NUTRITION AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS Flashcards
what are some causes of atherosclerosis
- unhealthy diet
- physical inactivity
- smoking
define arteriosclerosis
hardening of the arteries
- atherosclerosis
deposits of fat and cholesterol in the large coronary artery
- arteriolosclerosis
hardening or stiffening and loss of elasticity of the small arteries and arterioles
- monckebergs arteriosclerosis
deposits of calcium in the medium arteries
what does the atherosclerotic plaque contain
- cholesterol
- lipids
- inflammatory cells
- smooth muscle cells
- thrombus
what is the main mechanism behind atherosclerosis
lack of cholesterol removal by HDL and increased deposition of cholesterol by LDL
what is the function of the apolipoprotein
- produces the lipoprotein
- maintains the structural integrity of the lipoprotein
- docks to receptors for lipid uptake
function of HDL
this is considered good lipoprotein
-it is produced in the liver
-it transports excess cholesterol from periphery to the liver
function of LDL
- comes from VLDL
-transports excess cholesterol from the liver to the periphery
explain the steps of plaque formation
- increase in LDL causes LDL to diffuse through the endothelium into the arterial wall and oxidise into oxLDL
- this recruits macrophages that take up this oxLDL to form foam cells
-these foam cells form the streaky plaque appearance - smooth muscle cells migrate to the streaky plaque and form a fibrous cap that stabilises the plaque
what happens as this plaque builds
- plaque grows
- forms a blockage that could erode
- lead to unstable angina
- myocardial infarction
- death
what are risk factors for atherosclerosis
- smoking
- diabetes( high blood glucose)
- poor diet
- physical inactivity
- hypertension
what is the therapeutic approach used in anginas
- B blockers
- calcium blockers
- nitrates
what is considered the drug of the future in atherosclerosis
it is called PCSK9
-it targets the LDL receptors so that they cannot be recycled and thus; LDL is removed from circulation
