B2-3 What factors increase the risk of heart disease?

Question 1

What do the heart and blood vessels do?

Answer 1

Supply blood to the body

Question 2

What is the role of the heart?

Answer 2

It’s role is to pump blood - both oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood.

Question 3

What is the heart known as?

Answer 3

A ‘double-pump’

Question 4

Why is known as this?

Answer 4

The right side pumps de-oxygenated blood to the lungs to collect oxygen and remove carbon dioxide whilst the left side pumps the oxygenated blood around the body.

Question 5

What is the heart made out of?

Answer 5

Muscle cells that keep it beating continually.

Question 6

Why do the heart muscle cells need their own blood supply?

Answer 6

They need their own supply of blood to deliver the nutrients and oxygen needed to keep the heart beating.

Question 7

Arteries………….

Answer 7

Carry blood away from the heart towards the body cells (including the heart muscle).

Question 8

Structure of arteries

Answer 8

They are thick, strong and elastic as the blood coming our of the heart is of HIGH PRESSURE.

Question 9

Veins………………

Answer 9

Carry blood back to the heart

Question 10

Structure of veins

Answer 10

Blood is at LOWER PRESSUURE so the walls are thin. This means there is more space inside the vein, allowing the blood to flow easier. They also have valves which help control the direction of the blood-flow

Question 11

Capillaries………….

Answer 11

Are branches of arteries that carry the blood really close to every ell in the body to exchange substances with them.
They supply nutrients and oxygen and take away wastes like CO2.

Question 12

Structure of capillaries

Answer 12

They have permeable walls, allowing diffusion of substances. They are only one cell stick - increasing the rate of diffusion by decreasing the distance over which it happens.

Question 13

What is heart rate?

Answer 13

The number of times your heart beats in a minute - BPM

Question 14

How can it be measured?

Answer 14

By measuring your pulse rate - the amount of times your artery pulsates in one minute.

Question 15

How do you measure blood pressure?

Answer 15

By taking a reading of the pressure of the blood against the walls of an artery.

Question 16

How do you read blood pressure?

Answer 16

The top number is when the heart is contracting and the lower number is when the heart relaxes.

Question 17

What can heart rate and blood pressure be used for?

Answer 17

To check how healthy a person is by comparing the results to a ‘normal’ set of results.

Question 18

Why are ‘normal’ measurements given in a range?

Answer 18

This is because individuals vary - normal resting heart rate for adult is from 60 - 100 bpm

Question 19

What are the risks of high blood pressure?

Answer 19

It can damage the inner lining of an artery.

Question 20

What can happen in the damaged areas of arteries?

Answer 20

Fatty deposits can build up - this affects the blood flow and causes the blood pressure to increase.

Question 21

What is a blood clot?

Answer 21

A blood clot forms if fat breaks through the inner lining of an artery.

Question 22

How can this be damaging?

Answer 22

If an important blood vessel like the ‘coronary artery’ has a blood clot, it could block oxygen from getting to the heart - resulting in a heart attack!

Question 23

What factors increase risk of heart disease?

Answer 23

Could be either lifestyle, genetic, or both.

Question 24

Poor Diet

Answer 24

• High cholesterol

- High salt increases blood pressure

Question 25

Smoking

Answer 25

• Carbon monoxide and nicotine increase HD
• CO reduces oxygen in blood
• Nicotine increases heart rate - contracts more, hence higher blood pressure.

Question 26

Stress

Answer 26

• Increases blood pressure if stressed for long periods of time.

Question 27

Illegal Drugs

Answer 27

• Ecstasy and Cannabis increase heart rate

Question 28

Excessive Alcohol

Answer 28

• Increases risk as it increases blood pressure

Question 29

How can you reduce risk?

Answer 29

Regular, moderate exercise - helps burn fat and also strengthens the heart muscle.

Question 30

Lifestyle factors in industrialised countries vs non-industrialised:

Answer 30

Heart disease more common in industrialised countries - people in 3rd world countries can’t afford lots of high fat food.

Question 31

How are epidemiological studies used to identify possible factors that increase heart disease?

Answer 31

They can help find lifestyle risk factors by looking at similarities in peoples deaths e.g. they all smoked and ate fat foods.
Also help find genetic risks by finding similarities in the people affected by heart disease.