Cardiovascular diseases

Question 1

What are cardiovascular diseases?

Answer 1

• Diseases of the heart and blood tissue.

- Non-communicable (not infectious, so cannot be transferred from one person to another).

Question 2

What is coronary heart disease?

Answer 2

• Layers of fatty material build up inside of the coronary arteries.
• Causes coronary arteries to narrow.-
• So,, reduces the blood flow which passes through the coronary arteries.
  Lack of oxygen for the heart muscle.

Question 3

In extreme cases what can this result to?

Answer 3

• Heart attack.

- Heart is starved of oxygen.

Question 4

What is the first treatment for coronary heart disease?

Answer 4

• Statins.
• Drugs, which reduces the level of cholestrorol in the blood.
• Slows down the rate fatty materials build up in the arteries.
• Has unwanted side affects:
• ## E.g: Liver problems.

Question 5

Narrowing of arteries:

Answer 5

• To a further extent:
• Coronary Heart disease can cause a total blockage of the coronary artery.
• Treated using a stent.

Question 6

What is a stent?

Answer 6

• Tube which is inserted into the coronary artery to keep it open.
• Advantage:
• Blood can flow normally through the artery.
  Disadvantage:
• Will not prevent other regions of coronary arteries from narrowing.
• ## Does not treat the underlying causes of the disease.

Question 7

Heart Disease concerning Valves:

Answer 7

• Heart valves may not fully open so the heart has to pump extra hard to let the blood through.
• Causes the heart to enlarge.
• Valves may be leaky:
• ## Causes patient to feel weak and tired.

Question 8

What can we do to help this?

Answer 8

• Replace the valves with mechanical valves (made of metals).

or
- Valve from an animal such as a pig.

Question 9

Mechanical Valves:

Answer 9

• Can last a lifetime.

- Increases blood clots so patients would have to take anti-clotting drugs.

Question 10

What is the problem of animal valves?

Answer 10

• Do not last long.
• May need to be replaced.
  However patients may not need to take drugs.
  -

Question 11

What happens in the circumstance when the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body?

Answer 11

• Given a donated heart or lungs.
• not enough hearts aviable for everyone.
• Patient must take drugs to stop the donated heart from being rejected by the body’s immune system.

Question 12

What is the second approach?

Answer 12

• Artificial heart.
• Temporatly solution whilst waiting a heart transpart or damage heart to rest.
  Artifical hear ibcreae blood clotting and not long time solution but short.