Atherosclerosis is defined as the formation of fatty plaques in the walls of arteries, restricting blood flow to deep tissues (Martini).
Coronary heart disease came in the public eye in the mid-20th century as a disease of pandemic magnitudes and it continues to be a major cause of death in the western world. The fundamental cause of coronary heart disease is Atherosclerosis. The term “atherosclerosis” is the combination of two Greek words which correctly imply the elements of the lesion. The first being “athero” the greek work for gruel which parallels to the necrotic core at the base plaque formation, and “sclerosis” from the Greek word hardening, corresponding to the fibrous cap on the outer layer of the plaque. (Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque : Strategies for Diagnosis and Management, 1, 2)
Atherosclerosis and its correlations date back over 3500 years, atherosclerotic lesions that dated from 1580 BC were found in Egyptian mummies. The disease portrayed alike pathological features in ancient times as it does today in modern society. The term Hippocrates was used around 460-377 BC as a description of unexpected death possibly due to acute myocardial infarction. In 300 BC the term Erasistratos was used to describe the major pathways of the cardiovascular system by an Egyptian physician.(1,2)
(Novo 2012) In 2005, it was found that CVDs are responsible for the deaths of more than 17 million people each year, almost a third of total mortality rates, reported by the World Health Organisation (1, 2). The majority of these deaths were strongly related to Coronary Artery Disease of approximately 7.6 million. However, in the latter 15 years mortality rates in relation to CVD’s have significantly reduced according to age in develo...
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... no end to the phagocytosis of lipids by the endothelium, which a result, becomes very swollen. This causes many cavities in the lining uncovering collagen fibres, initiating the adhesiveness of platelets. The outcome of platelet adhesion is the due to the development of a contained blood clot, increasing the restriction of blood flow in the artery. This is when the plaque becomes complex and relatively hard to remove.
A picture to show plaque formation in artery:
2nd discussion: libby p- inflammation role.
In the year 1815, Joseph Hodgson published a thesis on cardiovascular disease which alleged that the primary source of atherosclerosis is inflammation and degenerative expression in the course of aging (47). Rudolf Virchow extensively described the stages of atherosclerosis and understood that the atheroma was as a consequence of an inflammatory procedure.
Margination and adhesion to the endothelium, in which accumulation of leukocytes occurs along the endothelial wall for adhesion. Afterward, these adhesions cause the separation of endothelial cells, allowing the leukocytes to extend and Transmigrate through the vessel walls. Followed by the response of chemical mediators(chemotaxis) that influence cell migration via an energy directed process which triggers the activation of Phagocytosis, in which monocytes, neutrophils, and tissue macrophages are activated to engulf and degrade cellular debris and
Atherothrombosis is the pathophysiologic hallmark of acute coronary syndrome which can lead to an acute myocardial infarction. Platelet aggregation is one of the major reasons why ACS occurs, arterial plaque builds up over time from products such as lipids, cholesterol and fibrin. The vasa vasorum
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of multifactorial chronic heart disease. It is a consequence of plaque buildup in coronary arteries. The arterial blood vessels, which begin out smooth and elastic become narrow and rigid, curtailing blood flow resulting in deprived of oxygen and nutrients to the heart [1].
The next stage in myocardial infarction is the formation of thrombus. Exposure of the subendothelial matrix of the plaque to blood due to superficial abrasion generates platelet activation and aggregation. Clotting factors on the platelet membrane carry out reaction which release prothrombin activator, this activator then converts prothrombin to enzyme thrombin. The transformation of fibrinogen to fibrin is then catalysed by thrombin. During proteolysis (the breaks down of protein), fibrinogen is converted to fibrin strands which stabilize the final blood clot. Complete occlusion of coronary artery by thrombus disrupts blood flow and causes ischemia due to atherosclerotic coronary artery steno...
Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. It is responsible for one in four deaths every year, about 600,000 mortalities. This disease affects men and women, as well as every ethnic group. Coronary artery disease is the most common cardiovascular disease, representing approximately 400,000 deaths per year of the aforementioned 600,000 total deaths from cardiovascular diseases as a whole. In 2010 alone, coronary artery disease cost the United States $108.9 billion for health care services, medication, and lost productivity. These chilling statistics, published every year by the American Medical Association, demonstrate the immediate need for new and innovative ways to prevent, detect, and treat coronary heart disease. This paper will explore the molecular biology behind the disease while explaining the current treatments and prevention that are available today, why they work and what can be done to improve them.
Cardiovascular Disease is defined by the American Heart Association as “Heart and blood vessel disease”. Atherosclerosis of the arteries, can lead to hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias, heart valve problems, myocardial infarctions or a stroke (AHA, 2016). In this paper, all of heart and vessel diseases aforementioned, will be considered cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to
The hereditary risk factors for cardiovascular disease are primarily those of which individuals are unable to control, the ones for which they are born with. These risk factors would include an individual’s sex, race, age, and genetics. One out of every five males has some form of cardiovascular disease and the same applies for females. More women than men have cardiovascular disease in this country, but this is only due to the fact that there are more women within the U.S. population (Weiss and Lonnquist, 2011). Men percentage wise are at a higher risk than women. There is a somewhat reduced probability for females to have cardiovascular disease before menopause. This is believed by medical researchers and scientists to be directly related to the natural hor...
Today, cardiovascular disease is “the number one killer in the United States and the developed world” (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 41). Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease, and is responsible for claiming an unreasonable amount of lives every year. CHD can begin to accumulate in young adults, but is prominently found in both men and women in their later adult lives. As a result of CHD, men typically experience heart attacks, whereas women present with chest pains, known as angina (Matthews, 2005).
Coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease affects 16.8 million people in the United States and causes more than 607,000 deaths annually (Lemone, chap.30). It is caused by atherosclerosis which is the accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries causing impaired blood flow to the myocardium. CAD or coronary artery syndrome is usually without symptoms but may induce heart attack, angina and acute coronary syndrome if not properly treated. There are many risk factors associated with CAD like obesity, high cholesterol diet, hereditary, physical inactivity, just to name a few. Patients with CAD may be unable to identify and manage their risks factors. It is imperative for nurses to educate the patient about CAD and measures to enhance their health.
Artherosclerosis is characterized by fatty deposits that develop as streaks inside the lining of arteries and some streaking can be found in teenagers and then by an increasing proportion of the population from then on. If you were to ask the experts what causes arteriosclerosis the answer would depend on the expert. Researchers do not agree on the causation but they have agreed on possible risk factors such as smoking, a high fat diet, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high iron levels, inflammation and bad genes. None of which appear to be the primary cause because if you were to eliminate one possible cause you should eliminate the disease. Many researchers have begun to think that many diseases including cancers originate as a composite of risk factors and that approach does not make sense because it suggests that Human arteries are so fragile that any one or combination of the...
of fatty substances on the inside wall of the arteries). It is not caused by
High cholesterol is the best known of all the many threats to a healthy heart. When excess amounts fatty like plaque substance build up along the walls of the arteries, you face a significantly higher risk of a complete blockage, leading to a heart attack or stroke. At normal levels, cholesterol is not a bad thing. On the other hand, its an essential material used by the body to make cell walls and produce hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. The body produces its own supply of cholesterol in the liver, it’s also found in various animal products such as meats, eggs, and, milk. Cholesterol only becomes a threat when the body can’t use or get rid of excessive amounts of it.
Although atherosclerosis affects millions of people around the world, there are many ways to prevent and treat it once it has developed. Simple life style changes can greatly reduce the inflammation and damage to the endothelial wall of the artery. It is very important that people who have high blood pressure or diabetes get regular checkups; if atherosclerosis goes untreated, the adverse effects, such as stroke or myocardial infarction can be deadly.
Hypercholesterolemia, which is a specific type of hyperlipidemia and characterized by excessively high plasma cholesterol level, is a strong risk contributor for many cardiovascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis (Stapleton et al., 2010). The by-products of cholesterol cause the stiffening of the arteries by forming a thick tough deposit on their inner walls, leading to the starvation of the heart with blood by making the flow of blood stop entirely (Thomas et al., 2007). As a result of unfavorable dietary habits and a relatively sedentary lifestyle over the last few decades, cases of lifestyle-related disorders including hyperlipidemia, and consequently, atherosclerosis rose significantly (Grundy, 2004).
Over two thirds of deaths in each year among estimated yearly deaths are due to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetics, cancer and upper res...