Cardiovascular Disease: Prophylactic Treatment (GCSE Biology)
Cardiovascular Disease: Prophylactic Treatment
Prophylactic Treatment
Prophylactic treatment is basically preventative treatment to prevent the disease from occurring. If you know you are at high risk for developing CHD, you can take preventative measures to decrease your risk.
You can make lifestyle changes e.g. by changing your diet, smoking and exercise habits but you can also take medication to reduce your risk.
Statins (Drugs)
- Cholesterol can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. There are two types of cholesterol: Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HDLs are good for you, LDLs on the other hand increase the amount of fatty deposits forming in the bloodstream.
- Statins reduce the amount of LDLs. Statins block a key enzyme in the production of LDLs and so reduce the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries as there is less cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Anticoagulants or Anti-platelets
- Anticoagulants e.g. Warfarin can prevent blood from clotting. This prevents arteries from becoming blocked and thus, reduces the risk of CHD. However, it can cause excessive bleeding if a person is wounded.
- Anti-platelets e.g. Aspirin can thin the blood. This prevents clots forming in arteries and thus, reduces the risk of CHD.
Antihypertensives
- Antihypertensives can reduce blood pressure. These protect the arteries so that their walls aren’t damaged and reduces the risks of plaques forming
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