What is it?
It is when the arteries become clogged by fatty substances which are known as plaques or atheroma and can, over time, restrict blood flow. The disease may begin in childhood and slowly develop over time and begin to escalate as you age. Although researchers are uncertain as to what exactly causes the disease it is believed that;smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension and high sugar levels in blood (possibly due to diabetes) could be factors that cause this build up.
As atherosclerosis progressively develops it is eventually made up of atheroma which is the flaky material at the centre of the plaque made up of macrophages nearest to the lumen, crystallised cholesterol and calcified lesions.
This occurs when lipid accumulates on the endothelial of the arteries and thus the endothelial cells express adhesion molecules that attract an immune response predominantly monocytes.
Monocytes and macrophages ingest the lipid molecules to form foam molecules this stimulates an inflammatory response from platelets and forms a clot , cholesterol begins to accumulate and builds up to form an atheroma. Calcium builds up swells and hardens the plaque making the artery narrow due to the reduced elasticity.over time an area of plaque can rupture and break off ( this may even be caused by the hypertension made worse by the plaque build up in the first place.) If this occurs more platelets may stick to the rupture and trap red blood cells causing a clot. This can cause serious damage as if this clot is to break off this can worsen angina, cause myocardial infarctions or even strokes if the clot is carried to the brain.
Risk factors
Symptoms
symptoms depend on which arteries are affected;
coronary arteries, carotid arteries, peripheral arteries or renal arteries.
angina (chest, shoulder, arm, jaw, neck or back pain)
shortness of breath
arrhythmia.
fatigue and weakness
confusion
in serious cases the major symptoms will be if a heart attack occurs or a stroke but hopefully the disease will be spotted before this occurs.
Treatment
Lifestyle changes- healthier diet and increased exercise.
ACE inhibitors to decrease blood pressure
Statins to reduce cholesterol levels
surgery may be required to widen narrowed arteries.- upon further research i have found that this may include angioplastys with stent treatment. I observed angiograms and angioplastys in my work experience so it was really interesting to find out more about the diseases i may have seen being treated. I will explain angioplastys (with balloon expandable stents in a blog post as it is something that particularly interests me.)
Bibliography
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis/signs
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/atherosclerosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2040119/
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherosclerosis
It is when the arteries become clogged by fatty substances which are known as plaques or atheroma and can, over time, restrict blood flow. The disease may begin in childhood and slowly develop over time and begin to escalate as you age. Although researchers are uncertain as to what exactly causes the disease it is believed that;smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension and high sugar levels in blood (possibly due to diabetes) could be factors that cause this build up.
As atherosclerosis progressively develops it is eventually made up of atheroma which is the flaky material at the centre of the plaque made up of macrophages nearest to the lumen, crystallised cholesterol and calcified lesions.
This occurs when lipid accumulates on the endothelial of the arteries and thus the endothelial cells express adhesion molecules that attract an immune response predominantly monocytes.
Monocytes and macrophages ingest the lipid molecules to form foam molecules this stimulates an inflammatory response from platelets and forms a clot , cholesterol begins to accumulate and builds up to form an atheroma. Calcium builds up swells and hardens the plaque making the artery narrow due to the reduced elasticity.over time an area of plaque can rupture and break off ( this may even be caused by the hypertension made worse by the plaque build up in the first place.) If this occurs more platelets may stick to the rupture and trap red blood cells causing a clot. This can cause serious damage as if this clot is to break off this can worsen angina, cause myocardial infarctions or even strokes if the clot is carried to the brain.
Risk factors
- High cholesterol levels
- hypertension
- smoking due to the tightening of blood vessels and chemicals that damage the lining of the arteries.
- diabetes
- obesity
- lack of physical activity
- old age (risk increases over 45 for men and over the age of 55 for women) due to the decreasing flexibility of arteries
- Family history of heart disease
- gender- oestrogen in females can help prevent plaque build up
Symptoms
symptoms depend on which arteries are affected;
coronary arteries, carotid arteries, peripheral arteries or renal arteries.
angina (chest, shoulder, arm, jaw, neck or back pain)
shortness of breath
arrhythmia.
fatigue and weakness
confusion
in serious cases the major symptoms will be if a heart attack occurs or a stroke but hopefully the disease will be spotted before this occurs.
Treatment
Lifestyle changes- healthier diet and increased exercise.
ACE inhibitors to decrease blood pressure
Statins to reduce cholesterol levels
surgery may be required to widen narrowed arteries.- upon further research i have found that this may include angioplastys with stent treatment. I observed angiograms and angioplastys in my work experience so it was really interesting to find out more about the diseases i may have seen being treated. I will explain angioplastys (with balloon expandable stents in a blog post as it is something that particularly interests me.)
Bibliography
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis/signs
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/atherosclerosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2040119/
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherosclerosis