Cardiovascular Disease

• Coronary heart disease

  when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up
• Coronary heart disease causes the arteries to become narrow, so blood flow is restricted and there is a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle - this can result in a heart attack
• Stents

  tubes that are inserted inside arteries to keep them open so blood can pass through
• Pros of stents:

  • lower the risk of a a heart attack
  • effective for a long time
  • recovery time from surgery is relatively quick
• Cons of stents:

  • risk of complications during the operation (e.g. heart attack)
  • risk of infection from surgery
  • risk of thrombosis
• Thrombosis

  developing a blood clot in your artery
• Cholesterol

  an essential lipid that your body produces and needs to function properly
• Too much of a certain type of cholesterol (LDL) in the bloodstream can cause fatty deposits to form inside arteries, which can lead to coronary heart disease
• Statins

  drugs that can reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol present in the bloodstream, which slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming
• Advantages of statins:

  • reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks
  • increase the amount of HDL cholesterol (good) in your bloodstream
  • HDL cholesterol can also remove LDL cholesterol from the blood
  • studies suggest that they may also help prevent some other diseases
• Disadvantages of statins:

  • long-term drug that needs to be taken regularly - there is a risk that someone could forget to take them
  • sometimes cause negative side effects, and some can be serious e.g. kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
  • effect isn't instant and takes time for it to kick in
• The valves in the heart can be damaged or weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age
• Damage may cause the valve tissue to stiffen, so it won't open properly, or a valve may become leaky, allowing blood to flow in both directions meaning circulation isn't as effective
• Severe valve damage can be treated by replacing the valve
• Replacement valves can be ones taken from humans or other mammals, or they can be man-made
• Biological valves

  valves taken from humans or mammals
• Mechanical valves

  man-made valves
• Replacing valves is a much less drastic procedure than a heart transplant, but fitting artificial valves is still a major surgery and there can still be problems with blood clots
• Cardiovascular disease

  diseases of the heart or blood vessels