What is atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis is a build-up of plaque along the lining of arteries. The plaque which builds up is composed of:
- Atheroma which is a nodular structure which is soft, flaky and yellowish material composed of white blood cells
- Cholesterol which has crystallised
- Lesions (damaged sections of the artery lining) which have calcified
Causes of atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is caused by an original damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels. This can be caused by chemicals from smoking tobacco or high blood pressure which could be brought on by an underlying condition. If the body recognises the damage to the lining it will respond by sending white blood cells to the damaged artery. The white blood cells secrete chemicals which accumulate to form an atheroma. This builds up with other constituents to form plaque.
Symptoms of atherosclerosis
- Raised blood pressure
- Aneurysms
- Blood can build up and clot by the plaque build-up and can burst the blood vessel
- Strokes
- Blood supply can be cut off to parts of the body, if this the brain it can cause a stroke
- Embolism / Thrombus
- Blood clots can be formed behind the build-up of plaque
- Age
- When you are younger your arteries are much more flexible and can therefore counteract the effects of atherosclerosis
- Therefore when you are older you are more liable to suffer from atherosclerosis
- Exercise
- By regularly exercising you maintain a low blood pressure and minimise cholesterol
- This therefore mans the more you exercise the less chance of suffering from atherosclerosis
- Gender / Hormones
- Oestrogen, a female hormone, helps to reduce plaque build up
- This means females are less likely to suffer from atherosclerosis
- Smoking
- As mentioned earlier, the chemicals from smoking can damage the lining
- This makes the arteries more liable for there to be a plaque build up