These form raised patches of artery wall know as ‘plaques’ which narrow the arteries reducing the space through which blood can flow. At the same time the blood becomes more prone to clotting. A heart attack (or myocardial Infraction (MI) – total blockage of coronary artery) then occurs when a clot develops on the heart muscle due to the blockage of the artery on the heart. Because of the blockage it prevents the heart pumping any blood into the aorta use to the blockage and this causes the heart to come under great pressure and causes it to go into arrest.
This diagram shows that when the coronary artery is block it stops oxygen reaching the heart muscle and it causes the heart muscle to deteriorate and die and this it the site of the heart attack as the muscle cannot contract when it has a lack of oxygen.
There are many factors which effect the development of coronary heart disease and many involve what you do with you life, but there are also none lifestyle factors which can be just as deadly.
One of the main and most recently published factors which increases the chance is smoking. This is a list of factors that smoking causes:
Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Others include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels and physical inactivity. CHD is Britain's single biggest killer. Every two minutes someone in the UK has a heart attack. Non smokers living with smokers have a 30% increased risk of developing CHD. Around five million children are regularly exposed to second hand smoke in the home. Smoking enhances the build up of the fatty deposit, atheroma, in the walls of our arteries, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of a heart attack. This build up of fatty deposits can trigger formation of blood clots, which can block blood flow causing a heart attack or stroke. Smoking reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen, depriving the heart of vital nutrients. (, 2003)
The increase of carbon monoxide in the blood reduces oxygen carrying ability. The cigarette smoke which is absorbed into the blood damages the walls of the arteries which allows the fatty material which would normally flow away with the blood to become caught on the lining and causes the fat to build up. This build up reduces the size of the lumen in the arteries and reduces the space at which blood can pass through. The increase the chance of thrombosis and the chance of the clot blocking the heart muscles oxygen supply. Also nicotine is a drug and it increases the heart rate which also increases the blood pressure which can increase the chance of a heart attack.
This picture shows an example of a non-smokers artery and the artery of a smoker. It is clearly visible the damage that is caused by smoking on the artery lining and you can see the bulging and ruptures where fatty deposits have gathered.
Picture from 2003
Picture of fatty deposits being removed from a 32year old smokers artery (coronary heart disease statistics 2003: British heart foundation public information publication)
A persons diet is also a huge factor in the effects of heart disease. The main reason for this is the huge amount of saturated fats and cholesterol in food that is being eaten by people especially younger people. These fats are the fats that build up in your arteries and cause the plaque in you coronary artery which can lead to a heart attack. Also people who are overweight have a higher blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. Also when an overweight person carries out exercise their heart has to work a lot harder than a normal person due to their size and to make sure blood reaches all parts of the body.
People who drink alcohol in moderation seem to have a lower chance of getting coronary heart disease. “But drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can cause heart-related problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeats, cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle).” (Texas Heart Institute, July 2002) The average calorie content of an alcoholic drink is 100-200 calories. These calories contribute to body fat if they are not used by exercise and this will lead to more fatty build up in coronary arteries. People who consume a moderate amount will benefit from the alcohol, but people who abuse it will suffer as a result of it.
People who are under stress are at major risk as well due to the state their body goes into when under stress. When a person is under stress it causes their heart rate to increase, and this increases the will require more oxygen in the heart muscle which will put a greater strain on the heart especially for people who already have coronary heart disease which will cause angina and chest pains. Also during stress the body releases adrenaline which increases blood pressure which causes arteries to widen and when the arteries heal it could cause them to harden or thicken which will allow plaque to build up easily. Blood clots are more likely to be produced during stress as they are a natural reaction to it. If this happens and one of these clots becomes trapped in a area where there is a build up of plaque and a blockage occurs this will cause a heart attack.
There are also none lifestyle factors that can affect your chances of having coronary heart disease. The chance of having coronary heart disease increases with age. This is due to the body not being as strong as at a young age and the body is more easily effected by things such as high blood pressure as the arteries cannot return to their original shape as easily as they would in a young person and they will become damaged allowing the build up of plaque to take place. People may also suffer from CHD because of an heredity condition which their parents or family have suffered from and people in this situation will have to have a healthy lifestyle as they are at a higher risk. Also there are studies which have show that people in certain ethnic minorities have certain factors which will increase their chance of CHD. Africa Americans are know to have a high heart rate and this can increase the chance of a heart attack if there is a high plaque content in the coronary arteries which puts them at a high risk compared with people who have a average heart rate. Gender also plays a huge part in non-lifestyle factors, men naturally have a higher chance of having CHD. This chance begins to narrow out when women reach menopause. After the age of 65 the chances are quite equal.
So what causes coronary heart disease, smoking, alcohol, obesity, etc. or does everyone have an equal chance of having it. There is sufficient evidence to support that these factors increases the chance of having coronary heart disease. But there are also people who suffer from CHD when they have looked after themselves and have no hereditary problems which could have caused them to have the condition. But in most cases there is a factor which causes the person to have the condition. The main cause of CHD seems to be related with factors which cause an increase in fat content in the arteries and process which cause that fat to be held there by damaging the lumen wall and allowing fats to be deposited. An unhealthy diet and obesity lead to there being a high fat content in the arteries smoking and high blood pressure cause artery lining to be damaged and this proves these factors increase the chance or developing CHD. So I can conclude it I never too late or too early to reduce these damaging factors. Some risks can be controlled, while others can’t. But CHD is multifactional, the more risk factors that you have, the greater risk of heart disease you have. Cutting down on all the factors you can is the only way you can help prevent it happening to you.
Bibliography
The Texas Heart Institute
Coronary Heart Disease Statistics 2003, BHF publication.
www.bbc.co.uk
