Cardiovascular Disease : The Heart And / Or Blood Vessels

Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease cause problems because they lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the narrowing and thickening of arteries and develops for years without causing symptoms. It can happen in any part of the body. Around the heart, it is known as coronary artery disease, in the legs it is known as peripheral arterial disease. The narrowing and thickening of the arteries is due to the deposition of fatty material, cholesterol and other substances in the walls of blood vessels. The deposits are known as plaques. The rupture of a plaque can lead to stroke or a heart attack. (World Heart Federation).

Atherosclerosis is the process in which substances known as plaques, which are made up of cholesterol and platelets, adhere to tears in the walls of arteries. Over time these plaques build up to the point where they occlude blood flow in the arteries. When this happens in the coronary arteries, either directly, as the result of buildup in the arteries themselves, indirectly in the form a clot from another part of the body breaking loose and becoming lodged in the coronary arteries, the usual result is a heart attack.3

Atherosclerosis is narrowing of arteries caused by the accumulation of fatty deposits on the arterial walls.

Cholesterol and fatty deposits build up in the heart's arteries, causing less blood to reach the heart muscle. The muscle becomes damaged and the remaining heart tissue has to work harder.

Nevertheless, there is an understandable and noticeable link between circulatory related diseases and lifestyle diseases, such as Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease can occur when fatty acids, such as cholesterol in an inadequate diet, build up in the walls of the coronary artery. These fatty deposits collect minerals and harden to become a plaque. Eventually, this plaque grows and can swells up, forming an aneurism. In some cases, this aneurism may burst leading to instant death. As it continues to grow and swell up, it finally blocks the artery completely and forms blood clots. This is known as coronary thrombosis. A myocardial infarction, or in other words as heart attack, occurs when no oxygen is able to reach the coronary artery and thus it is unable to fulfil its role in providing the heart muscle with a sufficient supply of blood. Heart attacks are very common in the society nowadays, especially occurring in smokers or obesity related diseases (Millar, June 2014)

Heart Disease mainly consists of coronary artery disease, congestive failure and disease, cardiac arrest, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, and strokes (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention) The most occurring condition is

When LDL or the cholesterol crossed the endothelium, which is already damaged, it will force the cholesterol to move through the artery wall. This will force the white blood cells in the body to stream, and because of that, it would digest the LDL. When this process goes on for a very long time, it would constitute a plaque to the artery wall.

LDL carries plaque which attaches to the walls of arteries and beings to build up. The plaque is a combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances. As it builds up over time, it hardens and the arteries become narrow, a condition called atherosclerosis. The blood cannot flow as freely and oxygen cannot get throughout the body as it should. If the plaque ruptures or breaks open, a blood clot can form. If the clot becomes large enough, blood flow is impaired or blocked completely. You may experience extreme pressure or pain in the chest called angina or possible pain in the shoulders, jaw, arms, back, or the discomfort associated with indigestion. This is a heart attack. Heart damage or even death may result if blood flow is not quickly restored. However, arteries leading to other parts of the body can have plaque buildup resulting in strokes, carotid artery disease, and peripheral artery disease. On the other hand, if the HDL is higher, the risk for heart disease is lower.

When an inflammatory response happens white blood cells release endotoxins and exotoxins that destroy the bacteria causing infection. However, these toxins also cause damage to the surrounding blood vessels and therefore leak into the

After some time passes plaques may solidify therefore limiting blood stream or totally obstructing the corridor. The development of plaque is straightforwardly identified with a people way of life, normal danger elements incorporate stoutness, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. At the point when the endothelium is harmed by blood stream, the cholesterol and fats in the blood get stuck shaping plaques. This outcomes in hypertension due the heart endeavoring to supply obliged levels of blood to the body. In the event that the blood stream to the heart muscles is limited or blocked it may prompt further inconveniences, for example, angina, heart assault or heart

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of mortality worldwide, especially in developed countries. But they are also largely preventable, and many studies have tried to clarify the related risk factors, and what could be done to avoid them.

Macrophage which is now foam-like accumulates on the blood vessel to form visible fatty streak which then undergoes apoptosis. The plaque continues to grow and hardens narrowing the arteries. This ruptures and causes a blood clot which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body causing a heart attack, stroke or even death. Factors that are known to predispose to atherosclerosis are physical inactivity, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, cigarette smoking and hypertension which increase the chances by two-fold by damaging the vascular endothelium. Experimental studies have just shown that excess blood levels of iron can lead to atherosclerosis (Guyton and Hall, 2011).

Narrowing and hardening of the artery walls causing buildup of fatty tissues (plaque), cholesterol and other substances, which may restrict blood flow is referred to as atherosclerosis. Having restriction of blood flow develops damage to a patients’ organs and also increases the risk of heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes overtime (WebMD, 2015). It is said to be the most common form of arteriosclerosis that forms small patches and arterial spasms. The plaque also known as atheroma, builds up and may cause the blood clots to burst. Atherosclerosis is considered to be a heart condition, but may also affect arteries in any part of the body and could be prevented and treated (Mayo Clinic, 2015).

784). The immune system attempts to attack the inflamed area in the artery with special white blood cells and “cells full of fatty nutrients, foam cells, begin to form there, too” (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 43). The white blood cells are unable to properly fight the affected area, and in turn, end up adding more substance to the build up. As this process continues, the affected area becomes inflamed and physically hardens. This produces a blockage in the artery and reduces blood flow, while also causing an increase in blood pressure. At this point of the atherosclerosis build up, many people, especially women, experience angina.

Many of the vaso-protective function of endothelium is provide by the Nitric Oxide(NO)20.Endothelium damaged by turbulent or non-laminar blood causes decreased production of NO.Such kind of blood flow also stimulates endothelial cells to produce adhesion molecules, which recruit and bind inflammatory cells. Hypercholesterolemia seems to inactivate the normal function of NO. The net effect is endothelial binding of monocytes and T cells, migration of these cells to the subendothelial space, and initiation of a local vascular inflammatory response. Lipids in the blood, particularly low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), also bind to endothelial cells. 18Firstly LDL is transported across the healthy intima and become trapped in intima of a vessel wall.It undergoes oxidative modification and then oxidized LDL(OxLDL) is formed5.OxLDL is mighty inducer of inflammatory molecules.It adds up to the inflamotory signaling by endothelium that activates chemotactic substances, growth factors that attracts monocytes to vessel wall21Eventually OxLDL transforms monocytes into macrophages which makes the Forms cells, which are the hallmark of atherosclerosis. Oxidized LDL impair the signal transduction between endothelial cell surface receptors and NO production, inhibit NO synthase activity and inactivates NO realese from endothelial cells.22.Once the endothelium is impaired, oxidized LDL is stored in vascular endothelium and by the process of series of mechanism, foam cells are formed and then eventually fatty plaque that occludes the vessel along with the decreased amount of NO which decreases the ability of the vessel to dilate. As the plaque grows arterial wall narrowing and thickening occurs5. This plaque and narrowing of vessel results in decreased blood flow