Hypolipidemic Drugs and Atherosclerosis Quiz

• Atherosclerosis is a condition that causes damage to blood vessels, leading to coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Damage can be due to smoking, infection, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
• Plaque build-up in vessels results from damage, causing reduction in blood flow and oxygen supply.
• Stable plaque contains calcium and hardens over time, while unstable plaque is more dangerous and can rupture, causing a blood clot and blocking the artery, leading to heart attack, stroke, or aneurysm.
• Cholesterol is a lipid essential for digesting dietary fats, synthesizing steroid hormones, and creating cell membranes, myelin sheaths, and bile salts.
• Lipoproteins are a combination of apoproteins and cholesterol, with different densities and functions. VLDL, LDL, and HDL are the main types.
• Hypolipidemic drugs are used to lower cholesterol levels and prevent atherosclerosis.
• HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors block the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, reducing cholesterol synthesis and increasing receptor-mediated uptake, leading to LDL levels decline.
• Cholesterol absorption inhibitors such as ezetimibe and bile acid sequestrants prevent the absorption of dietary cholesterol and bile salts, reducing LDL levels.
• Fibric acid derivatives like gemfibrozil and fenofibrate decrease triglyceride levels while increasing HDL.
• Nicotinic acid, a form of vitamin B3, inhibits the hepatic uptake of Ap AI, increasing HDL and reducing LDL and triglycerides.
• Fish oil derivatives containing omega-3 fatty acids reduce plasma triglyceride levels.
• Hypolipidemic drugs have various side effects including myalgia, myopathy, GI problems, insomnia, photosensitivity, and diabetes.

Test your knowledge of hypolipidemic drugs and atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Learn about the causes, effects, and types of plaque in blood vessels.