Heart disease kills 26 percent of Americans each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2006. Coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease, has a number of causes, but the most common is atherosclerosis, accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries that reduce blood flow, the Mayo Clinic explains. Atherosclerosis has many risk factors, and many people who develop the disease have more than one risk factor. Many risk factors can be modifiable with medication and lifestyle changes.
Risk Factors
Atherosclerosis develops when the internal walls of the arteries are damaged. Risk factors for developing atherosclerosis include family history of heart disease, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, being overweight and inactivity, states the American Heart Association.
Symptoms
People with atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply the heart, may suffer from angina, chest pain that occurs during exertion and subsides while at rest. Atherosclerosis in the arteries of the brain can cause transient ischemic attack, or TIA, which can cause temporary difficulty speaking, drooping mouth, or numbness and weakness in arms and legs.
Diagnosis
Cardiac catherization and angiogram can diagnose atherosclerosis. The passage of dye injected into the arteries is tracked on X-ray and shows blockages or narrowing in the arteries. Computerized tomography, also known as a CT scan, or a magnetic resonance angiogram, or an MRA, can also help diagnose atherosclerosis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Complications
When plaques grow large enough, they can significantly block blood flow to the heart. More damage occurs, however, when parts of plaque break off of the walls. Blood clots that form at the site of rupture can break loose and lodge in arteries, or grow large enough to block the blood vessels they form in, warns the American Heart Association. Myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, can follow. Cardiac arrest, sudden death due to heart stoppage, can also occur.
Prevention/Solution
Although family history can't be modified, most other risk factors for developing atherosclerosis can be. Tobacco smoke increases the growth of plaque in the artery walls; quitting smoking reduces damage. While the tendency toward high cholesterol and triglyceride levels is often hereditary, taking medication to lower levels and modifying diet by cutting out unsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol. Losing as little as 5 to 10 lbs. can also help lower cholesterol in people who are overweight, advises the Mayo Clinic. Physical activity, even as little as 30 minutes per day, helps new blood vessels, called collateral blood vessels, grow around blockages in arteries, adds the Mayo Clinic. Keeping blood glucose levels within normal range also decreases the risk of complications.
