1.3 - Risk factors for CVD Flashcards
done (38 cards)
What is a risk?
a measure of the probability of occurrence of an unwanted event or outcome, usually in terms of a hazard that can cause harm
What is a case control study?
Observational study where two existing groups of people are compared
What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease?
Smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet (saturated fats), alcohol, lack of exercise
What is the difference between correlation and causation?
Correlation is things that link (as one increases other increases), causation is something that directly causes the other
What is relative risk?
Risk is quite often measured by comparing the likelihood of harm occurring in those exposed against those not exposed. E.g. smokers versus non-smokers and incidence of lung cancer.
What is null hypothesis?
They assume that there will be no difference between the control group and the experiment group and then test this using statistical analysis.
What is obesity and why is it a risk factor for CVD?
- BMI over 30
- increased excess fat
- Why: Raises blood pressure, increased lipid levels, Increased risk of type 2 diabetes which causes damage to arteries leading to atherosclerosis
What is high blood pressure and why is it a risk factor for CVD?
- When your blood pressure reading are higher than 140/90 mmHg
- Why: Puts extra strain on blood vessels, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels, forces heart to work harder to pump blood to rest of the body, causes left ventricle to thicken causing a heart attack
What is blood cholesterol and why is it a risk factor for CVD?
- lipoprotein which transport all fat molecules around the body in the extracellular water
- Why: Saturated fats can increase CVD or a buildup of fatty cholesterol in the arteries/ veins - can cause a heart attack
What is smoking and why is it a risk factor for CVD?
- Act of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning tobacco
- Why: can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs (alveoli) found in your lungs. Smoke chemicals cause the cells that line blood vessels to become swollen and inflamed. This can narrow the blood vessels and can lead to many cardiovascular conditions
Why is lack of activity a risk factor for CVD?
Can lead to fatty material building up in arteries which causes the arteries to be damaged and can lead to a heart attack
Why are genetics a risk factor for CVD?
Certain individuals are at a higher risk for CVD development as a direct result of their genetic makeup
Why is alcohol a risk factor for CVD?
Can increase blood pressure because it increases the amount of calcium that binds to blood vessels
Why is salt a risk factor for CVD?
Eating too much salt can make it harder for your kidneys to remove fluid, Can increase risk of high blood pressure and puts strain on the heart
Why is stress a risk factor of CVD?
the high levels of cortisol from long-term stress can increase blood cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Why is age and gender a risk factor for CVD?
CVD is most common in people over 50 and your risk of developing it increases as you get older, gender - men are more likely to develop CVD at an earlier age than women
What are LDL’s?
‘Bad cholesterol’ - Triglycerides from fats in our diet that combine with cholesterol and proteins to form LDLs which transport the cholesterol to body cells.
What are HDL’s?
‘Good cholesterol’ Made when triglycerides from fats combine with cholesterol and protein, have a higher percentage of protein and less cholesterol compared to LDLs. they transport cholesterol from the body tissues to the liver where it is broken down - lower your blood cholesterol
What is the link between LDLs and HDLs and CVD?
- LDLs can cause atherosclerotic plaques which can increase the risk of CVD - - HDLs reduce blood cholesterol deposition which lowers risk CVD
What is type 2 diabetes?
Insulin acts to reduce glucose levels in the body, type 2 means that the body does not produce enough insulin in the body or the body fails to respond to the insulin produced
What is the apolipoprotein gene cluster?
There are several genes that can affect your likelihood of developing CVD, the apolipoprotein gene cluster has been associated with CHD and alzhiemers. Some alleles are linked to higher risk whereas others may reduce the risk
What are apolipoproteins?
Apolipoproteins are the protein component of lipoproteins and are formed in the intestines and liver and have a role in stabilising the structure of lipoproteins and recognising receptors.
APOA - major protein in HDL, helps with removal of cholesterol to the liver for extraction
APOB - main protein in LDL, the molecule that transfers cholesterol from the blood to the cells
APOE - a major component of HDLs and (very)LDLs which ar involved in the removal of excess cholesterol from the blood to the liver
What are the names of a single monomer, pair of monomers and large chain of monomers?
Single monomer - monosaccharide
Pair of monomers - disaccharide
Large chain of monomers - polysaccharide
What is a monosaccharide?
- single-sugar carbohydrates eg. glucose
- Have the general formula (CH2O)n where n the number of C atoms in the molecule
- Classified according to the number of carbon atoms they contain
- eg. Triose sugar ( 3 carbon atoms) - C3H6O3
- Pentose sugar (5 carbon atoms) r - C5H10O5
