Cardivascular diseases Flashcards
what are cardiovascular diseases diseases of?
The heart and blood vessels
features of cardiovascular diseases
non communicable
not infectious. cannot be passes from person to person
what an example of a cardiovascular disease?
coronary heart disease
what happens in coronary heart disease?
layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries.
this causes the coronary arteries to narrow.
this reduces the flow of blood through the coronary arteries
this results in a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle
in extreme cases this can result in a HEART ATTACK where the heart is starved of oxygen
recap : what is the purpose of the coronary arteries
to provide oxygen to the muscle cells of the heart
the oxygen is used in respiration to provide the energy for contraction
explain the factors leading up to a heart attack
starved of oxygen by:
layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries which cause the coronary arteries to narrow leading to the reduction of blood flow in the coronary arteries. this results in a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle
when the heart is starved of oxygen this results in a heart attack
what are the 2 common treatments of heart disease
statins
a stent
what are statins and what is their function
statins are drugs which reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood
(treatment for coronary heart disease)
how do statins ,reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood ,help with the treatment of coronary heart disease?
reducing the cholesterol of the blood slows down the rate that fatty materials build up in the arteries
what are the advantages and disadvantages to statins
advantages:
-have been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
disadvantages:
- Statins have unwanted side effects (eg liver problems)
- in some people, coronary heart disease can cause a total blockage of a coronary artery{THESE PEOPLE CAN BE TREATED USING A STENT}
what is a stent
a tube which can be inserted into in the coronary artery to keep it open
what is the advantages and disadvantages of inserting a stent?
Advantages:
inserting a stent so that blood can flow normally through the artery
Disadvantages:
- A stent WONT prevent other regions of the coronary heart disease from narrowing
- it doesn’t treat the underlying causes of the disease
another type of cardiovascular disease concerns the heart valves.
sometimes the heart valves do not open
what does the heart have to do for the valves to open?
what can this cause?
the heart has to pump extra hard for the blood to get through
which causes the heart to enlarge
other times the valves are leaky, what can this cause?
can cause the patient to feel weak and tired
what can we do when heart valves are faulty
we can replace them either with a mechanical valve made of metal or a valve from an animal such as a pig
name an advantage of mechanical valves
a disadvantage of mechanical valves
and a solution to the disadvantage
mechanical valves can last a lifetime
they increase the risk of blood clots
patients have to take anticlotting drugs
name a disadvantage for using valves from animals
and name an advantage
a disadvantage is that valves from animals do not last as long and may need to be replaced
however an advantage of it is that patients do not need to take drugs
cases of patients with cardiovascular disease what can the heart not do
what do we call this
Heart cannot pump enough blood around the body
this is called heart failure
during heart failure, when the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body what are patient sometimes given
donated heart or a donated heart and lungs
what is a problem with using donated hearts to treat patients with heart failure ( a cardiovascular disease)
there are not enough donated a heart available to treat every patient
patient with a donated heart must do what to the donated heart to prevent from being rejected by the bodies immune system
The patient must take drugs to stop the donated heart from being rejected by the bodies immune system
what is a temporary solution for a patient with heart failure which cannot get a donated heart
sometimes a patient can be given an artificial heart as a temporary solution while waiting for a heart transplant or to allow the damaged heart to rest.
name some disadvantages of artificial hearts
Artificial hearts increase the risk of blood clotting they are not a long-term solution to heart failure
