thrombi/ atheroma

[mollykins]

I've got just about all of my revision done for the above subject, but one thing that still confuses me is that they are both due to high blood pressure which damages the vessel wall, but what causes this to sometimes form a clot and sometimes an atheroma?

[Sqad]

molly

<<<<is that they are both due to high blood pressure <<<
No! no!, they may be, but not always.

Atheroma is static....it doesnt move and makes thee lining of the arterial wall irregular and it should be smooth.

Blood, comes along and instead of sliding by a smooth bit of arterial lining, brushes by a plaque of atheroma and stick to it maybe blocking the whole artery....this is a THROMBUS.
If a part of this thrombus breaks away it can be washed along the vessels of the body and this is an EMBOLUS.

[mollykins]

So an atheroma could cause a thrombi, it all makes sense now . . . . :D thanks squad, where would I be without you?

[Sqad]

LOL........nowhere my love.....LOL

[mollykins]

aarrgghhhh well from what you're saying it could, but there are many other causes?

[mollykins]

Such as the high blood pressure and high (bad) cholesterol levels . . .

[marie26]

The atheroma builds up in the wall of the artery over a number of years. Macrophages and LDL cholesterol and other debris gradually increase and it grows bigger, and it may bulge inwards causing the artery to narrow. The smooth lining on the inside of the artery (only one cell thickness) may be breached (by the bulge) causing platlets and other clotting material to gather to repair the breach. The bulge causes turbulence of the blood flow and the 'repair' and/or atheroma material may flow downstream causing further damage, for example, heart attack or one type of stroke. Controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol levels are therfore very important strategies in reducing the damage.

[mollykins]

The wall of the blood vessel's called the endothelium btw.

[PokerMan]

oh Gawd. is docspock about?

[mollykins]

I came third overall. But on the specialist round I got ten, but so did two other people (doing other topics)

[Sqad]

molly...well played my love.

[mollykins]

Thanks, but I got a couple wrong because i was saying for example thrombin is turned into prothrombin but it's the other way round!

[Sqad]

It does my sweet. ;-)

[mollykins]

I must have said it the other way round then. See I knew the answer it's just i got it wrong on the actual quiz grrrrrr.....

[mollykins]

*sigh* and I did actually just do a big sigh . . .