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Atherosclerosis – Symptoms, Causes, prevention and Treatment

By atherosclerosis the innside of the arteries are thickened, hardened and stiffened, causing the space for blood flow to be narrowed or closed. This will decrease the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues. The primary symptom of this is pain, and bad condition. The further consequences are tissue damage, sometimes accute damage because of a blood clot formed in the narrowed areas.

THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

The inner walls of the arteries consist of an innermost layer of endotelial cells (surface cells) and under these a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis takes place under the endotelial cells and in this muscle layer. The changes consist of: A certain degree of cell proliferation or tumour. Gathering of colesterole and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrine.

The deposits are called atherosclerotic plaque or atheroma. Atherosclerosis is one of several types of artery thickening and hardening. Generally thickening and hardening of arteries is called arteriosclerosis. Often atherosclerosis is also just called arteriosclerosis.

The development of atherosclerosis probably begins by a damage in the endotelium. This damage causes cholesterole and fat to penetrate into the vessel walls and deposit there. This also induces cells to proliferate.

Elements causing endotelial damage and thus atherosclerosis are:

-High content of cholesterole in the blood.

-High content of fat in the blood, and especially saturated fat.

-High content of oxydative agents in the blood.

-High blood pressure.

-High content of low dencity lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood cerum, and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) i the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of a protein molecule and fat or cholesterole. Lipoproteins carry cholesterole or fat from place to place.

-Diabetes and lifestyles causing diabetes.

-Inflammation in the blood vessels. A sign of such inflammation is the presence of a substance called c-reactive protein.

-High age.

-Smoking.

-Men has a somewhat higher chance of getting this condition than women.

-High content of the amino acid homycystein in the blood cerum.

Many of these factors are ultimately caused by a bad diet and lack of daily exercise.

THE SYMPTOMTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES  OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Since atherosclerosis can affect all body parts, the symptoms will vary. Symptoms from the affected body parts are:

-Decreased performance, easy to tire out.

-Pain by physical activity, so called anoxic pain (anoxy pain).

-By severe impairment of blood flow, there can occure tissue dammage or sores.

When the heart is affected, the symptoms will be:

.General  bad condition.

-Anoxy pain from the heart by physical activity called angina pectoris

-Feeling of not getting enough air, or breathing problems.

Atherosclerosis can cause blood clots that closes the blood flow. There are several ways this can occur.

-The atherosclerotic placque can rupture, making a sore in the inner wall of the vessel. At such a sore. Blood can coagulate, making a blood clot.

-The atherosclerotic placque itself can grow to close a blood vessel.

-Blood coagulated at an affected area can tear loose, float with the blood stream to another place and prop a blood vessel at the new place.

-A portion of the plaque itself can tear itself loose and clog another blood vessel.

When the heart is striken by a blood clot, heart tissue is suddenly destroyed, a condition called heart infarction, causing sudden heart failure or death.

When a blood clot strikes the brain, brain tissue is destroyed or impaired, causing paralysis, decreased conciousness, coma or other sudden functional impairments.

THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Atherosclerosis can be prevented and to some extend be cured by these measures, of which most are lifestyle adjustments:

-Eating just a little or moderate amount of fat.

-The fat eaten should be a blending of different types of unsaturated fat from sources like: Olive oil, rape oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, walnut oil and fish. Then you will get enough of mono-unsaturated fat, omega-3-unsaturated fat, and omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat, but not too much of any of them.

-Consuming just moderate amount of sugar.

-Eating much fish and just a little red meat.

-Eating a good amount of fruit and vegetables each day.

-Supply of enoug vitamine, minerals and anti-oxydants.

-Only consuming moderate amount of salt.

-Stop smoking.

-Getting high blood pressure treated.

-Daily excercise fitted for one's own condition.

-Eliminate stress in the dily life and at the job.

-Getting enough rest.

By serious local narrowing of an artery, surgery to clean out or widen the aretery is sometimes performed. Sometimes the artery is replaced by a graft taken from another body part or by an artifisial vessel. When tis is done in the heart, it is denoted as bypass surgery.

By high cholesterol levels that do not react properly to lifestyle measures, cholesterol lowering medication can be used, such as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

Althernative treatment to clean out the arteries is an option. There is for example a treatment consisting of adding the substance EDTA to the blood. The mulecules of this substance have the ability to grip around other molecules, for example cholesterole molecules, and carry then away. There is a controversy about the effectiveness of this treatment, called chelating therapy.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is nutritional in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.