Coronary Heart Disease

• How does coronary heart disease work?

  1. Coronary arteries branch out of the aorta and supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle.
  2. In coronary heart disease, layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries, causing the lumen to get narrower.
  3. This reduces the flow of blood through the coronary arteries, resulting in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for the heart muscle.
  4. This can cause chest pain as the heart muscle is starved of oxygen, and in severe cases, can cause a heart attack. 
• The coronary arteries

  A) vena cava

  B) pulmonary artery

  C) aorta

  D) pulmonary veins

  E) right coronary artery

  F) left coronary artery

  G) cardiac muscle tissue

  H) cardiac muscle cells

  I) cardiac muscle

  J) nutrients

  K) waste products

  
• The heart is made of muscle cells that need their own supply of blood to deliver oxygen, glucose and other nutrients and remove carbon dioxide and other waste products

  • The blood is supplied by the coronary arteries
• If a coronary artery becomes partially or completely blocked by fatty deposits called ‘plaques’ (mainly formed from cholesterol), the arteries are not as elastic as they should be and therefore cannot stretch to accommodate the blood which is being forced through them - leading to coronary heart disease
• Partial blockage of the coronary arteries creates a restricted blood flow to the cardiac muscle cells and results in severe chest pains called angina
• Complete blockage means cells in that area of the heart will not be able to respire and can no longer contract, leading to a heart attack
• Buildup of plaque

  A) diet

  B) saturated fat

  C) cholesterol

  D) coronary heart disease

  E) right coronary artery

  F) left coronary artery

  G) plaque

  H) build

  I) cholesterol

  J) white

  K) blood cells

  L) artery wall

  M) less

  N) elastic

  O) coronary artery

  P) blood flow

  
• Effect of narrowing of arteries

  
• Risk Factors for CHD Table

  A) saturated fat

  B) cholesterol

  C) levels

  D) fatty

  E) plaques

  F) hormones

  G) increase

  H) blood pressure

  I) blockage

  J) coronary arteries

  K) nicotine

  L) narrower

  M) blood pressure

  N) fat globules

  O) coronary heart disease

  P) history

  Q) family

  R) more likely

  S) genetic basis

  T) increases

  U) older

  V) males

  W) more likely

  X) females

  
• Reducing the risks of developing coronary heart disease

  • Quit smoking
  • Diet - reduce animal fats and eat more fruits and vegetables - this will reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and help with weight loss if overweight
  • Exercise regularly - again, this will help with weight loss, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels and help reduce stress
• • The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle
  • may become blocked by a build-up of fatty plaques containing cholesterol, resulting in coronary heart disease

  A) right coronary artery

  B) left coronary artery

  C) plaque

  
• If a coronary artery is blocked, the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is cut off

  • That part of the heart cannot continue to contract, causing a heart attack
• Cross-section showing how plaque causes abnormal blood flow in affected arteries

  A) normal

  B) normal blood flow

  C) artery wall

  D) artery wall

  E) narrowing

  F) abnormal blood flow

  G) narrowed

  
• Possible causes of coronary heart disease

  • poor diet – eating more tends to increase cholesterol levels e.g. saturated fat
  • stress and smoking – increases blood pressure
  • salt – eating too much causes high blood pressure
  • lack of exercise
  • genetic factors
• There is no one perfect cure for cardiovascular disease

  • There are many different treatments which have both advantages and disadvantages
• Different treatments

  A) daily medication

  B) blood

  C) cholesterol

  D) drugs

  E) side effects

  F) surgery

  G) balloon

  H) inflated

  I) blockage

  J) improved

  K) coronary vessels

  L) heart attack

  M) temporary

  N) diet

  O) exercise

  P) smoking

  Q) risk

  R) blood pressure

  S) willpower

  T) changes

  
• What does aspirin do?

  Aspirin reduces the clumping action of platelets and therefore reduces the chances of blood clotting in coronary arteries.