cvd

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

  Group of diseases affecting the heart or blood vessels<|>Build up of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries forms atheromas which reduce blood flow to muscle tissue<|>Blood clots may form, blocking the arteries and stopping blood flow completely. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke
• How CVD leads to a heart attack

  1. Obstruction of a coronary artery due to an atheroma or blood clot

  2. Results in loss of blood supply to an area of heart muscle

  3. This causes death of the cells and leads to a heart attack
• How CVD can be treated

  • Improving diet and lifestyle
  • Medication
  • Surgery
• Changes to diet and lifestyle to reduce CVD risk

  • Regular exercise
  • Reduce intake of saturated fat
  • Maintenance of a healthy weight
  • Diet low in salt
  • Reduce stress
  • Stop smoking and drinking alcohol
• Effectiveness of lifestyle and diet changes in treating CVD

  Although not themselves effective in the treatment of CVD, they can enhance the efficiency of other methods of treatment
• Medicines used to treat CVD

  • Statins
  • Anticoagulants
  • Antihypertensives
• Benefits and risks of statins

  • Statins lower the level of cholesterol in the blood
  • However, they can cause liver damage, kidney failure or problems with memory
• Benefits and risks of anticoagulants

  • Anticoagulants reduce blood clotting, lowering the risk of a heart attack or stroke
  • However, they can cause excessive bleeding
• Benefits and risks of antihypertensives

  • Antihypertensives lower blood pressure, reducing damage to artery walls and the build up of atheromas
  • However, they can have unpleasant side-effects such as headaches, dizziness or fainting
• Stents

  Small, hollow tubes inserted into the lumen of arteries to keep them open<|>Require surgery to insert
• Problems with stents

  • Stents cause the growth of scar tissue in the arteries over time, further narrowing the lumen
  • Blood clots may stick to stents
• Coronary bypass

  Using a blood vessel from another region of the body (e.g. leg, arm) to divert blood around a blockage in the coronary artery
• Heart transplant

  Replacing a damaged heart with a donated heart<|>Immunosuppressant drugs taken to prevent organ rejection
• Benefits of heart surgery

  • Lifesaving
  • Can provide a permanent solution to a disease
• Risks of heart surgery

  • Involves many risks e.g. infection, excessive bleeding etc.
  • Difficult to find a suitable donor
  • Risk of rejection
  • Immunosuppressant drugs must be taken for life
  • Long recovery time
  • Expensive