L27 Flashcards
what is atherOsclerosis :
hardening of the arteries, narrowing or blocking the vessel lumen
in atherOsclerosis, after initial intima injury, what happens to the media
remodelling of media (atrophy, loss of
SMC’s) occurs to accommodate plaque and preserve lumen diameter
hypertrophy of vascular walls can cause growth….
inward and outward
what is inward vascular remoderling called
atherOsclerosis
which is the most common/most clinically relevant form of vascular remodeling because of hypertension
atherOsclerosis
what is aneurysm
when vessel wall mass increases but wall thickness decreases
Aneurysms = bulge in a artery – life threating if burst
what is restenosis
an atherOsclerosis vessel PTCA
after you have clinically dealt with it
Atherosclerosis in the body is defined to specific areas
what are the different names for Atherosclerosis over the body
theres 4
Coronary arteries = coronary artery disease
Cerebral (carotid) arteries = transient ischemic attack (TIA), or stroke
Limb arteries = peripheral artery disease
Renal arteries = hypertension, or kidney failure
where do Aneurysms usually occur
usually happen in large arteries
Process of Atherosclerosis is because of…
Endothelial Dysfunction
in atherosclerosis, what are the risk factors which could cause the Initial injury of endothelium
Hypercholesterolemia (most important)
Hypertension
High triglycerides (FFA)
Inflammation
what are the 2 different types of cholesterole (that we learn about) and which is the good and bad one
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
- This is the one that sticks to the artery walls and causes the plaques to form
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)
- This is the con that carries LDL away (the good one)
why is Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) bad
it sticks to the artery walls and causes the plaques to form
what is the desirable levels of HDL and what is a high risk level for atherosclerosis
normal > 1.6 mmol/L
high risk < 1mmol/L
what is the optimal levels of LDL and what is a high risk level for atherosclerosis
optimal <2.6mmol/L
high risk > 4.1mmol/L
why do you need to measure for specific types of cholesterol and not just the total
total is misleading because as long as the different types of cholesterol are in balance with each other, therefore if they are both elevated then you are ok it it just if they become imbalanced that you have a problem
as you get older cholesterol levels get higher
what ages should you be checking your cholesterol levels to make sure they are still in ballance to try and prevent atherosclerosis
35-56
men have slightly higher levels
after the initial injury of the intima what is the first steep in the process of atherosclerosis formation
formation of a fatty steak
what is the first steep in fatty streak formation
LDL circulating in the body is able to migrate between the endothelial cells into the intima . If the influx of LDL exceeds the elimination pool and are not eliminated by the HDL then there is a buildup of LDL within the intima. You then get an LDL pool within the intima
what happens to LDL in the presents of reactive oxygen species or radicals (inflammatory factors)
LDL gets oxidised which is bad
LDL on its own aren’t that bad, but once they become oxidised then they are really bad as they do lots of things
oxidised LDL (oxLDL) causes many things to happen
in terms of formation of fatty streak what d they do
Ox LDL attracts monocytes by expression of leucocyte adhesion molecules on the endothelium.
If there is a lot of Oxidation then it could release cytokines which further damage the endothelium making gaps to let more LDL in. It will also leads to monocytes
what happens in fatty streak formation when monocytes enter the intima
Once monocytes are in the intima they become macrophages which uptake the oxidised LDL (this is an immune response) they interalise oxLDL, causing them to die and become foam cells.
These then attack more monocytes which will then form a fatty streak. Fome cell also activate T cells
(T cell = immune response)
describe the formation of a fatty streak
Influx of LDL exceeds eliminating capacity – extracellular LDL pool
LDL migrate to subendothelial intima
LDL oxidized by radicals - oxLDL
oxLDL- expression leucocyte adhesion molecules - chemokine secretion to attract monocytes
Monocytes enter the intima
Monocytes turn into Macrophages to take up the excessive oxLDL
Macrophages internalize oxLDL
Dead macrophages - Foam cells
Foam cells attract more monocytes and form a fatty streak
Foam cells also activate T-cell immune response
faty streaks are formed by oxidized LDL deposition ->
inflammation, macrophages -> foam cells
how clinically significant is this
In general not directly clinical significant or life threatening risk factor
Many just disappear and only some progress to atherosclerotic plaques
how do fatty streaks disappear
If you start exercising, losing weight and start eating healthy these will disappear
when does fatty streak formation occur
This occurs during the first decade of the disease