Topic 5, Lesson 2: Cardiovascular Disease

COMBINED SCIENCE textbook pages 72-73

TRIPLE SCIENCE textbook pages 100-101

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
● To describe the causes of cardiovascular disease.
● To know a range of treatments for cardiovascular disease.
● To discuss the reliability of BMI and ‘waist to hip ratio’ as a risk factor for
CVD.
● To be able to explain how a stent is used as a treatment for CVD.

STARTER ACTIVITY:
Read pages 100-101 (TS) or 72-73 (CS)

ACTIVITY - CLASS DISCUSSION - how does each key term relate to CVD? Make
notes in the table below as we go through each one.

KEY TERM NOTES

Malnutrition Health problems caused by a diet that contains too little or

too much of one or more nutrients

Smoking Breathing in smoke, nicotine and tobacco

Clogged arteries Blocked blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart

High blood The high amount of red blood cells present on a human
pressure body

Blood clots Barriers that block the flow of blood across a human body

Heart attack When the heart stops pumping properly due to a lack of
oxygen reaching part of its muscle tissue

Stroke Death of brain cells caused by a lack of blood, due to a

blockage in a blood vessel in the brain

BMI (Body Mass An estimate of how healthy a person's mass is for their
Index) height

Waist to hip ratio A measure of the amount of fat in the body, calculated by
dividing the waist circumference by the hip circumference

Stents A small mesh tube used to widen narrowed blood vessels

 and allow blood to flow more easily

ACTIVITY [HPL skill : Analysing - categorising information]

Make a list of causes and treatments of CVD in the table below:

Causes Treatments

Malnutrition Weight loss.

Lack of Exercise Regular exercise. Lifestyle Treatment
Smoking Quit smoking
Clogged arteries/ blood clots Medicines
Stent. Medical Treatmen
Heart/ blood vessel transplants

QUESTION:
What is a ‘risk factor’?
Something that helps to predict the chance of having a heart attack
Something that increases the likelihood of you having a heart attack
A test using a BMI AND waist and hip ratio

RISK FACTORS OF CVD:

Make a list of the things that can predict if you have, or are developing CVD
High BMI
Obesity
High Blood Pressure
Smoking
Drugs
Lack of Exercise

NOTES:
BMI vs. Waist to Hip ratio
BMI = mass / height squared
Waist : Hip = waist circumference / hip circumference
Waist : Hip is more accurate for predicting CVD as it measures the amount of
abdominal fat you have

ACTIVITY - STENTS
Find a picture of a stent from the internet and insert it below.

Read the bottom paragraph of page 101 (TS) or 73 (CS) AND the text below. Then, in
your own words, describe what a stent is and what it is used for:
A stent is a small mesh at the narrowest part of blood vessel. It is used to widen
blood vessels by compressing the plaque to prevent CVD for a couple of years.

When an artery becomes blocked by fatty deposits ('plaque'), a stent can be used
to restore blood flow by compressing the plaque against the sides of the artery.
The stent does not remove the plaque
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Read pages 96-99 (TS) or 68-71 (CS) AND the information from this link, and make a
note of any important information not covered in the activities above.

These notes can be displayed in any format of your choosing, but be sure to
consider the following:

LDL low density lipoproteins

HDL high density lipoproteins
Antioxidants are used to remove free radicals ('rogue electrons' )

How a stent works:

1. A stent and balloon are set in place at the narrowest part of a blood vessel
(fatty deposits narrow the artery)
 2. The balloon is inflated to open the blood vessel and the stent
3. The balloon is removed and the stent holds the artery open

PEER ASSESSMENT
Read 2 or 3 other students notes and fill in the table below:

Peer assessment

Facts from their

work you should add
to your own work

What impressed you

about their work:

What could you do

to improve your work
for next time?

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. Why is waist to hip ratio more reliable than BMI as an indicator of CVD?
This is because it measures the abdominal fat you have

2. BMI and waist to hip ratio are neither causes nor symptoms of CVD. How
would you categorise them?
Tests/ Risk factors

3. Studies have shown there is a low rate of CVD in mediterranean

populations. People in the mediterranean traditionally eat high amounts of
olive oil and garlic compared to populations in other parts of the world.
Why is it so difficult to prove that eating high rates of olive oil and garlic
prevent CVD?

EXTENSION WORK:
Heart problems - pacemakers, artificial hearts and valve replacements
Click on the link to open the document to read and make notes:
1. Pacemakers
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2. Artificial hearts
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3. Leaky valves
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LEARNING REVIEW:
Reflect on the subject information covered in this document and note anything
that you do not fully understand in the space below.
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● Links to further resources: CVD exam questions. CVD worksheet.

● REVIEW of exam questions/revision activities - what areas did you find difficult/do
you need to improve further?
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