BRAINCAKEHeart Disease
The heart muscle needs a constant supply of oxygen and glucose for aerobic respiration. It gets this from the coronary arteries, which branch off the aorta and spread over the surface of the heart.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) happens when atherosclerosis develops in the coronary arteries. Plaques narrow the lumen, so less blood can flow through. The heart muscle beyond the narrowed region receives less oxygen. A reduced blood supply to a tissue is called ischaemia.
CHD develops slowly. At first there may be no symptoms, because enough blood gets through while the person is resting. As the narrowing gets worse, the heart muscle cannot get enough oxygen when it has to work harder. CHD can lead to:
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More in Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cardiovascular Diseases in the UK
- Atherosclerosis
- Aneurysms
- Raised Blood Pressure
- Angina
- Thrombosis
- Heart Attacks
- Strokes
All 20 lessons in Cardiovascular Diseases · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics