_______________________________________________

ATHEROSCLEROTIC VASCULAR
DISEASES
RISK FACTORS AND PREVENTION
_______________________________________________

By : Fatima Jassim
 Professor Doctor
Muataz Fawzi Hussein
Department of Medicine
College of Medicine
University of Baghdad
 Learning Objectives
• Define atherosclerosis and enumerate the main sites of atherosclerotic vascular
diseases
• Enumerate the risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular diseases and outline
their importance
• Outline the pathophysiological consequences of atherosclerosis
• Explain primary and secondary prevention and outline the strategies used for
prevention of atherosclerotic vascular diseases
Atherosclerosis is a progressive inflammatory disorder of
the arterial wall that is characterized by focal lipid-rich
deposits of atheroma that remain clinically silent until they
become large enough to impair arterial perfusion or until
ulceration or disruption of the lesion results in thrombotic
occlusion or embolization of the affected vessel.
Atherosclerosis is a disorder that begins early in life (in the
second and third decades of life).

Clinical manifestations often do not appear until the sixth,

seventh or eighth decade.
Atherosclerosis may manifest as:
- Coronary heart disease (e.g. angina, myocardial infarction,
sudden death)
- Cerebrovascular disease (e.g. stroke and transient ischaemic
attack) or
- Peripheral vascular disease (e.g. claudication and critical limb
ischaemia).
These entities often coexist and the pathogenesis of the disease
is similar.
Stable lesion
 RISK FACTORS

The effect of risk factors is multiplicative rather than additive.

Assessment should take account of all identifiable risk factors.
The cardiovascular risk factors fall into two categories: modifiable and
non modifiable ‫قابلة للعالج او التداخل حتى نأخرها مثل التدخني او‬
age , sex , family history , genetic ‫غير قابلة للتغير مثل‬ obesity , hypertension , physical activity ,
DM , lipid abnormalities
RISK FACTORS
1.Age and sex
Age is the most powerful independent risk factor for
atherosclerosis.
Pre-menopausal women have much lower rates of disease than
age- and risk-matched males; however, the gender difference
disappears rapidly after the menopause.
Males ≥ 45 yr.
Females ≥ 55 yr.
RISK FACTORS
2.Family history
Atherosclerotic vascular disease often runs in families.
Atherosclerotic vascular disease often runs in families.
This may be due to a combination of shared genetic, environmental and lifestyle (e.g.
smoking, exercise and diet) factors.
A 'positive' family history is present when clinical problems in first-degree relatives occur
at relatively young age, such as < 55 years for men and < 65 years for women.
RISK FACTORS
3.Smoking
Smoking is the most important avoidable cause of
atherosclerotic vascular disease.
RISK FACTORS
4.Hypertension
The incidence of atherosclerosis increases as blood pressure
rises and this excess risk is related to both systolic and diastolic
blood pressure as well as pulse pressure.
RISK FACTORS
5.Dyslipidemia
The risk of coronary heart disease and other forms of atherosclerotic vascular disease rises
with plasma cholesterol concentration and in particular the ratio of total cholesterol to high-
density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
A much weaker correlation also exists with plasma triglyceride concentration.

Lowering serum total and LDL cholesterol concentrations reduces the risk of cardiovascular
events.
RISK FACTORS
6. Diabetes mellitus, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance
This is a potent risk factor for all forms of atherosclerosis and is often associated with
diffuse disease that is difficult to treat.

Insulin resistance is associated with obesity and physical inactivity, and is a risk factor for
coronary artery disease
RISK FACTORS
7.Haemostatic factors
Platelet activation and high levels of fibrinogen are associated with an increased risk
of coronary thrombosis.
Anti-phospholipid antibodies are associated with recurrent arterial thomboses.
RISK FACTORS
8.Physical inactivity
Physical inactivity roughly doubles the risk of coronary heart disease and is a major
risk factor for stroke.
RISK FACTORS
9.Obesity
Obesity, particularly if central or truncal, is an independent risk factor, although it is
often associated with other adverse factors such as hypertension, diabetes and
physical inactivity.
RISK FACTORS

10. Alcohol
Alcohol consumption is associated with reduced rates of coronary artery disease.

Excess alcohol consumption is associated with hypertension and cerebrovascular disease.

RISK FACTORS
11.Other dietary factors

Diets deficient in fresh fruit, vegetables and polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with an
increased risk of vascular disease.
- Low levels of vitamin C, vitamin E and other antioxidants may enhance the production of oxidised
LDL.
- Hyperhomocysteinaemia is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis including stroke and
peripheral vascular disease.
- Low dietary folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 can elevate homocysteine concentrations.
RISK FACTORS
12.Personality
Certain personality traits are associated with an increased risk of coronary disease.
Nevertheless, there is little or no evidence to support the popular belief that stress is a
major cause of coronary artery disease.
 RISK FACTORS

13. Social deprivation.

‫القهر والفقر والحرمان‬

Health inequalities have a major influence on cardiovascular

disease. The impact of established risk factors is amplified in
patients who are socially deprived.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC CONSEQUENCES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Most atheromata produce no clinical manifestations.

Flow-limiting stenosis cause stable syndromes such as

demand-induced angina pectoris or intermittent
claudication in the extremities.

By contrast, many lesions that cause acute or unstable

atherosclerotic syndromes, particularly in the coronary
circulation, may arise from atherosclerotic plaques that do
not produce a flow-limiting stenosis.
PRIMARY PREVENTION
Two complementary strategies can be used to prevent
atherosclerosis in apparently healthy but at-risk individuals.
1. The population strategy aims to modify the risk factors of the
whole population through diet and lifestyle advice on the basis
that even a small reduction in smoking or average cholesterol, or
modification of exercise and diet will produce worthwhile
benefits.
 The recommended
POPULATION ADVICE TO PREVENT CORONARY DISEASE
minutes 30 ‫خالل خمس ايام بالسبوع‬
- Do not smoke ‫اذا جان يدخن يكطع التدخني‬ ‫ دقيقة خالل اسبوع‬150 ‫او‬
- Take regular exercise (minimum of 20 mins, three times a week)
- Maintain 'ideal' body weight
- Eat a mixed diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables
- Aim to get no more than 10% of energy intake from saturated fat
2. The targeted strategy aims to identify and treat high-risk
individuals, who usually have a combination of risk factors and
can be identified by using composite scoring systems.
Secondary Prevention
-Patients who already have evidence of atheromatous vascular
disease (e.g. peripheral vascular disease or myocardial
infarction) are at high risk of another vascular event and can be
offered a variety of treatments and measures that have been
shown to improve their outlook.
-The energetic correction of risk factors, particularly smoking,
hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia, is particularly
important in this patient group because the absolute risk of
further vascular events is very high.
 Secondary Prevention
high doses ‫ ب‬statin ‫الي عندا جلطة الزم نطي‬

-All patients with coronary heart disease should be given statin

therapy irrespective of their serum cholesterol concentration.
140/85 ‫ يكون جوا‬65 ‫ والي فوق ال‬65 ‫ للي جوا‬130/80 ‫معظمهم يكولون اقل‬

-Blood pressure should be treated to a target of ≤ 140/85.

-Aspirin and ACE inhibitors are of benefit in all patients with
primary prevention ‫ ف راح مو مثل قبل جانوا الناس الي عمرهم فوق االربعني ياخذون اسبرين علمود يمنع الجلطة ك‬primary prevention ‫ اما لل‬secondary prevention ‫ لل‬low doses ‫ الزم نطي ب‬aspirin ‫ال‬
‫ الزم‬secondary ‫بعد بي فايدة لكن ك‬
evidence of vascular disease.
-Beta-blockers will benefit patients with a history of myocardial
infarction or heart failure.
CORONARY HEART DISEASE
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of heart
disease and the single most important cause of premature death
in certain parts of world.

Disease of the coronary arteries is almost always due to

atheroma and its complications, particularly thrombosis.
Clinical problem Pathology

Stable angina Ischaemia due to fixed atheromatous stenosis of one or more coronary
arteries

Unstable angina Ischaemia caused by dynamic obstruction of a coronary artery due to

plaque rupture with superimposed thrombosis and spasm

CORONARY
Myocardial HEART DISEASE:
infarction CLINICAL
Myocardial MANIFESTATIONS
necrosis caused by acute AND PATHOLOGY
occlusion of a coronary artery due to
plaque rupture and thrombosis

Heart failure Myocardial dysfunction due to infarction or ischaemia

Arrhythmia Altered conduction due to ischaemia or infarction

Sudden death Ventricular arrhythmia, asystole or massive myocardial infarction