Treating CVD (vitamin C)

Question 1

What are anticoagulants? What do anticoagulants do? How does this treat CVD?

Answer 1

• anticoagulants are drugs
• they reduce blood clotting
• reducing blood clots decreases likelihood of thrombosis and reduces risk of blood vessels being blocked by blood clots

Question 2

What are antihypertensives? What does it do? How does this treat CVD?

Answer 2

• antihypertensives are drugs
• they lower blood pressure
• lowering blood pressure reduces risk of damage to endothelium of arteries and therefore reduces atheromas and thrombosis

Question 3

What are some examples of antihypertensives? How do they work?

Answer 3

• beta blockers = prevent increases in heart rate
• vasodilators = increase the diameter of the blood vessels
• diuretics = reduce blood volume by decreasing the amount of sodium reabsorbed in the body by kidneys, therefore decreasing the volume of water reabsorbed into blood

Question 4

What are platelets?

Answer 4

• platelets are fragments of cells that trigger blood clotting

Question 5

What do platelet inhibitors do? What are they a type of? What do they prevent? What is an example of a platelet inhibitor?

Answer 5

• platelet inhibitors reduce blood clotting
• they are a type of anticoagulant
• they prevent the clumping together of platelets, so preventing the formation of blood clots
• aspirin is an example of a platelet inhibitor

Question 6

What are statins? What do they do? How do they work? How do they treat CVD?

Answer 6

• statins are drugs
• they lower blood cholesterol by blocking an enzyme in the liver which is needed to make cholesterol
• this lowers the LDL concentration in the blood therefore reducing the risk of atheroma formation

Question 7

What are radicals?

Answer 7

• radicals (sometimes known as free radicals) are highly reactive and can damage many cell components including enzymes and genetic material

Question 8

What are antioxidants?

Question 9

What are LDL’s?

Answer 9

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Question 10

What are the benefits of antihypertensives?

Answer 10

• reduce blood pressure
• blood pressure can be monitored at home to check its working
• drugs can work in different ways so they can be combined to maximise effectiveness

Question 11

What are the risks of antihypertensives?

Answer 11

• side effects: persistent cough, headaches, drowsiness, heart palpitations, swelling of the feet and ankles
• patients may stop taking medication due to side effects

Question 12

What are the benefits of statins?

Answer 12

• reduce levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in blood = reduces risk of atheroma developing
• increase the levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the blood, which helps remove LDL

Question 13

What are the risks of statins?

Answer 13

• can take a while to be effective
• need to be taken long term
• side effects: muscle and joint pain, liver damage, neurological issues
• taking statins may give patients a false sense of security leading to a return in an unhealthy lifestyle

Question 14

What are the benefits of anticoagulants?

Answer 14

• reduce formation of new blood clots
• can reduce size and growth of existing blood clots

Question 15

What are the risks of anticoagulants?

Answer 15

• if injury occurs, can cause excessive bleeding, including internal injury
• side effects: fainting, osteoporosis, and swelling of tissues
• can damage the foetus if taken

Question 16

What are the benefits of platelet inhibitors?

Answer 16

• reduce the formation of new blood clots, and the risk of blood vessel blockage

Question 17

What are the risks of platelet inhibitors?

Answer 17

• can cause excessive bleeding if injury occurs
• side effects: rashes, liver dysfunction, and stomach lining damage
• combining more than one type of platelet inhibitor can increase the risk of harmful side effects