Cardiovascular Disease

Question 1

What are the basic components of the cardiovascular system?

Answer 1

1. heart
2. blood vessels
3. blood
   Transports oxygen, nutrient, and waste products throughout the body

Question 2

What is the function of the heart?

Answer 2

pumps blood throughout the body: pumps
contraction=systole
relaxation = diastole

Question 3

what is the anatomy of the heart (chambers, valves, arteries)?

Answer 3

4 chambers
---Blood flow through heart/body 
4 valves 
---regulate flow of blood through the heart
coronary arteries 
---provide blood supply to the heart 
---blockages cause M.I

Question 4

what are the names of the blood vessels and what do they do? (arteries, veins, arterioles, venules, capillaries…)

Answer 4

Arteries: carry blood away from the heart
Veins: carry blood to the heart
other vessels…
Arterioles: small arteries
Venules: small veins
Capillaries: smallest vessels, exchange O2/CO2 between blood and tissue

Question 5

Define hypertension and the two types of hypertension

Answer 5

abnormally high pressure on the same artery walls

1. Essential (primary) hypertension:
   - Most common type (90%-95%)
   - No known underlying medical cause
   - Likely combination of genetics + lifestyle
2. Secondary hypertension
   - Less frequent (5-10%)
   - Cause related to a disease (renal disease)

Question 6

what are the risk factors for hypertension, both non-modifiable and modifiable?

Answer 6

Non modifiable
-Age 
-Male
-Family history 
-Ethnicity (black, hispanic) 
Modifiable 
-Inactivity 
-overweight/obesity 
-High cholesterol 
-High stress
-Smoking 
-Diabetes 
-Heavy alcohol consumption 
-High sodium consumption

Question 7

Where does dietary salt end up?

Answer 7

the skin and skeletal muscle

Question 8

how do you reduce hypertension/blood pressure?

Answer 8

Weight loss...if overweight 
Regular PA 
Avoid excessive alc 
Stop smoking 
Manage stress 
Healthy eating - reduced sodium & fat 
Pharmacological management
-Antihypertensive drugs 
ALL have side effects

Question 9

define atherosclerosis. what does it cause? what is it a response to? what are the stages? what are the consequences?

Answer 9

process in which deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste, calcium…build up in the inner lining of an artery

• causes coronary artery disease
• —an immune reaction
• —response to retention of LDL
• —stages: fatty streaks, fibrous plaques, and plaque rupture
• —consequences: angina, MI, stroke, peripheral artery disease…

Question 10

What is possible treatment for atherosclerosis?

Answer 10

Angioplasty and stents
--opening up the blocked artery 
-----angioplasty: widens artery with balloon 
-----stent: props artery open 
CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) 
--going around the blocked artery 
-----Vessels from leg or arm grafted to bypass blocked coronary artery/arteries 
*promotes the birth of new blood vessels

Question 11

What is angina and what causes it?

Answer 11

Pain in the chest (typically) 
Caused by lack of oxygen 
Due to blockage of coronary arteries 
Typically brought on by stress or PA 
Absolute contraindication to exercise 
May or may not experience angina before a heart attack

Question 12

“stable” vs “unstable” angina

Answer 12

Stable: onset from exertion
Unstable: sitting here, random chest pain. Clots happening randomly. Dangerous

Question 13

how do you treat angina?

Answer 13

rest or drugs (nitroglycerin)

Question 14

what happens during a heart attack? what does the damage consist of?

Answer 14

Heart tissue does not receive blood/oxygen
Damage can be minor, major, or fatal
Irreversible damage if blood supply not quickly restored

Question 15

what causes a heart attack?

Answer 15

Blood flow is blocked in one or more of the coronary arteries

Question 16

what are the signs to a heart attack?

Answer 16

Nausea, vomiting 
Sweating 
Pallor (pale skin) 
Anxiety 
“Crushing” chest pain 
Difficulty breathing

Question 17

what are the symptoms of a heart attack in men and women?

Answer 17

Women 
--nausea/vomiting 
--Jaw pain 
--Back pain 
Men 
--Chest discomfort 
--Arm pain 
--Shortness of breath

Question 18

what is peripheral arterial disease?

Answer 18

Atherosclerosis of peripheral arteries

Lack of blood supply in the extremities

Question 19

what does peripheral arterial disease cause?

Answer 19

Causes pain, weakness, numbness (cramping)

Amputation can be necessary

Question 20

what is peripheral arterial disease a sign of?

Answer 20

Sign of advanced, widespread vascular disease

Question 21

what is heart failure and what causes it?

Answer 21

Heart muscles too weak to pump blood

-Due to chronic, long-term damage (hypertension/ left ventricular hypertrophy)

Question 22

what are the symptoms of heart failure?

Answer 22

Shortness of breath
Fluid build-up (congestion)
Fatigue

Question 23

what is Arrhythmias and where does it start from?

Answer 23

Abnormal HR due to electrical problems 
Electrical conduction - starts from the SA node 
---Pacemaker 
---Controls firing rate 
---Normal HR

Question 24

what causes arrhythmias?

Answer 24

SA node fires faster or slower than normal

Other areas of the heart act as “pacemakers”

Question 25

what may arrhythmias reflect?

Answer 25

Some arrhythmias reflect underlying disease…and result in incomplete chamber filling
Others are relatively harmless (PVCs in old people)

Question 26

what is stroke? and what happens with the arteries and brain cells?

Answer 26

“Brain attack” caused by lack of blood flow to the brain
Blockage of a cerebral arteries
Brain cells die within minutes

Question 27

what are the two types of strokes?

Answer 27

Ischemic stroke
—-Obstruction of blood vessel
Hemorrhagic stroke
—-Weakened vessel that ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain (aneurysm) - 15-20% of all stroke causes

Question 28

what are the signs of a stroke?

Answer 28

Face dropping
Arm weakness
Speech difficulty
Time to call 911

Question 29

what are the risk factors of a stroke? both non-modifiable and modifiable?

Answer 29

Non-modifiable 
-Age
-Family history 
-Race 
-Sex
-Prior TIA, stroke or heart attack 
Modifiable 
-High blood pressure 
-Smoking 
-Diabetes 
-High cholesterol 
-Poor diet 
-Inactivity 
-Other CVDs 
-Arrhythmias

Question 30

what is a TIA? are long are blockage and symptoms?

Answer 30

Transient ischemic attack: “mini” or “warning” stroke
--Same signs and symptoms are stroke 
Blockage & symptoms are temporary 
---Usually less than 5 minutes 
---Typically no permanent damage

Question 31

what is the relationship between exercise and CVD?

Answer 31

Consistent inverse relationship between PA and mortality rate from all CVD

Question 32

what are the surgical strategies that have to do with CVD?

Answer 32

stenting, bypass surgery, pacemaker, CABG, angioplasty,

Question 33

what did the London transport workers study in 1953 find?

Answer 33

Compared CHD mortality in:
1. Bus and train drivers
2. Bus and train conductors
Conclusion: men in physically active jobs suffer less CHD than comparable men in sedentary jobs. The disease the active DO develop, is less severe and strikes at later ages