Long in the past, I used to take walks with my grandfather. He needed to cease and sit down each jiffy. He had extreme ache in his legs. I bear in mind pondering, “Am I doomed to finish up like him?”
Turns out, no.
My grandfather had atherosclerosis. We additionally name it hardening of the arteries.
Atherosclerosis is the perpetrator behind all the main cardiovascular illnesses. Atherosclerosis causes:
But there’s excellent news. Most atherosclerosis causes are preventable.
Atherosclerosis Cause: Genetics Don’t Doom You To Get It
Many sufferers who’ve atherosclerosis will discuss to UVA Health coronary heart illness knowledgeable Michael Ragosta, MD, about their household historical past of atherosclerosis.
“But a household historical past would not doom you to having coronary (coronary heart) illness or atherosclerosis. You can forestall, or scale back your probability, of creating atherosclerosis,” Ragosta says.
He provides, “The greatest methods are to handle your self and management and deal with the chance elements.”
Ragosta serves as director of each interventional cardiology and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at UVA Health. His job is to unclog coronary heart arteries that trigger chest ache or coronary heart assault.
So what are the atherosclerosis causes? And how can we deal with it? Ragosta shares his insights.
What Is Atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis causes plaque to stay to your artery partitions, clogging them. Plaque is gunk made up of ldl cholesterol, calcium deposits, and different waste merchandise. Arteries are the blood vessels that convey blood to your mind, coronary heart, and legs.
Ragosta explains: “Many people think of atherosclerosis as a rusty pipe with something dangling inside the artery. But it’s a disease process inside the wall of the artery. As it gets worse, it then narrows the artery, and limits blood flow.”
What Are the Main Atherosclerosis Causes?
Smoking is an enormous atherosclerosis trigger. A World War II veteran, my grandfather took up smoking whereas serving as a B-29 gunner within the Pacific. He stopped a long time later when my grandmother received ovarian most cancers.
But the harm to his arteries was already finished.
Ragosta explains why smoking is among the main atherosclerosis causes.
“Smoking injures the blood vessel lining. It speeds up the development of hardening of the arteries. Plus, patients who smoke tend to develop blockages in their heart arteries, in their leg arteries, and the arteries going to their brain. So they’re more likely to have a stroke, heart attack, and to have a limited blood supply to their legs.”
Other atherosclerosis causes embody:
- Diabetes
- High blood strain
- High ldl cholesterol
How Can I Prevent Atherosclerosis?
Most importantly, stop smoking. The subsequent factor is to get pleasure from a weight loss program filled with greens and fruits. A weight loss program filled with fried quick meals is among the main atherosclerosis causes.
“A plant-based diet can greatly reduce your risk of atherosclerosis,” Ragosta says. “It’s also important to cut back on the amount of saturated fats and animal products that you eat.”
You’ll additionally need to work along with your physician to regulate diabetes and hypertension.
“Treating high blood pressure and diabetes often requires medication,” Ragosta says. “Statin drugs are one of the mainstay medical treatments for atherosclerosis. Aspirin is also important. It helps prevent clots.”
He provides, “Exercising is another great way to reduce your risk of atherosclerosis.”
Signs of Atherosclerosis
About half of Americans between 45-84 have atherosclerosis. But they do not know it. They typically solely discover out when atherosclerosis causes stroke, coronary heart assault, or PAD signs. These embody:
- Chest ache & strain
- Sudden weak spot, imaginative and prescient, or speech issues
- Leg ache when strolling
Don’t ignore these signs. Get medical care.
Worried About Atherosclerosis Causes?
Talk to a physician about atherosclerosis prevention & therapies.
Atherosclerosis Treatment Expertise
At UVA Health, you’ll get the experience wanted to search out and deal with extreme atherosclerosis.
“The advantage of coming to UVA Health is we take a team approach. Many different specialists collaborate to diagnose, manage, and treat atherosclerosis. This condition can affect different areas of the body. So you need input from many specialties,” Ragosta says.
“We have the latest tools and equipment to diagnose atherosclerosis. And we offer cutting-edge treatments with minimally invasive procedures as well as bypass surgery.”