Types of Heart Disease Flashcards
what does CHD mean and what does this disease entail?
-coronary heart disease
-caused by damages to the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood carrying oxygen and glucose to be used for respiration
what is atheroma?
-the build up of fatty deposits that form within the wall of an artery
what are 5 factors that contribute to the development of atheroma?
-smoking
-lack of exercise
-too much salt
-stress
-high blood cholesterol
the are the main steps involved in the development of atheroma?
-squamous endothelium cells in artery become damaged due to high blood pressure or toxins in blood
-atheroma then builds up inside the wall of the artery
-macrophages migrate into the artery walls as well and is involved in the accumulation of materials such as dead muscle cells or fibrous tissue
-next the atheroma builds up into hardened plaques
-the atheroma’s the increase in size and toughness and bulge into the lumen of the artery which restricts blood flow
-the fibrous material then fuses to the artery making it less elastic and less able to complete vasoconstriction and vasodilation
if atheromas form in the arteries why is it more likely for them to produce further atheromas?
-the hardening of the plaques tends to raise blood pressure further which causes further atheromas and plaques to form
what is atherosclerosis and what does this disease entail?
-caused by the thickening of the artery wall through the development of atheromas and plaques
-the artery wall becomes less elastic and the lumen gets narrower and an increase in blood pressure results
what is thrombosis?
-formation of blood clots within blood vessels
what is coronary thrombosis? what are the steps of this diseases occurrence?
-a thrombosis (blood clot) in the coronary artery
-the area affected is starved of oxygen and glucose
-cells cannot respire and die
what happens when cells of the heart die as a consequence if they cannot respire?
-when a large area of the heart is affected a heart attack will occur
what is another name for a heart attack?
-myocardial infarction
what is an angiograph?
-medical imaging that allows doctors to see inside blood vessels it is a specialized typed of x ray
how does an angiograph work?
-a contrasting dye is added to the blood via a catheter that is inserted into the blood vessel in the forearm or groin
-the tube is pushed into the part of the body under investigation so that the contrasting dye only in the place where it is needed
what three things does an angiograph check for?
-blood vessel narrowing, blockage or damage
what is an aneurysm?
-it is a bulge in a large blood vessel often the aorta due to a weakness of the blood vessel wall
why is it important that an aneurysm is identified early?
-because they can be fatal if not identified early
