4.2.2.4 Coronary heart disease: a non-communicable disease

What are cardiovascular diseases

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels

Non-communicable

Coronary heart disease

Coronary arteries provide oxygen to the muscle cells of the heart

In coronary heart disease layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries

Causes coronary arteries to narrow

Effect of this is to reduce the flow of blood through coronary arteries

Results in a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle

Result in heart attack- where heart is starved of oxygen

Treatments for coronary heart disease

Statins

Statins

Drugs which reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood

Slows down the rate that fatty materials build up in the arteries

Advantages of statins

Proves to reduce coronary heart disease

Reduces the amount of bad cholesterol present in bloodstream - reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks

Increase the amount of beneficial cholesterol in bloodstream

Prevent other diseases forming

Slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming

Disadvantages of statins

Long term drug that must be taken regularly (risk someone could forget )

Unwanted side- effects Eg liver problems

Effect isn’t instant

Stent

In people where there is a total blockage of coronary artery

A stent is a tube which can be inserted into the coronary artery to keep it open

Advantages of stents

Blood can flow normally through artery

Effective for a long time and fairly quick surgery recovery time

Disadvantages of stent

Will not prevent other regions of the coronary arteries from narrowing

Does not treat underlying causes of the disease

Risk of complications during surgery(heart attack)

Risk of infection

Risk of developing bloodclot near stent

Problems with valves

Can be damages or weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age

Sometimes valves do not fully open as the valve tissues stiffen so heart has to pump extra hard

Causes heart to enlarge

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Valves are leaky which can cause the patient to feel weak and tired

Blood does not circulate as effectively as normal

mechanical valve

Can last a lifetime

They increase the risk of blood clots- patients have to take anti-clotting drugs

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Constant medication needed to stop blood clotting

Valve from animal

Don’t last as long, may need to be replaced

Don not need to take drugs

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Only last 12-15 years

Heart failure

Heart cannot pump enough blood around the body

Lung and heart donation

Disadvantages:

Not enough donated heart’s available to treat every patient

Must take drugs to stop donated heart to be rejected by immune system

Artificial heart

Mechanical devices that pump blood for a person

Temporary solution while waiting for heart transplant or allow damaged heart to

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Advantages of artificial hearts

Less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system than a donation heart

Disadvantages of artificial hearts

Increase risk of blood clotting- only used for a relatively short amount of time

Surgery to fit artificial heart can lead to bleeding and infection

Don’t work as well as natural ones

Electrical monitors can fail

Blood Disney flow through artificial hearts as smoothly- can lead to blood clots and strokes

Has to take drugs to thin blood

Artificial blood

Extreme blood loss- can be solved by giving artificial blood

It is a salt solution that can keep people alive, even if they lose 2/3 of the red blood cells

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This means that patients have more time to produce new blood cells

But it can only be used for short periods of time, then a blood transfusion has to take place