The table shows some different pharmacological treatments used to maintain cardiovascular health by managing hypertension (high blood pressure):
| Treatment | Main mechanism of action |
|---|---|
| Beta-blockers | Reduce the heart rate and the force of myocardial contraction |
| ACE inhibitors | Block the production of angiotensin II, preventing the constriction of blood vessels |
| Diuretics | Promote the excretion of sodium and water in urine, reducing total blood volume |
| Calcium channel blockers | Inhibit calcium influx into vascular smooth muscle cells, causing them to relax |
Which of these treatments lower blood pressure primarily by directly promoting the relaxation and widening (dilation) of blood vessels?
Beta-blockers and diuretics
ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers
Beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors
Diuretics and calcium channel blockers
97 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 6.3 Monitoring and maintaining health, covering 6.3.1 Health and disease, 6.3.2 Interactions between diseases, 6.3.3 Spread of communicable diseases, 6.3.4 Common infections and diseases, 6.3.5 Physical plant defence responses, 6.3.6 Chemical plant defence responses, 6.3.7 Detecting and identifying plant diseases, 6.3.8 White blood cells and platelets, 6.3.9 Non-specific defence systems, 6.3.10 The immune system, 6.3.11 Monoclonal antibodies, 6.3.12 Vaccines and medicines, 6.3.13 Aseptic techniques, 6.3.14 Discovery and development of new medicines, 6.3.15 Causes of non-communicable diseases, 6.3.16 Treatments for cardiovascular disease, 6.3.17 Lifestyle factors and non-communicable diseases, 6.3.18 Cancer, 6.3.19 Stem cells in medicine, 6.3.20 Gene technology in medicine, and 6.3.21 The human genome and medicine. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.