Quick Facts about
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
is a rampant disease among people in the modern world.
This disease causes disabilities and a high mortality
rate too.
What is Arteriosclerosis?
It is
a condition where arteries become thick, blocked and
inelastic as a result of a film of fat (atheromas) forming
on their walls.
Causes
The formation of plaque referred to as Arteriosclerosis
may be caused by cholesterol fats, nicotine, high blood
pressure or abnormal sugar content in the blood. You
become more susceptible to the disease as you grow old
or if the disease runs in your family. Obesity and emotional
stress also invite the disease.
Effects of Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
hinders effective blood circulation depriving the body
organs of oxygenated blood. If Arteriosclerosis happens
to the heart artery the consequence will be a heart
attack; if a brain artery is affected the person will
suffer paralysis and memory losses. The disease could
impair the eyes, kidneys (Hyaline Arteriosclerosis),
uterus and thyroid (Medical Calcific Sclerosis) or legs.
Symptoms
The symptoms
depend on the type of artery afflicted. Blockage of
a heart artery leads to chest pain; hardening of brain
(carotid) arteries causes numbness and dizziness. When
Arteriosclerosis happens to the arteries of the legs
you will experience cramps in your legs after even a
slight exercise. The symptoms show only after the arteries
become highly obstructed by plaque.
Remedies
If you
have Arteriosclerosis the first thing to do is to change
your lifestyle at once. Quit smoking, eat healthy foods
and adhere to a regular exercise regime. Immersion baths,
juice fast and water enema will improve your condition
a lot. Lemon, a source of Vitamin P strengthens the
arteries. Honey, Parsley, Garlic and Onions is also
known to relieve Arteriosclerosis.
Doctors
prescribe Anticoagulants and Anti platelet medicines
like Heparin and Aspirin to stop artery blockage by
preventing blood clots. Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
medicines also help combat this disease.
In case
of severe obstruction of the artery, surgery can be
done to either remove the obstruction and widen the
artery with stents or replace the blocked artery with
a functional one (bye pass surgery).
In Arteriosclerosis (Atherosclerosis), plaque deposits
build-up on artery inner-walls, which are blood vessels
carrying oxygen-rich blood thruout the body. As the
arteries walls thicken,
the pathway for blood flow tends to narrow. This effect
can decrease or even completely block the bodies blood
flow over time.
Plaque deposits are formed from cholesterol, fat, calcium, and
other minerals found in the blood. When blood cholesterol
levels are elevated, there is a greater chance plaque
will build up on the artery walls. In most people, this
process begins when they are children or teenagers.
Plaque formations can begin to adhere to the arteries in
young children and steadily worsen as the kids get older. After many years
the plaque can buildup to such a degree it leads to arteriosclerosis,
which artery disease is also known as Atherosclerosis. This is
why a healthy diet and lifestyle is important for your
kids health and ongoing wellness in later years as you age.
Arteriosclerosis, also known as atherosclerosis of the extremities,
is a disease of the blood vessels characterized by narrowing and hardening
of the arteries that supply the legs and feet. This
causes a decrease in blood flow that can injure nerves
and other tissues.
Arteriosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries,"
commonly shows its effects first in the legs and feet.
The narrowing of the arteries may progress to total
closure (occlusion) of the vessel. The vessel walls
become less elastic and cannot dilate to allow greater
blood flow when needed (such as during exercise). Calcium
deposits in the walls of the arteries contribute to
the narrowing and stiffness. The effects of these deposits
may be seen on ordinary X-rays.
This is a common disorder, typically affecting men over
age 50. People are at higher risk if they have
a personal or family history of coronary artery disease
(heart disease) or cerebrovascular disease (stroke),
diabetes, smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure),
or kidney disease involving hemodialysis.
A sedentary lifestyle and lifetime lack of exercise seems to be
major contributing factors for getting arteriosclerosis and heart-disease onset.
It's believed by Medical Doctors a proper
eating and exercise program can also slow down the disease and possibly (in some cases) even reverse arteriosclerosis, though the jury is out on that issue. There are indications long-time healthy eating, alternative medicine, stress reduction relaxation techniques, health foods and even drinks like Green Tea can possibly help your general health and blood circulation.
Arteriosclerosis does not usually display symptoms until
it narrows or blocks an artery. Once arteriosclerosis
has narrowed or blocked an artery, symptoms may include
angina and cramping leg pain during walking (claudication).
 Coronary Artery Disease is a type of atherosclerosis in which plaque builds up inside the arteries that carry blood
to the heart. As the artery walls thicken, the passageway
for blood narrows. Sometimes platelets gather at the
narrowing, forming a clot that decreases or prevents
blood flow to the region of the heart supplied by the artery.
A trip to the operating room for heart-surgery is a widely used treatment option for many heart patients in serious cases of arteriosclerosis, which coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US, Canada and most other nations of the world each year.
Two terms medical doctors use to describe the condition is
"arteriosclerotic heart disease" and also "congestive heart failure." Angina is a common word heart patients often use to describe the disease.
 Angina
is pain or discomfort, most often felt in the chest, that
happens when some region of the heart receives
insufficient blood oxygen. It is usually a health symptom
of coronary artery disease, which occurs when the vessels
that carry blood to the heart become narrowed and blocked
due to arteriosclerotic heart disease.
Angina can feel like a squeezing pain, pressure, or
tightness usually in the chest under the breastbone,
but sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or
back. Angina is most commonly felt after physical exertion.
It is also triggered by stress, extreme cold or heat,
heavy meals, alcohol, and cigarette smoking.
 In
congestive heart failure, the heart cannot pump enough
blood. The heart keeps working, but not as well as it
should. This causes blood to back up in the veins leading
to the heart, and sometimes causes fluid to build up
in the legs or other parts of the body.
Congestive heart failure happens when the heart is
diseased, injured, or simply over-worked. Peripheral artery disease is often an early indicator of congestive heart failure and arteriosclerotic heart disease.
 A
heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of
the heart muscle is severely reduced or blocked due
to a narrowing in one of the coronary arteries. This
usually occurs as a result of arteriosclerosis. When
platelets gather at the narrowing, they can form a blood-clot
that completely blocks the arteries blood flow. If the
blood supply is cut-off for more than a few minutes,
the muscle cells of the heart may be permanently injured
or die from lack of oxygen.
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