Risk factors and treatment of cardiovascular diseaseEdexcel A-Level Biology A: Flashcards

What these 13 flashcards ask

What is a risk factor?
Which risk factors for CVD cannot be changed?
Why does age increase the risk of CVD?
Why are women at lower risk of CVD before the menopause?
How does a diet high in salt increase the risk of CVD?
How does a diet high in saturated fat increase the risk of CVD?
How does carbon monoxide in smoke affect the blood?
How does nicotine increase the risk of CVD?
What does an antihypertensive do?
What is the benefit and risk of statins?
What does an anticoagulant do, and what is its main risk?
How does a platelet inhibitor such as aspirin work?
Why does a correlation between a factor and CVD not prove a cause?

Exam questions on Risk factors and treatment of cardiovascular disease

A 55-year-old man smokes 20 cigarettes a day. His father had a heart attack at the age of 52. At a health check his doctor tells him that he has several risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Explain how smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.2 marks
A health charity is advising the public on diet and cardiovascular disease. It notes that many processed foods are high in both salt and saturated fat, and that a typical person's intake of both exceeds the recommended level.
Explain how a diet high in saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.2 marks
A study followed 40 000 men and 40 000 women, all aged between 45 and 64, for ten years. During that time 2 400 of the men and 1 200 of the women had a first heart attack.
Calculate the percentage of men and the percentage of women who had a heart attack, and compare the risk for the two groups.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).