What is atherosclerosis?!
Question: What is atherosclerosis!?
How can it affect the heart!? what causes it!? what are the symptoms!? what are the treatments!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries leading to the brain or heart due to the build-up of atheromatous plaque!. It affects not only the heart but also the brain(stroke)!. Atherosclerosis takes time to build-up on a an artery, it is the main cause of Myocardial Infarction!.
Once the plaque builds up, the lumen of the artery narrows(stenosis), and blood-flow is obstructed, eventually leading to a thrombus!. The plaque can also rupture(vulnerable plaques), causing a thrombus!.
The cause of atherosclerosis is low-density lipoprotein cholesterols!. When this lipoprotein gets through the wall of an artery, oxygen free radicals react with it to form oxidized-LDL!. The immune system reacts by sendin macrophages and helper-T cells to absorb the oxidized-LDL!. Sadly, these white blood cells cannot process the oxidized-LDL, and ultimately grow then rupture, depositing a greater amount of oxidized cholesterol!. And repeating the cycle until the artery becomes inflamed!. The cholesterol plaque causes the muscle cells to enlarge and form a hard cover over the the affected area!. This hard cover is what causes stenosis of the artery, reduced blood flow, and increase blood pressure!. Basically, LDL's get deposited in the arteries, while HDL's are processed in the liver for eventual excretion!.
Atherosclerosis remains asymptomatic for years!. Fortunately angiograms detect clots in arteries, preventing a possible heart-attack if treated!.
Treatments for atherosclerosis include surgical intervention, which is a coronary bypass artery graft, or a prophylaxis, with low doses of statins and aspirins(anti-coagulants)!. It is preventable however, with a proper diet low in LDL's saturated fats and trans-fats, and a diet high in omega-3's and HDL's can significantly reduce atherosclerosis!.
If atherosclerosis remains unchecked, a stroke or heart attack can occur!. In a heart attack, the 1st symptom is Angina/myocardial ischemia, which can be relieved by rest and nitrates!. Myocardial Infarction on the other hand cannot be relieved by rest or nitrates, and patients need to get medical attention STAT!.
Additional info:
Myocardial infarction - retrosternal or substernal chest pain radiating to the back and jaw!. it has an elevated ST segment, large Q wave, in an ECG strip!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Once the plaque builds up, the lumen of the artery narrows(stenosis), and blood-flow is obstructed, eventually leading to a thrombus!. The plaque can also rupture(vulnerable plaques), causing a thrombus!.
The cause of atherosclerosis is low-density lipoprotein cholesterols!. When this lipoprotein gets through the wall of an artery, oxygen free radicals react with it to form oxidized-LDL!. The immune system reacts by sendin macrophages and helper-T cells to absorb the oxidized-LDL!. Sadly, these white blood cells cannot process the oxidized-LDL, and ultimately grow then rupture, depositing a greater amount of oxidized cholesterol!. And repeating the cycle until the artery becomes inflamed!. The cholesterol plaque causes the muscle cells to enlarge and form a hard cover over the the affected area!. This hard cover is what causes stenosis of the artery, reduced blood flow, and increase blood pressure!. Basically, LDL's get deposited in the arteries, while HDL's are processed in the liver for eventual excretion!.
Atherosclerosis remains asymptomatic for years!. Fortunately angiograms detect clots in arteries, preventing a possible heart-attack if treated!.
Treatments for atherosclerosis include surgical intervention, which is a coronary bypass artery graft, or a prophylaxis, with low doses of statins and aspirins(anti-coagulants)!. It is preventable however, with a proper diet low in LDL's saturated fats and trans-fats, and a diet high in omega-3's and HDL's can significantly reduce atherosclerosis!.
If atherosclerosis remains unchecked, a stroke or heart attack can occur!. In a heart attack, the 1st symptom is Angina/myocardial ischemia, which can be relieved by rest and nitrates!. Myocardial Infarction on the other hand cannot be relieved by rest or nitrates, and patients need to get medical attention STAT!.
Additional info:
Myocardial infarction - retrosternal or substernal chest pain radiating to the back and jaw!. it has an elevated ST segment, large Q wave, in an ECG strip!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Atherosclerosis is a disease affecting arterial blood vessels!. It is a chronic inflammatory response in the walls of arteries, in large part due to the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and promoted by low density (especially small particle) lipoproteins (plasma proteins that carry cholesterol and triglycerides) without adequate removal of fats and cholesterol from the macrophages by functional high density lipoproteins(HDL), (see apoA-1 Milano)!. It is commonly referred to as a "hardening" or "furring" of the arteries!. It is caused by the formation of multiple plaques within the arteries!.Atherosclerosis typically begins in early adolescence, and is usually found in most major arteries, yet is asymptomatic and not detected by most diagnostic methods during life!. Autopsies of healthy young men that died during the Korean and Vietnam Wars showed evidence of the disease!.[5] [6] It most commonly becomes seriously symptomatic when interfering with the coronary circulation supplying the heart or cerebral circulation supplying the brain, and is considered the most important underlying cause of strokes, heart attacks, various heart diseases including congestive heart failure, and most cardiovascular diseases, in general!. Atheroma in arm, or, more often, leg arteries, and producing decreased blood flow, is called Peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD)!.
According to United States data for the year 2004, for about 65% of men and 47% of women, the first symptom of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is heart attack or sudden cardiac death (death within one hour of onset of the symptom)!.
Most artery flow disrupting events occur at locations with less than 50% lumen narrowing (~20% stenosis is average)!. [The reader might reflect that the illustration above, like most illustrations of arterial disease, overemphasizes lumen narrowing, as opposed to compensatory external diameter enlargement (at least within smaller arteries, e!.g!., heart arteries) typical of the atherosclerosis process as it progresses, see Glagov[7] and the ASTEROID trial,[8] the IVUS photographs on page 8, as examples for a more accurate understanding!. The relative geometry error within the illustration is common to many older illustrations, an error slowly being more commonly recognized within the last decade!.]
Cardiac stress testing, traditionally the most commonly performed non-invasive testing method for blood flow limitations, in general, detects only lumen narrowing of ~75% or greater, although some physicians claim that nuclear stress methods can detect as little as 50%!.If atherosclerosis leads to symptoms, some symptoms such as angina pectoris can be treated!. Non-pharmaceutical means are usually the first method of treatment, such as cessation of smoking and practicing regular exercise!. If these methods do not work, medicines are usually the next step in treating cardiovascular diseases, and, with improvements, have increasingly become the most effective method over the long term!. However, medicines are criticized for their expense, patented control and occasional undesired effects!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
According to United States data for the year 2004, for about 65% of men and 47% of women, the first symptom of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is heart attack or sudden cardiac death (death within one hour of onset of the symptom)!.
Most artery flow disrupting events occur at locations with less than 50% lumen narrowing (~20% stenosis is average)!. [The reader might reflect that the illustration above, like most illustrations of arterial disease, overemphasizes lumen narrowing, as opposed to compensatory external diameter enlargement (at least within smaller arteries, e!.g!., heart arteries) typical of the atherosclerosis process as it progresses, see Glagov[7] and the ASTEROID trial,[8] the IVUS photographs on page 8, as examples for a more accurate understanding!. The relative geometry error within the illustration is common to many older illustrations, an error slowly being more commonly recognized within the last decade!.]
Cardiac stress testing, traditionally the most commonly performed non-invasive testing method for blood flow limitations, in general, detects only lumen narrowing of ~75% or greater, although some physicians claim that nuclear stress methods can detect as little as 50%!.If atherosclerosis leads to symptoms, some symptoms such as angina pectoris can be treated!. Non-pharmaceutical means are usually the first method of treatment, such as cessation of smoking and practicing regular exercise!. If these methods do not work, medicines are usually the next step in treating cardiovascular diseases, and, with improvements, have increasingly become the most effective method over the long term!. However, medicines are criticized for their expense, patented control and occasional undesired effects!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Go to www!.healthline!.com and in the search put atherosclerosis!. and it will tall you what you want!.Www@Answer-Health@Com