Begins as fatty streaks
which are deposits of
white blood cells that
have taken up low
density lipoproteins
These streaks enlarge to form an irregular patch, or athermanous plaque
Athermanous plaques are made up of
cholesterol, fibres and dead muscle
cells
Thrombosis
If an Atheroma breaks through the
endothelium of the blood vessel, it forms
a rough surface that interrupts the
otherwise smooth flow of blood
This may cause a thrombus (blood clot), which will stop the flow of blood
The region of tissue deprived of blood due to the thrombus
will not be able to respire as a result of no oxygen, glucose
and other nutrients being transported to the tissue
Aneurysm
Atheromas that form thrombosis can
weaken artery wall, causing them to swell
to form a balloon like, blood filled structure
called an aneurysm
Myocardial infarction
Occurs when the heart
stops beating,
otherwise known as a
heart attack
Smoking
Carbon monoxide combines easily, but
irreversibly with haemoglobin, thus
reducing the oxygen carry capability of the
blood. In order to supply tissue with the
same amount of oxygen the heart must
work harder, thereby increasing blood
pressure
Nicotine stimulates the
production of adrenalin
which will increase heart
rate and blood pressure
Blood pressure
If the blood pressure in the arteries is high, the heart
must work harder to pump blood into them
High blood pressure in the arteries
means there is more chance of an
aneurysm forming and bursting causing
a haemorrhage
To resist the high pressure the walls of the arteries
tend to become thickened and may harden,
restricting blood flow
Blood choletserol
High density lipoproteins remove cholesterol from tissue and
transport it to the liver for excretion
They help protect arteries against heart disease
Low density lipoproteins which transport cholesterol from the liver to the tissue, including the
artery walls, which they infiltrate, leading to the development of Atheroma and hence a heart attack
Diet
High levels of salt raise blood pressure
High levels of saturated fat increase low density lipoprotein levels and hence blood cholesterol
concentration
Foods that act as antioxidants, e.g. vitamin c, reduce the risk of heart disease, and so does
non-starch polysaccharide (dietary fibre)