Why Do Some Arteries Clog & Some Don't?
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The Process
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Atherosclerosis, or arterial clogging, is a disease caused by thickening of the arterial wall. This narrows the arterial lumen, a tube carrying blood, increasing the load on the circulatory system and limiting the amount of blood reaching vital organs and extremities. This can happen to any artery, but conditions in certain arteries can speed up the process. These conditions frequently occur in the coronary artery (brings blood to the heart muscle) and the carotid arteries (bring blood to the brain), causing the most severe conditions. As a result, more emphasis is typically placed on these arteries.
Cause
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Atherosclerosis begins with atherogenesis, or plaque formation inside the arterial wall. Atherogenesis results from low- density lipoprotein (LDL), a type of cholesterol, penetrating the arterial wall and oxidizing inside. The immune system attacks this abnormality, as it would an infection, causing inflammation. It is not completely understood how LDL comes to penetrate the arterial wall but specific risk factors are known to trigger atherogenesis. Arteries are most likely to clog where these risk factors have the greatest affect.
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Risk factors
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Dyslipidemia, hypertension and smoking have a direct affect on atherosclerosis. Dyslipidemia is any abnormal blood lipid profile that includes elevated LDL. Arteries exposed to higher concentrations of elevated LDL are more likely to be seeded with the plaque-forming agent. Hypertension is high blood pressure resulting from the heart having to pump too hard. Arteries are scarred by chronic hypertension, and this scarring facilitates atherogenesis. Because arterial pressure varies throughout the body, atherosclerosis is more likely where hypertension has affected the greatest increase in pressure. Smoking promotes dyslipidemia and hypertension while adding more toxins that damage the arterial lumen. Arteries closest to the heart are at the highest risk of damage from these toxins.
Prevention
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Often heredity, the aging process and past lifestyle choices have an irrevocable affect on atherosclerosis. Smoking, however, is always a needless risk factor that can be modified. Dyslipidemia and hypertension are responsive to healthy lifestyle modifications and frequently can be cured completely with diet and exercise. Drug therapy can also be prescribed to manage dyslipidemia and hypertension, reducing their affect of atherosclerosis.
Considerations
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Atherosclerosis has no symptoms until an artery is severely occluded. It is important to know the risk factors and have a preventive plan for managing them. Physicians have a variety of diagnostic tests and imaging techniques for evaluating atherosclerosis. Your health care team is an invaluable asset when evaluating which arteries are at risk and how to minimize that risk.
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