Healthy arteries allow blood to carry oxygen throughout your body. Blocked leg arteries are a form of peripheral vascular disease, which involves the narrowing of arteries apart from your heart and brain. These blockages, caused by fat buildup,...
Smoking, sun exposure and aging are some of the things that can take the elasticity out of our skin and cause it to droop and sag when we want it to be supple and shiny. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the skin is our...
A low daily dose of aspirin can help reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes, according to the American Heart Association. You may be prescribed aspirin if you have other factors predisposing you to heart disease, or if you have already had a...
If you have had a stroke, it means your brain did not get the blood and oxygen it needs. This can damage cells and affect various functions in the body. Different situations can cause strokes. An ischemic stroke means that a blood clot has blocked...
With all the dangers associated with high blood pressure, it is easy to believe that low blood pressure, hypotension, is a good thing. This, however, is not always the case. Its symptoms can range from mild to severe and may be life-threatening....
Smoking cigarettes can cause a variety of ailments to the lungs, heart and other vital organs. When you smoke, harmful chemicals enter the lungs and penetrate the blood, eventually causing destruction to surrounding tissue. According to the...
Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body, including the muscles. A complex network of blood vessels, called arteries, takes the blood from the heart to the muscles. Then a different set of blood vessels, called veins, takes...
The initial use for nitroglycerin ointment included treating patients who suffered from episodes of chest pain. However as science and research continue to push forward, more uses for this ointment are found. Make sure to follow the specific...
Angina is a heart symptom that causes you to experience chest pain and/or pressure. This condition is often an indicator of an underlying heart condition, such as heart disease. Because angina symptoms mimic that of a heart attack, it's important...
Citrulline is an essential amino acid that also occurs naturally in some foods, such as watermelon. Citrulline is the precursor for arginine, another amino acid. As an essential amino acid, your body cannot synthesize citrulline. Therefore, you...
Endothelial cells compose the inner lining of blood vessels. Blood vessels function as a conduit for the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, proteins, immune factors and the removal of waste. Dysfunction of endothelial cells and the buildup...
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, puts a person at risk for developing other medical conditions, including stroke and heart disease. Traditional medications for treating high blood pressure include beta-blockers, thiazide diuretics,...
Cholesterol, or lipids, consists of a waxy substance that the body absorbs from ingested food and also produces in the liver and fat cells. There are several types of cholesterol; some are beneficial to the body and function in producing hormones,...
Fish oil can benefit your health in several ways, although the most common use recommended by doctors is the treatment of high cholesterol. Specifically, fish oil, an omega-3-acid ethyl ester, works to lower the levels of fats in your blood called...
People with high levels of low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides, both "bad" forms of cholesterol, have a high risk of clogged arteries, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. You can take prescription medications to...
Blocked arteries, or atherosclerosis, is a medical condition where fatty substances collect along arterial walls. In addition, as the material hardens and thickens, it can lead to blocked arteries. Atherosclerosis affects the medium and large...
Your arteries may become clogged due to an elevated amount of cholesterol in your system. When this happens, cholesterol lines the sides of your blood vessels, making it difficult for oxygen to flow. Reduced oxygen flow can lead to pain or...
The coronary arteries are the arteries that feed the heart. When they become blocked, they can cause chest pain or even a heart attack. Roughly one-third of patients with blocked coronary arteries undergo balloon angioplasty with stenting,...
Smoking has a negative effect on your cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels, specifically high LDL, or bad cholesterol, can lead to fatty streaks forming in your arteries. These fatty streaks attract more cholesterol-enriched platelets to...
The treatments for ischemic heart disease include medications, lifestyle changes, balloon angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery. The aim of these four types of treatment is to improve the flow of blood through the coronary arteries, which...
The arteries are part of the cardiovascular system and are the largest blood vessels in the body. They carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs and oxygenated blood to every cell of the body and the heart itself. A number of disease...
A stent is a small tube used in medical procedures to help keep structures such as blood vessels and arteries open. Stents can also be used to keep other body ducts open. Stents are often used after angioplasty, which is a procedure that uses a...
The arteries, the largest blood vessels in the body, are part of the cardiovascular system. They function to carry oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to all the tissues and organs. The arteries, including the vessels in the heart, neck and legs, can...
Angina is chest pain or discomfort that typically occurs with activity or stress, states Medline Plus, of the National Institutes of Health. During physical activity a patient may experience worsening chest pain that is relieved with rest or...
Peripheral arterial disease is a condition in which plaque buildup causes partial or complete blockage of the arteries. The plaque results in narrowed arteries that impede proper blood circulation, thus reducing blood flow to the arms and legs....
The first cardiac catheterization boldly performed by Dr. Werner Forssmann, on himself, in 1929, marked the beginning of non-invasive heart surgery. Today, this procedure is primarily used to diagnose heart conditions and treat plaque buildup in...
A coronary stent is small metal coil used to help keep a blocked artery in the heart open and reduce the chance of it narrowing. It is commonly employed in angioplasty surgery, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, which is performed...
A stent is a tiny metal or fabric tube that is used to keep clogged arteries open or to shore up weakened arteries, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI. Stents are sometimes coated with drugs that help keep arteries...
According to the American Heart Association, in 2006 alone, over 81 million Americans were diagnosed with heart disease. Heart attacks are no longer the disease of the elderly and cause one out of every three deaths, per the American Heart...
Angioplasty is the mechanical widening of blood vessels used to help sufferers of obstructed vessels. Learn more about angioplasty, including frequency and dangers, in this video.
A heart attack or a myocardial infarction is usually marked by symptoms of pain in the chest, shoulder, jaw, or left arm, and shortness of breath. Learn more about the causes, symptoms and treatments of a heart attack in this health video.
Smoking can cause blood clots, which over time can induce a stroke. Learn some tips for preventing and treating strokes in this medical video.
Coronary artery disease, or coronary heart disease, is the end result of the heart muscle losing nutrients due to blockage in blood vessels of the heart. Learn more about coronary heart disease, including warning signs and treatments in this video.
