Atherosclerosis

system, principally cardiac disease, vascular diseases of the brain and kidney, and peripheral arterial disease. The causes of cardiovascular disease are diverse but atherosclerosis and/or hypertension are the most common. In addition, with aging come a number of physiological and morphological changes that alter cardiovascular function and lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, even in healthy asymptomatic individuals. Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly…

Understanding the pathophysiology of a myocardial infarction begins with atherosclerosis, the main contributor to MI. “Atherosclerosis a common disorder characterized by yellowish plaques of cholesterol, other lipids, and cellular debris in the inner layers of the walls of arteries (Mosby, 2013, pg.153).” Fatty deposits (lipids) are circulating through the blood and become stuck to the artery walls, due to an injury in the endothelial lining of the blood vessel. After some time, the build up…

thickening in the arterial wall called an Atheroma (or "fibro-fatty plaque"). Atheroma narrows the lumen of arteries and weakens the vessel wall. Atherosclerosis begins in childhood and slowly progresses throughout life. Typically, it produces symptomatic clinical disease during the fifth and sixth decades of life. The atheromatous plaque is a raised lesion within the intima of arteries composed of a core of cholesterol, necrotic cellular debris and inflammatory cells. This is covered by a…

There are multiple factors that contribute to the build-up of plaque in the vessels and in turn, the development of atherosclerosis (Silverthorn et al., 2009 p327). The disease attacks different arteries in the body, but the most harmful conditions involve damages to the vessels of the brain and the heart (Silverthorn et al., 2009 p329). Understanding of the structures and mechanisms that take place in the heart and the brain to allow for blood distribution is a critical component for anyone…

Most people could probably guess that heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death, but many may not know that strokes are the fourth leading. Strokes are also one of the leading causes in long-term adult disability. A stroke occurs when there is a clot in a blood vessel or an artery located in the brain, interrupting or severely reducing blood flow to the brain, preventing it from getting the oxygen it needs. There are two different types of strokes, and there are multiple types…

Explain how atherosclerotic plaque is formed. Atherosclerosis is a disease of the large and intermediate sized arteries, where fatty lesions called atheromatous plaques develop on the inside surfaces of arterial walls. It is characterised by endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation and an accumulation of lipids, calcium, cholesterol, and cellular debris within the intima wall - making it a multifactorial disease that usually develops many years before manifestation of clinical symptoms.…

Heart disease is the expression that defines the blocked or interrupted of the heart's blood supply by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. Over time, the walls of the arteries are stuffed with fatty deposits, which is called atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits are called atheroma (BBC 2013). Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a major killer in the UK as well as worldwide. It’s the cause of more than 73,000 deaths in the UK. Each year around 1 in 10 women and 1 in 6 men die…

Arterial color duplex study was performed for bilateral lower limbs which revealed mild atherosclerosis of the arteries without narrowing or blockage, no aneurysms in the popliteal arteries and confirmed the presence of a right DPA aneurysm with a small mural thrombus. Right foot toes pressure measurement showed normal readings (Fig.2). Surgical exploration was carried out under ankle block. A longitudinal skin incision was made directly over the aneurysm. Sharp dissection through fascia…

A myocardial infarction is more commonly known as a heart attack. Sufferers of atherosclerosis are more likely to be the elderly, which can lead to coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of death in 2012 in the UK, killing over 64,000 people [3]. Coronary angioplasty Angioplasty is the process of surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel. To prevent deaths from atherosclerosis and to relieve angina, an operation called Coronary Angioplasty can be carried out. The combination…

Coronary artery disease (CAD; also more simply referred to as coronary heart disease) is a specific type of atherosclerosis, which is in turn a form of arteriosclerosis (Dulson, Fraser, LeDrew, & Vavitas, 2011). All of these medical conditions entail the same problem, which hinders proper blood flow of oxygenated blood in the arteries: the sclerosis (that is, hardening) of arteries in the circulatory system (Sclerosis [medicine], 2016). Arteriosclerosis is a general term used to describe the…