Atherosclerosis Causes Coronary Heart Disease
4.0 Aetiology
Scientists continue to research into the causes of coronary heart disease however, their has been limited new research into the aetiology. Therefore, the causes of atherosclerosis will be discussed as well as other diseases leading to coronary heart disease such as transient ischemia, coronary stenoses and lifestyle factors.
4.1 Atherosclerosis Coronary heart disease is commonly caused by a buildup of plaque which narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow causing platelets, red and white blood cells in the artery to clump together forming a blockage (DeSilva, 2013). Atherosclerosis is defined as ‘disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of fatty material on their inner walls’ ("Oxford Dictionaries", 2016) which eventually completely blocks the blood supply from the artery to the heart leading to a myocardial infarction and damaging the heart muscle (Lu & Daugherty, 2015). Myocardial infarction is the acute stage of coronary heart disease commonly known as a heart attack which is associated with onset of tachyarrhythmias a within the first 24 to 48 hours (Myerburg & Junttila, 2012). The blockages in the artery are the result of the atherosclerotic plaque rupturing which exposes …show more content…
Transient ischemia can change the physiology of the body initiated by the enhancement of the hearts arrhythmias resulting in mechanical stress caused by coronary artery spasms, unstable plaque, thrombosis or a lesion (Myerburg & Junttila, 2012). Furthermore, during arrhythmia the heart can begin suffering from ventricular fibrillation caused by electrical instability in the heart which without electronically reversed leads to myocardial infarction or more severely cardiac arrest and death (DeSilva,
Scientists continue to research into the causes of coronary heart disease however, their has been limited new research into the aetiology. Therefore, the causes of atherosclerosis will be discussed as well as other diseases leading to coronary heart disease such as transient ischemia, coronary stenoses and lifestyle factors.
4.1 Atherosclerosis Coronary heart disease is commonly caused by a buildup of plaque which narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow causing platelets, red and white blood cells in the artery to clump together forming a blockage (DeSilva, 2013). Atherosclerosis is defined as ‘disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of fatty material on their inner walls’ ("Oxford Dictionaries", 2016) which eventually completely blocks the blood supply from the artery to the heart leading to a myocardial infarction and damaging the heart muscle (Lu & Daugherty, 2015). Myocardial infarction is the acute stage of coronary heart disease commonly known as a heart attack which is associated with onset of tachyarrhythmias a within the first 24 to 48 hours (Myerburg & Junttila, 2012). The blockages in the artery are the result of the atherosclerotic plaque rupturing which exposes …show more content…
Transient ischemia can change the physiology of the body initiated by the enhancement of the hearts arrhythmias resulting in mechanical stress caused by coronary artery spasms, unstable plaque, thrombosis or a lesion (Myerburg & Junttila, 2012). Furthermore, during arrhythmia the heart can begin suffering from ventricular fibrillation caused by electrical instability in the heart which without electronically reversed leads to myocardial infarction or more severely cardiac arrest and death (DeSilva,