Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Atherosclerosis can affect any artery in the body, including arteries in the heart, brain, arms, legs, pelvis, and kidneys. As a result, different diseases may develop based on which arteries are affected.

Atherosclerosis usually doesn't cause signs and symptoms until it severely narrows or totally blocks an artery. Many people don't know they have the disease until they have a medical emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke.

Some people may have signs and symptoms of the disease. Signs and symptoms will depend on which arteries are affected. Atherosclerosis can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death.

Diagnosing Atherosclerosis

Your doctor may recommend one or more tests to diagnose atherosclerosis. These tests also can help your doctor learn the extent of your disease and plan the best treatment. Testing may include any or all of the following:

• Blood tests to check the levels of certain fats, cholesterol, sugar, and proteins in your blood.
• EKG to show how fast the heart is beating, its rhythm (steady or irregular) and the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through the heart.
• Chest X-ray, which can reveal signs of heart failure.
• Ankle/brachial index, which compares the blood pressure in your ankle with the blood pressure in your arm to see how well your blood is flowing.
• Echocardiography to determine the shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are working.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan, which can show hardening and narrowing of large arteries.
• Stress testing to see how well blood is flowing in various parts of your heart.
• Angiography to see if plaque is blocking your arteries and the severity of the blockage.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), if required.

Treating atherosclerosis

Treatments for atherosclerosis may include heart-healthy lifestyle changes, medicines, and medical procedures or surgery. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes include heart-healthy eating, aiming for a healthy weight, managing stress, physical activity, and quitting smoking.

When lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough to control your cholesterol levels, you may need statin medications to control or lower your cholesterol. By lowering your blood cholesterol level, you can decrease your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Doctors typically prescribe statins for people who have coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease, or have had a prior stroke, diabetes, and/or, high LDL cholesterol levels.

For patients with severe atherosclerosis, your doctor may recommend a medical procedure or surgery, such coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or carotid endarterectomy.