What are the dangers of arteriosclerosis?

Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Atherosclerosis can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death.

What is atherosclerosis What are the risk factors for it and why is it a problem?

Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls. This buildup is called plaque. The plaque can cause your arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow.

What causes this to happen arteriosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis happens when the endothelium becomes damaged, due to factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, or high levels of glucose, fat, and cholesterol in the blood. This damage allows a collection of substances, known as plaque, to build up in the artery wall. These substances include fat and cholesterol.

What is the life expectancy of someone with atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis represents a grave health problem, annually accounting for at least 30\% of all deaths globally (Figure 51-1 ). It is associated with a poor prognosis and significantly reduces life expectancy in the 60-year-old patient by 8–12 years depending on the vascular event.

How can you reduce the risk of atherosclerosis?

Lifestyle changes can help you prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerosis.

1. Stop smoking. Smoking damages your arteries.
2. Exercise most days of the week.
3. Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight.
4. Eat healthy foods.
5. Manage stress.

What is the difference between atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis?

Arteriosclerosis is a broader term for the condition in which the arteries narrow and harden, leading to poor circulation of blood throughout the body. Atherosclerosis is a specific kind of arteriosclerosis, but these terms are often used interchangeably.

How is arteriosclerosis diagnosed?

Your doctor will order blood tests to check your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. High levels of blood sugar and cholesterol raise your risk of atherosclerosis. A C-reactive protein (CRP) test also may be done to check for a protein linked to inflammation of the arteries. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).

How does atherosclerosis affect heart rate?

An increased HR has been shown to be associated with increased progression of coronary atherosclerosis in animal models and patients. A high HR has also been associated with a greatly increased risk of plaque rupture in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.

What is the prevention of arteriosclerosis?

An important way to prevent atherosclerosis is by living a healthy lifestyle. Maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet, and exercise. These changes may help you lose weight (if necessary), lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol, increase your HDL “good” cholesterol, and lower your blood pressure.

What are the stages of atherosclerosis?

The formation of the plaque can also be divided into three major stages namely 1) the fatty streak, which represents the initiation 2) plaque progression, which represents adaption and 3) plaque disruption, which represents the clinical complication of atherosclerosis.

How fast does atherosclerosis progress?

]. Although atherosclerosis is believed to progress over many years, it has been increasingly noted to progress over few months to 2-3 years in few patients without traditional factors for accelerated atherosclerosis. Hence the term rapid progression of atherosclerosis has been used in recent years.

Which of the following are considered risk factors for atherosclerosis quizlet?

Modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis include the following :

• Smoking or other tobacco use.
• Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, including inherited lipoprotein disorders.
• Dyslipidemia.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Hypertension.
• Obesity (abdominal obesity)
• Psychosocial stress.
• Sedentary lifestyle and/or lack of exercise.