Cardiovascular disease and treatment
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Explainer Video
Summary
Cardiovascular disease and treatment
In a nutshell
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases associated with the heart or blood vessels. Fatty deposits can build up in arteries causing them to become narrow. Blood clots can form which block the flow of blood, and therefore oxygen, to the heart. This can cause a heart attack. There are many different methods to reduce the chance of developing CVD and treat it, including lifestyle changes and drugs.
Cardiovascular disease
Definition
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease that is associated with the heart or blood vessels.
Arteries are blood vessels that transport blood away from the heart. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is naturally found in the body, but too much cholesterol in the blood can cause the fatty substance to build up in the arteries. This is shown below.
| 1. | Fatty deposits build up in the arteries. |
| 2. | The artery becomes narrower so it is harder for the blood to flow through. |
This build-up will usually occur in areas of the artery that have been damaged, for example by high blood pressure. This cholesterol build-up causes the arteries to narrow and it can trigger blood clots to form, which blocks blood flow through the arteries. If this happens in the coronary artery, which transports blood to the heart muscle, the heart muscle would be deprived of oxygen. This can lead to a heart attack.
Treating CVD
Different measures can be taken to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and treat them if necessary. Some of these measures are detailed below.
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes are the first intervention used to prevent the development of CVD.
Method | Description |
| Eating a healthy balanced diet | A healthy diet should be low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the type of fat that can increase blood cholesterol levels. |
| Regular exercise | Exercising regularly can reduce a person's weight and their blood pressure, which will reduce the risk of CVD. |
| Quitting smoking | Chemicals inside cigarette smoke increase the risk of blood clot formation. Quitting smoking therefore reduces this risk. |
Drugs
There are various drugs that can be used to reduce the risk of developing CVD.
Method | Description |
| Statins | Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream which slows the rate that the fatty deposits will form. They can cause negative side effects like aching muscles or more serious side effects like liver damage. They also need to be taken daily for a long time so there is a risk that the person will forget to take them. |
| Anticoagulants | Anticoagulants reduce blood clotting so blood clots are less likely to form. However, these can cause excessive bleeding if the person is injured. ExampleWarfarin. |
| Antihypertensives | Antihypertensives reduce blood pressure which reduces the risk of damage to the arteries. As a result, there is also a reduced risk of fatty deposits forming. Side effects of these can include headaches and fainting. |
Surgical procedures
If an individual does develop CVD, there are various medical procedures that can be taken to treat the condition.
Method | Description |
| Stents | Stents are tubes that are put inside coronary arteries to keep them open and reduce the risk of a heart attack. They are effective for a long time but there is a risk of having a heart attack during the operation. Stents can also cause the formation of scar tissue in the artery which causes narrowing. These can be seen in the table below. |
| Coronary bypass surgery | Coronary bypass surgery involves taking part of a healthy vessel from somewhere else and using this to bypass the section of the artery that is blocked. |
| Donor hearts | A whole heart can be replaced with a donor heart. The patient's body may reject the new heart so drugs need to be taken to stop this. These drugs will make the patient more vulnerable to other infections. |
| Artificial hearts | If there is not a donor heart available for transplant, an artificial heart may be used in the meantime. This is a machine that will pump blood around the body like a heart would. Unlike a real heart, an artificial heart is made from metal or plastic so there is less risk of it being rejected and attacked by the person's immune system. However, an artificial heart doesn't work as well as a natural heart and they are susceptible to blood clots which could lead to strokes. The recipient will also need to take anticoagulants which may cause excessive bleeding if they are injured. |
| Replacing heart valves | Heart attacks and other factors like old age can cause the valves in the heart to stiffen. As a result, blood may flow both ways around the heart. These damaged valves can be replaced with donor valves from humans or man-made mechanical valves. This is a less risky procedure than replacing the whole heart. |
| 1. | The stent pushes the artery outwards which squashes the fatty deposit. |  |
| 2. | As a result, the artery becomes wider and blood can flow through more easily. |
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
What are stents?
Stents are tubes that are put inside coronary arteries to keep them open and reduce the risk of a heart attack.
How do statins work?
Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream which slows the rate that the fatty deposits will form.
How do anticoagulants work?
Anticoagulants reduce blood clotting so blood clots are less likely to form.
What does an artery do?
Arteries are blood vessels that transport blood away from the heart.
What are cardiovascular diseases?
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases associated with the heart or blood vessels.