Year 11 Human Biology - (Heart Disease) Report on a Biological Issue

This page will assist Year 11 Human Biology Students to learn about Coronary Heart Disease and different perspective on causes, prevention strategies and treatment for Coronary Heart Disease.  It is designed to assist students in completing a full written report for

Biology 1.2 (AS90926) Report on a Biological Issue (3 credits)

According to NZQA, a full report for excellence must include the following:

·      refining a given or agreed question or purpose

·      explaining the biological ideas that are related to the question or purpose

·      collecting and processing primary or secondary data and/or information from a range of sources

·      identifying at least two different points of view supported by evidence

·      taking and justifying a position on the issue

·      presenting findings.

The given question for this report is:

"In what ways can we reduce the risk of New Zealanders suffering from Coronary Heart Disease?"

Your task is to refine this question to explore at least two risk factors that increase the risk of developing heart disease and at least two lifestyle factors that decrease the risk of developing heart disease.

It is important to credit your sources as you report on their viewpoints and integrate ideas to come up with your own strategy or action plan.

Follow the writing frame to guide you as you explore the resources below.

HOW THE HEART WORKS

This "crash course" video provides a good review of the parts
of the heart and how it functions. Please pay attention to the ideas around blood pressure as you will need them later.
(Remember you can go to the settings icon and change the playback speed to 0.75 if you feel he speaks too fast.)

CORONARY HEART DISEASE

This video outlines the main anatomy of bood vessels feeding the heart and also what happens when these vessels become damaged or blocked.

After watching this video answer the following questions:

1. If the heart is pumping blood constantly why can it not just get oxygen from the blood in the atria and ventricles?
2. What is the name of the arteries that feed the heart muscle with oxygen and glucose?
3. Explain a step by step process that causes arteries to become clogged? (use the words atherosclerosis and plaque in your explanation.
4. What is the consequence for the heart when plaques develop in the blood vessels?
5. What is angina pectoris and what causes it?
6. Explain the difference between thrombosis and embolisation?
7. Why must someone who has a heart attack seek medical attention within 20 minutes?



It's now time to explore some of the factors that may lead to coronary heart disease.



1. What is a risk factor?
2. What 3 factors are non-modifiable? Summarise the comparissons for each named factor.
3. Which type of cholesterol is most harmful?
4. Which other fat in the blood can be a risk factor?
5. How does hypertension cause a problem?
6. Why is quitting smoking a preventative action?
7. How does diabetes cause heart disease?
8. What other lifestyle decisions does the video suggest would be helpful?
9. How do these actions reduce the risk of heart disease?