What is Atherosclerosis ?

Atherosclerosis contributes to nearly one-half of death and illness in the United States. About 40 feet of large and small arteries throughout the body, down to about the size of a soda straw, are the site of this problem. Small plaques (patches), made mostly of cholesterol, accumulate on the inside walls of these arteries, this results in narrowing of the arteries. The narrow and irregular artery now becomes susceptible to a sudden blood clot. This can cause a heart attack or stroke. Or, it can result in so much narrowing of the artery that not enough oxygen-carrying blood can get through. This can cause angina or intermittent claudication (discussed below). The various syndromes depend on the particular arteries that are involved and whether there is a sudden clot or a continually weak blood flow. Evidence now points out that atherosclerotic plaques that are already in place can shrink in size with diet and exercise. Reduction in plaques has been scientifically shown in monkeys and most recently through X-ray dye studies (arteriograms) of human hearts.

Atherosclerotic deaths are usually due to heart attack or stroke. These can result from sudden formation of blood clot in the arteries of the heart or brain. There is increasingly good treatment for these clots immediately after they have formed, but not having the clot at all is far better.

Heart attack and stroke can also be non-fatal problems. These cause a great deal of pain and disability. Additionally, atherosclerosis causes many other non-fatal problems. Angina pectoris (heart pain) results from inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle. Pain results when exercise and other activities increase the heart’s need for oxygen that cannot be supplied through the narrowed artery. Intermittent claudication is a similar condition involving the arteries to the legs. Pain in the legs comes during exercise when the leg muscles need more oxygen than they can receive.

Congestive heart failure results when the heart is unable to pump as much blood as the body needs due to weakening or scaring of the heart muscle. Transient ischemic attacks are like little strokes in which short-lived clots form in the arteries that supply blood to the brain. Multiple infarct dementia results when recurrent small clots in the brain result in death of some brain tissue. This damages thinking and memory. Kidney function can break down when the arteries leading to the kidney become narrowed.