Atherosclerosis is a condition in which arteries become narrowed and hardened due to build up of plaque inside the artery.

1. Atherosclerosis

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Causes of atherosclerosis
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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8. 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

9. 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
 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:

10. Treatments of atherosclerosis
 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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11. 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

12. Diagnosis of atherosclerosis
 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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13. 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.

14. Complications from atherosclerosis
 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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