Atherosclerosis : Causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

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Atherosclerosis
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Atherosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis  is a disease in which plaque
  builds up inside your arteries. Plaque is a
  sticky substance made up of fat, cholesterol,
  calcium, and other substances found in the blood.
  Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your
  arteries. That limits the flow of oxygen-rich
  blood to your body.

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Plaques from atherosclerosis can behave in
different ways

• They can stay in the artery wall. There, the
  plaque grows to a certain size and stops. Since
  this plaque doesn't block blood flow, it may
  never cause symptoms
• Plaque can grow in a slow, controlled way into
  the path of blood flow. Eventually, it causes
  significant blockages. Pain in the chest or legs
  when you exert yourself is the usual symptom.
• The worst happens when plaques suddenly rupture,
  allowing blood to clot inside an artery. In the
  brain, this causes a stroke in the heart, a heart
  attack.

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Atherosclerosis can be caused without any reason
or cause. Among 300 apparently healthy people

• 52 had some atherosclerosis.
• It was present in 85 of those older than 50.
• 17 of teenagers had it.

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Symptoms of atherosclerosis

• Symptoms can be same or different to heart
  attack, which can be mistreated, so having
  following symptoms must be diagnosed as fast as
  possible
• Chest pain or angina
• Pain in leg, arm, and anywhere else that has
  a blocked artery
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Confusion, which occurs if the blockage affects
  circulation to your brain
• Muscle weakness in your legs from lack of
  circulation

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Causes of atherosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease
  that may start in childhood. In some people, it
  progresses rapidly in their 30s. In others, it
  doesn't become dangerous until they reach their
  50s or 60s. Some hardening of the arteries is
  normal as you age.

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Causes of atherosclerosis
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• Cause of atherosclerosis is still not known. It
  is believed that plaque begins when an artery's
  inner lining (called the endothelium) becomes
  damaged. Three possible causes of damage are
• Elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
  in the blood
• High blood pressure
• Cigarette smoking
• Smoking has a big role in the growth of
  atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, aorta
  and arteries in the legs. It makes fatty deposits
  more likely to form and to grow bigger and faster.

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Risk factors of atherosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis  is preventable. Risk factors
  for this may include
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Abdominal obesity
• Stress
• Not eating fruits and vegetables
• Excess alcohol intake
• Not exercising regularly

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Treatments of atherosclerosis

• There may be two types of treatments depending
  on the severity of atherosclerosis, it may
  include
• Medication- It can help prevent atherosclerosis
  from worsening. Medications may include
• Cholesterol-lowering medications, including
  statins and fibric acid derivatives
• Antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants, such as
  aspirin, to prevent blood from clotting and
  clogging your arteries
• Beta blockers or calcium channel blockers to
  lower your blood pressure
• Diuretics, or water pills, to help lower your
  blood pressure
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,
  which help prevent narrowing of your arteries

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Treatments of atherosclerosis
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• Surgery-In some cases, surgery may be necessary
  if symptoms are especially severe, or if muscle
  or skin tissue are endangered. Possible surgeries
  for treating atherosclerosis include
• Bypass surgery-Which involves using a vessel from
  somewhere else in the patient's body or a
  synthetic tube to divert blood around the blocked
  or narrowed artery
• Thrombolytic therapy-Which involves dissolving a
  blood clot by injecting a drug into the affected
  artery
• Angioplasty-Which involves using a thin, flexible
  tube called a catheter and a balloon to expand
  the artery, sometimes inserting a stent to leave
  the artery open
• Endarterectomy-Which involves surgically removing
  fatty deposits from the artery
• Atherectomy-Which involves removing plaque from
  your arteries by using a catheter with sharp
  blade at one end

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Diagnosis of atherosclerosis

• A physical test is performed if anybody show
  symptoms of artherosclerosis. It will check for
• a weakened pulse
• an aneurysm, which is an abnormal bulging or
  widening of an artery due to weakness of the
  arterial wall
• slow wound healing, which indicates a restricted
  blood flow
• Certain imaging test and blood test can be done
  to confirm atherosclerosis, which may include
• a blood test to check your cholesterol levels
• a Doppler ultrasound, which uses sound waves to
  create a picture of the artery that shows if
  there's a blockage

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Diagnosis of atherosclerosis
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• ankle-brachial index test, which looks for a
  blockage in arms or legs by comparing the blood
  pressure in each limb
• magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed
  tomography angiography (CTA) to create pictures
  of the large arteries in our body
• cardiac angiogram, which requires an injection of
  a radioactive dye that can be seen on X-rays to
  create a picture of the arteries in our heart
• an electrocardiogram (EKG), which measures the
  electrical activity in your heart to look for any
  areas of decreased blood flow
• a stress test, or exercise tolerance test, which
  monitors the heart rate and blood pressure while
  anyone exercise on a treadmill or stationary
  bicycle

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Complications from atherosclerosis

• Certain disease can occur from atherosclerosis,
  which may include
• Coronary artery disease-Coronary artery disease
  occurs when the coronary arteries of our heart
  become hard. The coronary arteries are blood
  vessels that provide our heart's muscle tissue
  with oxygen and blood. Plaque prevents blood flow
  to the heart.
• Carotid artery disease-The carotid arteries are
  found in our neck and supply blood to your brain.
  These arteries may be compromised if plaque
  builds up in their walls. The lack of circulation
  may reduce how much blood and oxygen reaches your
  brain's tissue and cells.

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Complications from atherosclerosis
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• Peripheral artery disease-Our legs, arms, and
  lower body depend on your arteries to supply
  blood and oxygen to their tissues. Hardened
  arteries can cause circulation problems in these
  areas of the body.
• Kidney disease-The renal arteries supply blood to
  our kidneys. Kidneys filter waste products and
  extra water from your blood. Atherosclerosis of
  these arteries may lead to kidney failure.
• Atherosclerosis may be deadly is not treated, or
  diagnosed in right time. Correct diagnosis can
  decrease further risk.

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