Part 21: Lipid Lowering Agents Flashcards
why can lipids and cholesterol lead to heart issues?
too much cholesterol and lipids can deposit into the walls of the arteries
the deposits of lipids and cholesterol are called_____
atherosclerotic plaques
atherosclerosis is also called the ____ and ____ of BV
hardening and stiffness
t/f saying atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries is misleading bc it doesnt actually make the BV hard like wood , but stiff bc they cant constrict / dilate
t
what is the issue with BV narrowing due to plaque build up?
restrict O2 delivery to the heart muscle , which results in angina and shortness of breath
what happens if coronary arteries get completely blocked?
the regions of the heart that would be supplied by that coronary artery begin to die, resulting in reduced heart function and possible heart failure
what can happen if plaque ruptures?
platelets are rapidly activated and can cause a blood clot, which can get lodged in a vessel, blocking O2 and causes a heart attack
plaque accumulation in peripheral vessels can cause ___
circulatory problems and pain bc the muscles are not adequately supplied with blood
blockages of the carotid and cerebral arteries can cause ___
stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
narrowing of the carotid arteries obstructs blood flow from the heart to the ____
brain
blockages in the _____ vessels can cause ischemia in regions of the brain, often called mini strokes, of TIAs
intracranial
what is the difference between a stroke and a TIA?
in a stroke, a blood clot fully obstructs a vessel in the brain, a TIA occurs when blood flow is reduced for a short time, but is then restored and symptoms go away
t/f TIAs are typically very brief and some patients have several without knowing it before a real stroke happens
t
what is an embolism?
when a small piece of a blood clot travels through the blood stream and gets lodged in another vessel, which can cause a larger clot and vessel occlusion
_____ is a common complication of deep vein thrombosis, where blood clots form in the leg veins and travel back to the lungs where they plug pulmonary vessesl
pulmonary embolisms
cholesterol and triglycerides can come from which two places?
- dietary sources
2. made by the liver
in order to supply the body with sources of lipids, the liver packages them into _____ that circulate in the blood
lipoproteins
what liporpotein does the liver make when it wants to distribute triglycerides and cholesterol?
VLDL
triglycerides are delivered to target tissues which leaves the lipoprotein with less ____ and more ____, increasing the density of the particle into ____ lipoproteins
lipid; protein; IDL (intermediate density lipoproteins)
low density lipoproteins (LDL) is rich in ____
cholesterol
when LDL is taken up by cells, it is broken down into ____, or the LDL particle can be ___
cholesterol; returned to the liver for recycling
an excess of LDL particles can lead to ___
deposition in BV, making atherosclerotic plaques
what is the role of HDL?
picks up extra cholesterol and returns it to the liver
lipid lowering agents aim to lower which lipoprotein?
LDL
what are 2 main ways to target LDL pharmacologically?
- reduce amount of cholesterol and lipids coming into the system via the GI tract
- reduce production of new cholesterol in the liver
by limiting the amount of cholesterol available to hepatocytes, it forces the liver to increase _____
LDL recycling, thus removing LDL from the blood
what are two classes of drugs that act in the GI tract to 1. reduce the recycling of bile acids and 2. the absorption of lipids from food sources respectively?
- bile acid binding resins
2. cholesterol absorption inhibitors
do bile acid binding resins and cholesterol absorption inhibitors have a significant effect on lowering LDL?
only a modest effect bc hepatocytes are still able to make cholesterol from scratch
what are 2 classes of drugs that can reduce the making of new cholesterol?
- PCSK9 inhibitors
2. statins
statins are also known as ___
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors
how does inhibiting the HMG-CoA reductase enzymes help reduce LDL cholesterol?
increases the expression of LDL receptors on hepatocytes, which causes more cholesterol to be taken up into cells out of the blood
cholestyramine belongs to which class of drug?
bile acid binding resins