Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis Can be Described as Hardening of The Arteries!

What is atherosclerosis?

The build up of plaque inside of blood vessels resulting in the reduction of the diameter of the blood vessel with consequent reduction of blood flow and formation of blood clots if the plaque is ruptured or dislodged.  Plaque is made up of:

• fatty substances
• cholesterol
• waste products from cells
• calcium
• iron
• fibrin

Atherosclerosis is a progressive condition and in general the main cause of heart disease. In lay terms it is described as “hardening of the arteries”.

What are the causes?

The main cause is thought to be the outcome of the body’s response to damage to the artery wall from cholesterol, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking.

Other causes:

• High triglycerides. Levels above 400mg/dL have been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis.
• Lack of exercise.
• There  is increased risk in diabetics. Risk can be lowered by keeping the diabetes under control.
• Obesity.
• Heredity.
• Gender. Men are more likely to have heart attacks before the age of 60 than women.
• Age. Men at 45 or older and women at 55 or older are at a higher risk of suffering from atherosclerosis.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms vary depending on where the atherosclerosis has occurred:

• Chest pain, heart attack and sudden death if it occurs in the heart arteries.
• Sudden dizziness, weakness, loss of speech if it occurs in the carotid arteries of the brain.
• Cramping and fatigue in the calves of the legs when walking if it occurs in the femoral arteries of the legs.
• High blood pressure which is resistant to treatment if it occurs in the arteries of the kidneys.

Diagnosis

Physicians can listen to the activity of the arteries with a stethoscope or they can carry out an electrocardiogram and stress test to study the heart’s activity under normal circumstances and during exercise.

They can carry out: echocardiography, which is ultrasound to examine the heart valves and chambers; ultra-sonography, to assess arteries of the neck and thighs, radionuclide angiography and thallium scanning to study blood flow through the heart and arteries. In the latter technique radioactive material is injected into the blood stream.

Treatment

Most common treatments emphasize lifestyle and dietary changes, regular exercise and a diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar, and high in fibre, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Medical intervention include balloon angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery.

Drug treatment is mainly to treat the contributors to the disease like high cholesterol, blood clots and high blood pressure.

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• Cholesterol Basics - Here we explore the basic facts about cholesterol.