What You Need to Know About Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease in which a plaque builds up in the inner lining of the arteries. This plaque is made up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances found in the blood. These substances will harden your arteries and will narrow the flow of oxygen rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Plaques can also be ruptured and can block the blood flow or travel to other parts of the body like the heart and brain. If it blocks a blood vessel nurturing the brain, it will lead to stroke and if it blocks a blood vessel nurturing the heart, it will lead to heart attack. It can also cause difficulty in walking and would lead to gangrene if blood flow is reduced in the arms and legs.
The inner thin layer of the artery called the endothelium keeps the blood flowing. Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can damage the endothelium and atherosclerosis happens. Due to the damage in the endothelium, substances like fats, cholesterol, platelets, cellular waste products, and others will be deposited in the artery walls. This will encourage the artery wall cells to produce other substances that will cause additional build up of cells. This will thicken the endothelium reducing blood flow and oxygen supply to the body.
Atherosclerosis develops slowly and usually starts in the early years of life and progresses when the person grows older. But there are also people who develop the disease rapidly and will have symptoms in their early thirties.
The plaques from atherosclerosis have different behaviors. There are plaques that can stay in the artery and will grow to a particular size but doesn’t block the blood flow and would not cause symptoms of atherosclerosis. There are plaques that grow slowly and can significantly cause blockage in the artery. The worse behavior of plaques is when it ruptures and will block the flow in the heart or brain.
Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease but can be prevented. Plaques will always be present but you can do something to stop or slow the progress. Lifestyle changes like smoking cessation, moderation in alcohol intake, exercise and healthy diet; and taking medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure are helpful too. Lifestyle changes and medications will not remove blockages but it will slow the progression of atherosclerosis. . When you lower the risk factors, there are also lesser chances of developing this disease.
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www.artistry-in-wood.co.uk An afternoon at George Foweraker’s workshop woodturning some coloured and textured wall plaques. www.thewoodhaven.co.uk