CHD drugs Flashcards
What is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease?
CHD
What happens during cardiovascular disease?
Coronary arteries are narrowed by atheroma resulting in a reduction of oxygen reaching the heart. The demand for oxygen exceeds the supply, resulting in the heart becoming hypoxic.
How do beta-blockers prevent a heart attack?
Used in incidences of angina to reduce heart rate, reducing cardiac output.
Act on the sympathetic nervous system by blocking adrenaline and noradrenaline.
Prevent vasoconstriction and increase blood flow to the kidneys, reducing renin secretion.
Examples are drugs that end in olol-
Atenolol, propanolol, metoprolol.
What are nitrates?
Nitrovasodilators that produce nitric oxide in the endothelium.
Causes an increase in cGAMP production.
Causes muscle to relax and vessles to dilate in coronary blood supply.
Not administered orally as rapidly broken down by the liver.
Common examples is GTN.
What are the side effects of nitrates?
Tachycardia, throbbing headache, dizziness.
Not to be used in conjunction with BP lowering drugs and viagra.
What are the actions of nitrovasodilators?
Dilate arteries and veins.
Target systemic arteries causing less resistance, reducing BP and lowering the demand for oxygen.
Target large veins (biggest effect).
Dilates veins resulting in mor blood in the venous system- less blood flows back to the heart- less venous return.
Targets cerebral arteria- cerebral blood flow increasing resulting in throbbing headache.
Does not dilate narrow coronary arteries.
Explain the actions of statins.
Reduces cholesterol.
HMG-CoA inhibitors. HMG-CoA is the enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver. No more cholesterol is produced. Consequently, liver cells use LDL in blood to make bile, thus reducing cholesterol levels in the blood.
E.g atrovastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin.
Drugs that end in statin.
