Week 9: Health Disorders Flashcards
What is coronary heart disease?
A cluster of illnesses caused by ATHEROSCLEROSIS
What is atherosclerosis?
The narrowing of coronary arteries, due to plaque buildup on arterial walls
What are the consequences of coronary heart disease?
Obstruction of oxygen and nourishment to heart
What occurs when there is a temporary oxygen shortage to the heart?
Angina pectoris (i.e. pain in chest/arm)
What occurs when there is a prolonged or severe oxygen shortage to the heart?
Myocardial infarction (i.e. heart attack)
What is the factor that predicts coronary heart disease?
Metabolic syndrome helps to predict heart attacks
What are the factors for diagnosing metabolic syndrome?
- Central adiposity
- High BP (hypertension)
- Difficulty with metabolising blood sugar
- Low levels of HDL (good cholesterol)
- High level of triglycerides (fat)
What are the risk factors for coronary heart disease?
- Lifestyle of poor diet and little exercise
- Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome
- Risk “enhancers”: Acute and chronic stress reactivity, personality, depression
What is stress reactivity?
Degree of change (from baseline or average) in physiological response to stress
What are examples of acute stress reactivity?
- Negative emotions, particularly anger and hostility
- Extreme excitement
- Sudden bursts of activity
What are examples of chronic stress reactivity?
- Low SES
- Urban and industrialised societies
- Workplace stress (high demand + low control), job insecurity
Which type of personality is a CHD risk “enhancer”, and what are its characteristics?
Type A personality: Pervasive experience of anger and hostility
Which type of hostility is particularly potent?
Cynical hostility is particularly potent: frequent anger, antagonism, suspicion, distrust, resentment
In which case does greater anger/hostility not increase CHD risk?
Greater anger/hostility increases CHD risk for men, but this is less reliable for women
How does the relationship between anger expression and CHD risk differ across cultures?
Greater anger expression increases CHD risk in the US, but decreases CHD risk in Japan
What is the explanation for cultural differences in anger expression and CHD risk?
In US, lower SES people tend to express anger more
In Japan, high status ppl tend to express anger more, but high status BUFFERS -ve effects
What is the explanation for cultural differences in anger control?
Anger control is higher in Japan than in the US
Linked to decreased CHD in Japan, but not in the US
Hostile people tend to…
- Show exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity, longer stress episodes and slower recovery to both acute and chronic stressors
- Engage in health-compromising behaviours
- Have less social support due to having more interpersonal conflict
How does depression act as a CHD risk “enhancer”?
- Increases other risk factors of CHD (e.g. metabolic syndrome, health compromising behaviours)
- Increases inflammation, which elevates C-reactive protein (CRP) levels that can rupture arterial plaques, causing a blood clot
What happens when C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are elevated?
Can rupture arterial plaques, causing a blood clot
- i.e. atherosclerosis
What are ways to manage CHD?
Initial treatment
- Coronary balloon angioplasty
- Coronary artery bypass graft
- Medication: Beta-(adrenergic) blockers, statins
Cardiac rehabilitation
Psychosocial: Stress management, increase social support
Preventing delay in treatment-seeking
What is coronary balloon angioplasty?
Expand arteries by inserting stent and using a control to inflate arteries
How do beta-(adrenergic) blockers manage CHD?
Reduce sympathetic activation
What is cardiac rehabilitation?
The process of regaining normal or optimal level of physical and psychosocial functioning
Includes dietary and exercise programs, besides treatment and drugs
How does improving psychosocial factors manage CHD?
Enhance treatment effectiveness, reduce tendencies to get reactivity
How does preventing delay in treatment-seeking manage CHD?
Relapses are prevalent, patients and family members learn to notice symptoms
What is hypertension?
Occurs when the supply of blood through the vessels is too much
What are the characteristics of hypertension?
High CO and high TPR
How is hypertension diagnosed?
By BP readings measured by a sphygmomanometer (i.e. a BP cuff)
What are the 2 readings in BP measurements?
- Systolic: Maximum force when ventricles contract
- Diastolic: Pressure in arteries when heart is relaxed
What are the categories for systolic BP readings?
Ideal = 120 and below
Mild hypertension = 140-159
Moderate hypertension = 160-179
Severe hypertension = Above 180
What are the risk factors for hypertension?
- High negative emotionality and BP reactivity during childhood
- Chronic anger experience
- Males
- Low SES
- Stress
- Genes
What are the chances that an individual will develop hypertension if a) one parent has it, b) both parents have it?
a) One parent = 45% chance
b) Both parents = 95% chance
Hypertension itself is a risk factor for…
CHD and kidney failure
What are the ways to manage hypertension during the pre-hypertension stage?
- Lifestyle modification (improving diet, esp. lowering salt intake, and increasing physical activity)