HISTO: Cardiovascular Flashcards
True or false
“In the Western world atheroma causes half of all deaths and more morbidity and mortality that any other disorder”
True
What is shown?
Atherosclerosis
Define atheroscelrosis.
an arteriosclerosis characterized by atheromatous deposits in and fibrosis of the inner layer of the arteries
Atheroscelrosis is characterized by intimal lesions - atheroma (atheromatous plaques) - that protrude into vessel lumen
What are the characteristics of an atheromatous plaque?
- Raised lesion
- Soft lipid core
- White fibrous cap
What are the risk factors for atherosclerosis?
- Age
- Gender
- Genetics
- Hyperlipidaemia
- Hypertension
- Smoking
- Diabetes Mellitus
What kind of effect does having multiple RFs have on risk of atherosclerosis?
Risk factors have a MULTIPLICATIVE EFFECT e.g.
- 2 risk factors increase the risk fourfold
- 3 risk factors increase the risk sevenfold
Hwo does age affect atherosclerosis risk?
Atherosclerosis progressive between 40->60 years
incidence myocardial infarction (MI) X 5
How does gender affect atherosclerosis?
Premenopausal women protected (HRT no protection)
Postmenopausal risk increases (older ages greater than men)
How do genetics affect risk of atherosclerosis?
Family history most significant independent risk factor
Some mendelian disorders (eg Familial Hypercholesterolaemia)
Most multifactorial (genetic polymorphisms -> clustered risk factors HT, DM)
What is a modifiable risk factor for atherosclerosis? How is this risk modified?
- Hyperlipidaemia (Hypercholesterolaemia)
- LDL – bad HDL – good
- Diet rich in cholesterol/saturated fat – bad
- Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase rate limiting enzyme in liver cholesterol synthesis - good
How does HTN affect risk of atherosclerosis?
Modifiable RF 2: HTN
- Systolic & Diastolic important
- Ht alone increases risk of IHD by 60%
How does smoking affect risk of athrosclerosis?
- Smoking
- Definite risk in men, probable in women
- Prolonged smoking doubles death rate from IHD
- Stopping reduces risk considerably
Why is DM a RF for atherosclerosis?
- DM
- Induces hypercholestrolaemia
- Increases risk of atherosclerosis
- 2 x risk IHD in DM if all other factors equal
Which of these is not a major RF for ischaemic heart disease?
- Age
- Male sex
- High alcohol
- Smoking
- HTN
High alcohol consumption is not a major RF
What are some other RFs for atherosclerosis?
- Inflammation
- Hyperhomocyteinaemia
- Metabolic syndrome
- Lipoprotein (a)
- Haemostasis (procoagulation)
- Lack of exercise
- Stress
- Obesity (Ht, Dm, low HDL)
What is the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis? (Response to Injury Hypothesis)
Response to Injury Hypothesis
- Chronic inflammatory and healing response of arterial wall to endothelial injury
-
Endothelial injury
- Lipoprotien accumulation (LDL)
- Monocyte adhesion to endothelium
- Monocyte migration into intima -> macrophages & foam cells
- Platelet adhesion
- Factor release
- Smooth muscle cell recruitment
- Lipid accumulation -> extra & intracellular, macrophages & smooth muscle cells
How does endothelial damage occur?
Early atheroma arises in intact endothelium
Endothelial dysfunction important – increase permeability, gene expression & adhesion
- Haemodynamic disturbance -> dysfunction
- Hypercholesterolaemia -> dysfunction
- Inflammation -> vicious circle
What are the characteristics of smooth muscle proliferation in atherosclerosis pathogenesis?
- Intimal smooth muscle proliferation
- Some from circulating precursors – (have synthetic & proliferative phenotype)
- ECM matrix deposition
- Fatty streak -> mature atheroma & growth
- PDGF, FGF, TGF-alpha implicated
What are the layers seen here in an artery?
What is the earliest lesion in atherosclerosis?
Fatty streak
- Earliest lesion
- Lipid filled foamy macrophages
- No flow disturbance
- In virtually all children >10yrs
- Relationship to plaques uncertain
- Same sites as plaques
What is seen here?
Fatty streak
What are the characteristics of an atherosclerotic plaque?
- Patchy – local flow disturbances
- Only involve portion of wall
- Rarely circumferential
- Appear eccentric
- Composed of – cells, lipid, matrix
What sites of an arterial tree does atherosclerosis usually occur in?
bifurfations and curvatures
What are the complications of an atheromatous plaque?
Can obstruct or rupture
At what % occlusion does stenosis usually occur in atheroma? What is the result?
>70% occlusion demand>supply OR diameter <1mm
–> Stable angina
What type of plaque disruption is this?
Type II - eccentric ragged edges stenosis
What are 3 ways in whch atherosclerotic plaques can change?
- Rupture – exposes prothrombogenic plaque contents
- Erosion - exposes prothrombogenic subendothelial basement membrane
- Haemorrhage into plaque – increase size
Which plaques are most at risk of complications?
- Lots foam cells or extracellular lipid
- Thin fibrous cap
- Few smooth muscle cells
- Clusters inflammatory cells
- Stress -
- Adrenaline increases blood pressure & causes vasoconstriction
- Increases physical stress on plaque
- Hence emotional stress increases risk of sudden death
- Circadian periodicity to sudden death (6am-noon)
- Vasoconstriction - reduces luminal size e.g. sue to adrenergic factors, platelet factors, reduced endothelial relaxing factors, mediators from perivascular cells
What characteristics of atherosclerosis are seen here?
Human coronary atherosclerotic plaque with a yellow core of lipid separated from the lumen by a fibrous cap. Opposite the plaque is an arc of normal vessel wall.
What is the leading cause of death for men and women worldwide?
IHD
7million/year
What does IHD refer to ?
Group of conditions resulting from myocardial ischaemia
What % of blood flow obstruction occurs fo MI to occur?
90%
long silent progression prior to symptoms
What 4 conditions can IHD present as?
- Angina pectoris
- Myocardial infarction
- Chronic IHD with heart failure
- Sudden cardiac death.