Activity No.

1
Love of Lab
Heart disease is one of the most common causes of deaths
worldwide. Medically referred to as atherosclerosis or hardening of the
arteries, it is a condition caused by the buildup of yellowish fatty
deposits called plaques inside the arteries. There are several risk factors
associated with heart disease such as:

 Hypercholesterolemia (increased blood

cholesterol level)
 Increased in low density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol)
 High blood pressure
 Smoking
 Diabetes mellitus
 Obesity

Choose two risks factors listed above and research on the reasons why they cause
atherosclerosis. You can interview a medical practitioner or search in the library or the internet.

High Blood Pressure Obesity

Atherosclerosis is a multi-factorial disease, and
the relationship with some factors can be two-
way, such as in high blood pressure. In patients
with Hypertension, the high pressure in the
blood vessels (to facilitate blood flow) can cause
damage to the blood vessels. The flow of blood
tends to become turbulent and erratic. Therefore,
build-up of blood cells and other matters can
cause or add to atherosclerotic plaque.
Oppositely, when a plaque is present in the blood
vessel, the lumen (passageway) narrows,
resulting in high pressure in the blood vessel.
Obesity causes and contributes to
atherosclerosis in multiple ways: 1. Obesity
can cause hypertension 2. Obesity can cause
hyperlipidemia/hypercholesterolemia (high
blood lipid/cholesterol levels), and these fat
substances in the blood can lodge onto the
blood vessel walls and pile up, creating a
plaque 3. Obesity causes a general
inflammation reaction in the body - therefore,
inflammation reaction substances are produced
or activated. Then it leads to a build-up of
cells on the blood vessel wall again, causing
plaque formation.