About Health

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a condition which hardens and narrows the arteries – the blood vessels that supply oxygen and other nutrients to your body’s organs. This can restrict the supply of blood flowing through the arteries which can cause vital organs such as the heart to stop functioning properly. If the supply of blood is constantly interrupted, this may lead to angina, heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Restriction of blood to body tissue can also cause bacterial infections such as gangrene.

Atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for many different conditions involving the flow of blood. Collectively, these conditions are known as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Examples of CVD include:

Peripheral arterial disease – blood supply to your legs is blocked, causing muscle pain
Heart disease
Stroke
Heart attack

As many cardiovascular diseases that are associated with atherosclerosis are serious and can prove fatal, much of the treatment for atherosclerosis is focused on prevention. Your risk of developing atherosclerosis can be dangerously accelerated by a number of factors, including:

Being over 40 years of age
Being overweight
Being a smoker, or having a previous history of heavy smoking
Eating a high-fat diet
Having high blood pressure (hypertension)
Having high levels of cholesterol
Lack of regular exercise or physical activity
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Having diabetes, and
Having a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes

Atherosclerosis does not usually produce any symptoms until your blood circulation becomes restricted or blocked, causing a cardiovascular disease to develop. Your symptoms will then depend on where the blockage occurs. If you have a high risk of developing a CVD, you can be given different types of medicine to reduce the risk of your arteries hardening.