain or in aorta
effect of high blood pressure on blood vessels
damages tiny blood vessels where kidney filters urea
-check for proteins because forced out when kidney damage occurs
what happens in angina
-plaques slowly build up on coronary arteries reducing blood flow to parts of heart muscle
treatment for mild angina
regular exercise
-losing weight
-not smoking
what happens in myocardial infarction
one of branches of coronary arteries becomes completely blocked and part of muscle permanently starved of oxygen
thrombosis
clot that forms in blood vessel
effects of coronary thrombosis
-block the artery
-starve heart beyond oxygen and nutrients
-heart attack
risk
describes probability that a particular event will happen
multifactorial disease
many things influence your chances of being affected
non modifiable risk factors of atherosclerosis
genes
-age
-sex
genes as non modifiable risk factor
-genetic tendency in some families and ethnicities to develop heart diseases
-arteries easily damaged, damaged cholesterol metabolism , easily develop hypertension
age as non modifiable risk factor
-blood vessels lose elasticity and narrow as you age
-more likely to suffer from heart diseases
sex as non modifiable risk factor
-men more likely to suffer than woman
-oestrogen reduced build up of plaque until drop as menopause
