cardiovascular diseases

• • diseases of the heart and blood vessels
  • non communicable
• coronary heart disease


  • the coronary arteries branch out of the aorta and spread out into the heart muscle
  • the purpose of coronary arteries is to provide oxygen to the muscle cells of the heart
  • the oxygen is then used in respiration to provide the energy for contraction
• coronary heart disease


  • layers of fatty materials build up inside of the coronary arteries, this causes the coronary arteries to narrow
  • the effect of this is reducing the blood flow through coronary arteries, which leads to a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle and possibly a heart attack if there is a severe lack of oxygen
• treatment of coronary heart disease- statins


  • drugs which reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and slows down the rate that fatty materials build up in the coronary arteries
  • advantage: proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
  • disadvantage: unwanted side effects, such as liver problems
• treatment for coronary heart disease: stents

  • for people whos coronary artery is almost completely blocked
  • a tube which can be inserted into coronary artery to keep it open
  • advantage: blood can flow normally through artery
  • disadvantages: will not prevent other regions of coronary arteries from narrowing and it does not treat the underlying cause of disease
• heart valve problems


  • sometimes the heart valves do not fully open so the heart has to pump extra hard to get the blood through, this can cause the heart to enlarge.
  • other times the valves are leaky which can cause the patient to feel weak and tired.
• heart valve problems


  • when heart valves are faulty, we can replace the with either a mechanical valve made of metal or an animals valve, mostly a pigs
  • mechanical valves can last a lifetime but increase the risk of bloodclots so patients have to take anti-clotting drugs.
  • valves from an animal dont last as long and may need to be replaced but patient doesnt have to take drugs
• heart pumping problems


  • in some patients with cardiovascular disease, the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body, this is called heart failure
  • these patients are treated with replacing lungs and heart
• problems with replacing heart

  • there are not enough donated hearts to treat every patient
  • the patient must take drugs so the immune system doesnt reject donated heart
  • (not problem) sometimes patient may given an artificial heart as a temporary solution while waiting for heart transplant or to allow damaged heart to rest.