NURS 201 Lecture Notes - Coronary Artery Disease, Low-Density Lipoprotein, Coronary Circulation
28 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
Coronary artery disease (cad) is a type of blood vessel disorder included in the general category of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is characterized by a focal deposit of cholesterol and lipids within the intimal wall of the artery. Inflammation and endothelial injury play a central role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cad is a progressive disease that develops in stages and when it becomes symptomatic, the disease process is usually well advanced. Normally some arterial anastomoses or connections, termed collateral circulation, exist within the coronary circulation. The growth and extent of collateral circulation are attributed to two factors: (1) the inherited predisposition to develop new blood vessels (angiogenesis), and (2) the presence of chronic ischemia. Elevated serum lipid levels are one of the four most firmly established risk factors for cad. Lipids combine with proteins to form lipoproteins and are vehicles for fat mobilization and transport.
