What Is Hardening of the Arteries?
Hardening of the arteries is a disease in which the arterial tissue degenerates to the point where it becomes hardened. Hardening of the arterial tissue can occur due to a number of factors including poor diet, smoking, illegal drug use and abuse of alcohol. Hardening of the arteries often leads to other circulatory system breakdowns such as stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Hardening of the arteries is an incurable condition which cannot be fixed by medication or surgery. The best prevention methods to avoid developing hardened arteries are a healthy diet, exercise, low alcohol intake, not smoking and not using illegal drugs.
Initial Development
The initial development of hardened arteries starts in the cellular lining of the arteries. In the earliest stages, small streaks of yellow fat develop in the blood vessels. This is caused by the depositing of fat into the walls of the arteries. The streaks of fat will not cause any symptoms of hardening of the arteries to be readily apparent. Over time, the yellow fat will turn into plaque, which will impede the flow of blood through the arteries.
How Arterial Plaque Forms
The plaque that forms in arteries is caused by the buildup of low density lipoprotein (LDL) along the lining of the arteries. LDL is a form of cholesterol. When too much LDL is present in the bloodstream, it collects in the arterial wall. Over time the LDL turns into a foam in the arterial wall. Other cells are then attracted to the foam buildup and this speeds up the accumulation of more LDL in the arterial wall. In some cases the plaque in one section of arteries will break off and travel to arteries in other parts of the body.
Why Some People Develop Hardened Arteries
The only factors that a person has control over in the development of arterial hardening are high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol levels and lack of exercise. A healthy diet can also aid in reduction of arterial hardening.
In many cases, development of arterial hardening is hereditary. This can be caused by a family history of diseases related to the metabolizing of cholesterol. Statistically, men have an increased chance over women of developing hardened arteries.
Problems That Hardened Arteries Can Cause
The most common problem that hardened arteries causes is the formation of aneurysms caused by the accumulation of plaque along the arterial walls. Aneurysms are dangerous because they can rupture and cause internal bleeding. In addition, they may cause blood clots to form. These blood clots will cause either complete the blockage or break into small clots of blood that then collect in smaller arteries in the body. This process is called embolisation. Depending on where the clots form, they can cause damage to the heart, kidneys, liver and brain.
Treatment of Hardened Arteries
Hardened arteries cannot be cured, but they can be treated. In some cases, some of the blockage in the arteries can be removed with surgery. However, damage to the walls of the arteries that contain plaque formulation cannot be reversed.
The most well-known surgery for removal of plaque is called an angioplasty. Angioplasty seeks to redirect the blood flow around the blocked arteries so that overall blood flow can be improved.
If medications are used before the onset of extreme cases of arterial blockage, the possibility of complete blockage is reduced. The arterial blockage that is present before treatment cannot be completely removed. Even if the blockage is cleared, small amounts of plaque from the blockage will still be present in the arteries of the body.
Tags: hardened arteries, arterial hardening, arterial wall, arterial blockage, arterial tissue
