Cardio Vascular Disease Flashcards
Explain why high blood pressure can increase the risk of developing CVD. (3marks)
1)High blood pressure can damage the endothelium of the arteries.
2) This causes an inflammatory response and this causes the build up of atheromas.
3) These atheromas then cause the lumen to become narrower and increase the chance of developing CVD.
Risk factors of CVD
1) Diet - saturated fat increases blood cholesterol level which increases the rate of atheroma formation so increases the chance of getting thrombosis. Also high salt diet leads to high blood pressure which can cause build up of atheromas.
2) High Blood pressure - Endothelium is damaged and therefore atheromas form due to an inflammatory response and this narrows the lumen.
3) Smoking - CO can reduce O2 levels which decreases the respiration of the cells in the brain and the heart and lead to a stroke and heart attack. Nicotine also increases the agglutination of the platelets increasing the risk of thrombosis.
4) Age
5)Genetics
6) Biological sex
Treatments for CVD
Changing diet to healthier lifestyle
More exercise
no smoking/ alcohol
antihypertensives
statins
anticoagulants
platelet inhibitors
What are antihypertensives?
They work to reduce blood pressure which reduces the risk of damage to the endothelium of the artery and therefore reduce the risk of atheromas and thrombosis. Some examples are
Beta Blockers which prevent the increase in heart rate
Vasodilators which increase the diameter of the lumen of blood vessels
Diuretics which reduces the amount of sodium reabsorbed by the kidney so reduces the volume of water reabsorbed into the blood.
What are statins?
They reduce the blood cholesterol level which reduces the likelihood of the formation of atheroma since they block an enzyme in the liver which produces cholesterol. Reduces the concentration of LDL cholesterol which reduces risk of formation of atheromas.
What are anticoagulants?
They reduce blood clotting. The reduced formation of blood clots reduces the likelihood of thrombosis and reduces the risk of a blood vessel being blocked by a blood clot. An example is platelet inhibitors which prevent platelets from clumping together eg aspirin.
