B2 - Treating Cardiovascular Disease

Question 1

What parts of the body does cardiovascular disease effect?

Answer 1

Heart and blood vessels

Question 2

What is Coronary heart disease?

Answer 2

When the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood have lots of atheromas in them which restrict blood flow to the heart

Question 3

What are atheromas?

Answer 3

Hardened fatty deposits inside arteries.

Question 4

What leads to atheromas?

Answer 4

High blood pressure and lots of LDL cholesterol can lead to the build up of fatty deposits inside arteries narrowing them.
Over time the fatty deposits harden and form atheromas.

Question 5

What causes a blood clot?

Answer 5

A bit of atheroma can break off or if there is damage to the blood vessels

Question 6

What can cause a heart attack?

Answer 6

Complete blockage in a arteries by atheroma or blood clot so the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen

Question 7

What causes a stroke?

Answer 7

Blockage in the brain

Question 8

How can we treat CVD?

Answer 8

1. Healthy lifestyle
2. Medicine
3. Surgical procedures

Question 9

What changes can you make to your lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing CVD?

Answer 9

Healthier diet
Reduce stress
Exercise regularly
Stop smoking

Question 10

How can a healthy lifestyle help if you already have CVD?

Answer 10

Lifestyle changes can help other forms of treatment be more effective.

Question 11

Name three medicines that can reduce the effects of CVD.

Answer 11

Statins, anticoagulant and anti hypertensive.

Question 12

How do statins help control the effects of CVD?

Answer 12

They reduce the amount of cholesterol present in the blood stream which can slow down the rate of fatty deposits forming.

Question 13

What are the side effects of statins?

Answer 13

Kidney failure
Liver damage
Memory problems.

Question 14

How can anticoagulant help control the effects of CVD?

Answer 14

They make blood clots less likely to form.

Question 15

What are the side effects of anticoagulant

Answer 15

It’s difficult to get the blood to clot. Can lead to excessive bleeding if injured.

Question 16

How do anti hypertensives help control the effects of CVD?

Answer 16

Reduce blood pressure and this reduces the risk of atheromas and blood clots forming

Question 17

What are the side effects of taking anti hypertensive?

Answer 17

Headaches and fainting.

Question 18

Why may surgery be needed to treat CVD?

Answer 18

If the heart or blood vessels are too badly damaged

Question 19

Name three types of surgical procedures used to treat CVD

Answer 19

Stents, coronary bypass and transplant

Question 20

How do stents help treat CVD?

Answer 20

Tubes inserted inside arteries to keep them open making sure blood can pass through to cardiac muscle lowering the risk of heart attack.

Question 21

What are the side effect of a stent?

Answer 21

Over time the artery can narrow again as stents can irritate the artery and make scar tissue grow.

Question 22

What is an coronary bypass?

Answer 22

If part of a blood vessel is blocked a piece of healthy vessels is is taken from elsewhere to bypass the blocked section

Question 23

How can transplant surgery be used to treat CVD?

Answer 23

The whole heart can be replaced by a donor heart. A donor heart comes from a person who has died.

Question 24

What are the drawbacks of heart transplant surgery?

Answer 24

New heart can be rejected because the body’s immune system would recognises it as foreign.
The heart doesn’t always start pumping properly.
As with all surgery there are risks of blood clots, bleeding and infection.

Question 25

What do doctors way up in order to decide how to treat CVD.

Answer 25

Likely effectiveness of each treatment against the cost and risk involved.

Question 26

Why is it better to stop CVD developing in the first place?

Answer 26

Because treatment can be risky and expensive.

Question 27

Anticoagulant make blood clots less likely. Give a disadvantage in there use of treating CVD? (1 mark)

Answer 27

It can cause excessive bleeding If the patient is in an accident.