Cardiovascular therapeutics Flashcards
What occurs in coronary artery disease?
narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels due to the formation of atheromas plaques in the intima
Symptoms occur when thrombosis and plaque rupture take place
How is CAD treated?
not possible to offer treatment to those suffering consequences therefore preventative measures are vitally important
- leading causes of death in the developed world
- majority deaths due to MI occur outside of hospital
What are the 2 key lifestyle factors used to prevent/reduce CAD?
smoking cessation and dietary changes
What is the main treatment for smoking cessation?
NRT - must have parenteral or topical application due to poor GIT absorption + additional support and counseling
What are the side effects of NRT?
Nausea, cramps, cough and insomnia
Caution must be taken in severe CVD as risk of coronary artery spasm
What is an alternative treatment to NRT for smoking cessation?
bupropion - non-selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor
What are the side effects of bupropion?
mood and eating disorders
seizures and CNS tumors
alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal
additional care must also be take in liver and renal disease
What is a very important RF for CAD?
Hypertension
What is the current NICE guidelines advice for when to start treating hypertension?
> 160/100 or >140/90 in certain circumstances, such as organ damage, high CVD risk and diabetes
What is the gold standard for diagnosing hypertension?
24 ABPM - avoids life long treatment of white coat hypertension
however if initial BP is >185/110 then ABPM is not undertaken and treatment is started immediately
What do the treatment options for hypertension depend on?
age and ethnicity (due to ascot trial)
What treatments are first line for those = 55 ?
ACE inhibitors or AT2 R blockers
What treatments are first line for those >55 or of afrocaribbean/african ethnicity ?
initially treated with calcium channel blockers
What happens if hypertension persists after one of the treatments?
2 classes of drugs are combined before adding a thiazide diuretic and then the final date is the addition of a beta blocker
Other than hypertension what else are calcium channel blockers used for?
angina and dysrhythmias (diltiazem)
What are the 3 forms of calcium channel blockers?
1) phenylalkalines (verapamil)
2) dihydropyradines (nifedipine)
3) benzothiazepines (diltiazam)
How do calcium channel blockers work?
relax smooth muscle and cardiac muscle by preventing calcium entry (through L type channels) = AV block to slow heart (phenylalkalines and benzothiazepines)
= vasodilation in terms of dihydropyradines
What are the side effects of calcium channel blockers?
flushing, headache, ankle swelling, constipation, heart block, exacerbation of HF
What are thiazide diuretics used to treat and how do they work?
mild HF and hypertension
- act at the Na/Cl pump of the DCT preventing cotransport and therefore leading to the loss of Na, Cl and K in the urine
- loss of theses salts lowers water retention and leads to vasodilation
What are the adverse effects of thiazide diuretics?
diuresis, hyponatraemia and hypokalemia, erectile dysfunction, gout and an association with diabetes
Other than hypertension what other conditions do drugs that act on the RAS treat?
HF, diabetic neuropathy, renal insufficient, ischemia heart disease and after MI (esp. with ventricular damage)
What are the different types of RAS drugs?
1) renin inhibitors (aliskiren) - rarely used due to safety concerns
2) ACE inhibitors - ramipril, enalapril
3) AT2 receptor blockers (candesartan)
What are the side effects of RAS drugs?
hypotension, angioedema, bilateral renal artery stenosis (therefore kidney function must be checked regularly)
What is the most common side effect of ACE inhibitors and why does it occur?
persistent dry cough - inhibition of the kinase enzyme, causing build up of bradykinin
Which group of people are beta-blockers not used for HF and hypertension?
young women due to risk of teratogenicity