Treatments for Cardiovascular Disease

Question 1

What is cardiovascular disease?

Answer 1

The term for any disease associated with your heart or blood vessels

Question 2

Briefly explain what can cause cardiovascular disease to develop.

Answer 2

• Excess cholesterol in blood can cause fatty deposits to build up in arteries
• This restricts blood flow

(cholestrol is a fatty substance, arteries are blood vessels)

Question 3

Give three types of treatment for cardiovascular disease.

Answer 3

• Lifestyle changes
• Life-long medication
• Surgical procedures

Question 4

Give some examples of lifestyle changes people can make to treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 4

• Exercising regularly / losing weight if necessary
• Quitting smoking
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet which is low in saturated fat

(saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol level)

Question 5

(Exam-style question)

Answer 5

• Exercise requires energy via respiration
• This is obtained from fat, which is a store of excess energy

Question 6

Sometimes, people need to take medicines for the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing.

Give three examples of medicine that people can take for this purpose.

Answer 6

• Statins
• Anticoagulants
• Antihypertensives

Question 7

Explain how statins help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing.

Answer 7

• They reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream
• This slows down the rate at which fatty deposits form

Question 8

Give the downsides to using statins to treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 8

• They can sometimes cause negative side effects, e.g. aching muscles
• Some of these side effects can be serious, e.g. liver damage

Question 9

Describe how anticoagulants help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing.

Answer 9

They make blood clots less likely to form

Question 10

Give the downside to using anticoagulants to treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 10

They can cause excessive bleeding if the person is hurt in an accident

Question 11

Explain how antihypertensives help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing.

Answer 11

• They reduce blood pressure
• This helps to prevent damage to blood vessels, reducing the risk of fatty deposits forming

Question 12

Give the downside to using antihypertensives to treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 12

They can cause side effects, such as headaches or fainting

Question 13

Give 3 surgical procedures that are used to help treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 13

• The use of stents
• Coronary bypass surgery
• Donor hearts

Question 14

Describe how stents are used to help treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 14

• They are tubes that are inserted inside arteries
• They keep arteries open so blood can pass through to heart muscles, lowering the risk of a heart attack

Question 15

Explain the downside to using stents to treat cardiovascular disease.

Answer 15

• Over time, an artery can narrow again as stents can irritate the artery and make scar tissue grow
• The patient has to take drugs to stop blood clotting on the stent

Question 16

(Exam-style question)

Answer 16