Cardiovascular Disease

Describes the build-up of fatty deposits that form in the artery wall

• Squamous endothelium becomes damaged (due to toxins in the blood from smoking or hypertension)
• Atheroma builds-up within the artery. Macrophages migrate from the blood to the damaged area and accumulate materials such as cholesterol and dead muscle cells. The ateroma builds into hardened plaques.
• Atheromas/plaques buldge into the artery, narrowing blood flow. Fibrous material reduces elasticity and less able to regulate blood flow (vasodilation and vasoconstriction)

• Disease caused by the thickening of the artery wall through the development of atheromas and plaques
• Artery becomes less elastic, lumen narrows and blood pressure goes up.

• Formation of a blood clot anywhere within the blood vessels
• If it occurs in the coronary arteries it is known as a coronary thrombosis
• More likely to happen if an atheroma is present
• During coronary thrombosis the heart tissue affected fails to recieve blood and therefore oxygen and glucose
• If a large part of the heart is affected a myocardial infarction occurs (heart attack)

Angiograph: medical imaging techniques that allows you to 'see' inside blood vessels

• A dye agent is added to the blood via a catheter (thin tube) that is inserted into a blood vessel in the forearm or groin

Aneurysm: buldge in a large blood vessel due to weakness of the vessel wall