Lecture 27 Flashcards
What is artherosclerosis?
This is a disease of the intima which reduces the size of the lumen and causes a blockage of the arteries
What is a hypertrophy?
This is an increase in the wall thickness
Does atherosclerosis expand inwards or outwards?
inwards
After the initial intima injury, what happens in regards to remodelling?
During atherosclerosis, there is insufficient outward remodelling and the lumen decreases. Then there is remodelling of the media (atrophy, loss of smooth muscle cells) to accomodate plaque and preserve the lumen diameter
What is atrophy?
A decrease in the size of a body part
What is restenosis?
This is when you deal with atherosclerosis surgically
Atherosclerosis is defines to certain areas in the body. What are these parts?
- coronary arteries
- carotid/cerebral arteries
- limb arteries
- renal arteries
Atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries leads to what?
coronary heart disease
Atherosclerosis in the cerebral (carotid) arteries leads to what?
transient ischemic attack or stroke
Atherosclerosis in the limb arteries leads to what?
peripheral artery disease
Atherosclerosis in the renal arteries leads to what?
hypertension or kidney failure
What is an aneurysm?
This is a bulge in the artery
How long does atherosclerosis take to develop?
decades
What is the first step in the development of atherosclerosis? What are some of the risk factors of this?
An initial injury of the endothelium. Risk factors include: - hypercholesterolemia (most important) - hypertension - high triglycerides - inflammation
What is meant by a risk factor for an injury of the endothelium?
These are situations that if they are present they are increasing your risk of developing initial injury of endothelium
What are the two types of cholesterol? Which is the good one?
HDL and LDL
HDL is the good one
What are high risk levels for HDL and LDL and what are normal levels?
HDL: normal is more than 1.6 mmol/L, high risk is less than 1.0mmol/L
LDL: normal is less than 2.6 mmol/L, more than 4.1 mmol/L is high risk
Why is LDL bad and why is HDL good?
LDL stick to the artery walls which leads to plaque formation and the HDL carried LDL away from the artery walls
What is the next step after the initial injury to the endothelium in the process of atherosclerosis?
There is the formation of the fatty streak
Describe the formation of a fatty streak (part one)
LDL can migrate through the epithelial cells into the intima. If the influx exceeds the elimination pool, they can’t be cleared by the HDL so there is a build up of LDL in the intima. This forms an LDL pool in the vessel wall