Review Questions
- What is the cause of blood pressure?
- How is the pulse related to blood pressure?
- Is the blood in veins under pressure? Explain your answer.
- What is the healthy range for blood pressure?
- When is a person considered to have hypertension?
- Why is hypertension called a silent killer?
- A stroke is often called abrain attack, in a similar way to aheart attack. How are
these two things similar? - What is atherosclerosis?
- What is a risk factor?
- What is the difference between a controllable risk factor and an uncontrollable risk
factor? - Why are cardiovascular diseases called lifestyle diseases?
- Identify three things a person could do to reduce their chances of developing a CVD.
Vocabulary
angina Chest pain caused by the lack of oxygen to the heart muscle; can happen during
times of stress or physical activity.
atherosclerosis A chronic inflammation of the walls of arteries that causes swelling and a
buildup of material called plaque.
blood pressure The force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels.
cardiovascular disease (CVD) Any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, al-
though the term is usually used to describe diseases that are linked to atherosclerosis.
coronary heart disease The end result of the buildup of plaques within the walls of the
coronary arteries.
heart attack Event that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is blocked.
hypertension Also called high blood pressure; a condition in which a person’s blood pres-
sure is always high; the systolic blood pressure is always 140 mm Hg or higher, and/or
their diastolic blood pressure is always 90 mm Hg or higher.
plaque Cell pieces made up of fatty substances, calcium, and connective tissue that build
up around the area of inflammation; builds up on the lining of blood vessels.