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Atherosclerosis

Total words: 730

Current rating for this essay is: 10

Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the innermost portion of the arteries; it is also the most common form of arteriosclerosis. With atherosclerosis, fatty material containing cholesterol or calcium is deposited on the innermost layer of the artery. The result is a narrowing of the inside diameter of the blood vessel, constricting blood flow. . This can progress to the point where the artery becomes so narrow that a blood clot, or thrombus, forms and blocks blood flow to an entire portion of the body. This type of atherosclerosis is considered to happen with the gradual aging of the vessels and plaque build up. Eating foods containing high volumes of cholesterol and saturated fats speeds up this process.

In another form of atherosclerosis, a rough area or ulcer forms in the diseased interior of the artery. Blood clots then tend to develop on this ulcer, break off, and travel further downstream, forming a blockage where the arteries get narrower. This kind of blockage resulting from a clot formed elsewhere in the body is called an embolism. Excessive alcohol use, direct trauma to the vessel, and bacterium tend to cause such lesions. Nicotine contained in tobacco, also tends to enhance platelet aggregation, which may lead to thrombotic (blood clot) events.

Irritation to the endothelium causes immune system response. The injured endothelial cells release chemo tactic compounds and growth factors, which transport greater amounts of lipids, particularly LDLs, to the irritated site. LDLs then in turn become oxidized, and attract macrophages. Plaque becomes full of phages that migrate beneath interna, where they are transformed into foam cells, and loose there scavenging ability.

The smooth muscle cells also deposit collagen and elastin fibers, thickening the interna and producing fibrous lesions with a core of dead and dying foam cells called fibrous or atherosclerotic plaques. As the inner portion of the vessel starts to die it is replaced with non-elastin scar tissue, and calcium salts begin to accumulate in the area. The once elastic vessel is now calcified, and scared, disabling its ability to stretch, increasing systemic blood pressure. The narrowed vessels, and increased blood pressure decreases localized blood flow to the area.

As the artery becomes blocked, it can cause a noise very much like water roaring over rocky rapids. Your physician can listen to this noise, or bruit, directly, or can use special amplification systems to hear this noise. He or she can also use special equipment to measure the amount of blood going to a specific area of the body. Finally, he or she can perform an arteriogram, which enables him or her to take an x-ray picture of your artery. In this procedure a radiologist inserts a catheter - a needle or small tube - into the artery and injects an opaque dye that will show up on the x-ray film. The resulting picture serves as a perfect road map to any obstructions.

Diet recommendations for prevention may include low-fat, low-cholesterol, and low-salt diet, and recommendations for treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases. Reduce body weight if overweight and stop smoking if a smoker. Get regular exercise to improve the fitness of the heart and circulation.

For treatment, medications may be recommended to reduce fats and cholesterol in the blood. These include cholestyramine, colestipol, nicotinic acid, gemfibrozil, probucol, lovastatin, and others. Aspirin, ticlopidine, and clopidogrel (inhibitors of platelet clumping) or anti-coagulants may be used to reduce the risk of clot formation. Balloon angioplasty uses a balloon-tipped catheter to flatten plaque and increase the blood flow past the deposits. The technique is used to open the arteries of the heart and other arteries in the body. Another widely used technique is stenting, which consists of implanting a small metal device inside the artery (usually following angioplasty) to keep the artery open. Surgically removing deposits (endarterectomy) may be recommended in some cases. A bypass graft is the most invasive procedure. It uses a normal artery or vein from the patient to create a bridge that bypasses the blocked section of the artery.

In some unfortunate people for unknown causes, there are lipoproteins, which are involved in delivering cholesterol to the effective area and speeding up the process. While this is an unfair condition, all of us should follow health guidelines, eat right, exercise, quit smoking and an all together change of lifestyle, as part of a happy and healthy life.

Vidur S. Singh Reviewed this free essay on Jan:02:2009

I think that this is one of the best pieces that i have ever read on atherosclerosis

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