Other risk factors can't be controlled. Although age and a family history of early heart disease are risk factors, it doesn't mean that you'll develop atherosclerosis if you have one or both. Controlling other risk factors often can lessen genetic influences and prevent atherosclerosis, even in older adults.
Studies show that an increasing number of children and youth are at risk for atherosclerosis. This is due to a number of causes, including rising childhood obesity rates. High levels of a protein called C-reactive protein CRP in the blood may raise the risk for atherosclerosis and heart attack. High levels of CRP are a sign of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the body's response to injury or infection. Damage to the arteries' inner walls seems to trigger inflammation and help plaque grow.
Research is under way to find out whether reducing inflammation and lowering CRP levels also can reduce the risk for atherosclerosis. High levels of triglycerides tri-GLIH-seh-rides in the blood also may raise the risk for atherosclerosis, especially in women. Triglycerides are a type of fat. Taking action to control your risk factors can help prevent or delay atherosclerosis and its related diseases. Your risk for atherosclerosis increases with the number of risk factors you have.
Heart-Healthy Eating. Adopt heart-healthy eating habits, which include eating different fruits and vegetables including beans and peas , whole grains, lean meats, poultry without skin, seafood, and fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products. A heart-healthy diet is low in sodium, added sugar, solid fats, and refined grains. Following a heart-healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical Activity. Be as physically active as you can. Physical activity can improve your fitness level and your health.
Ask your doctor what types and amounts of activity are safe for you. Read more about Physical Activity and Your Heart. Quit Smoking. If you smoke, quit. Smoking can damage and tighten blood vessels and raise your risk for atherosclerosis.
Talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit. Also, try to avoid secondhand smoke. Read more about Smoking and Your Heart. Weight Control. Controlling your weight helps you control risk factors for atherosclerosis. Other steps that can prevent or delay atherosclerosis include knowing your family history of atherosclerosis.
If you or someone in your family has an atherosclerosis-related disease, be sure to tell your doctor. Take all of your medicines as your doctor advises. Atherosclerosis usually doesn't cause signs and symptoms until it severely narrows or totally blocks an artery. Many people don't know they have the disease until they have a medical emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke. Some people may have signs and symptoms of the disease. Signs and symptoms will depend on which arteries are affected.
The coronary arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart. If plaque narrows or blocks these arteries causing a disease called ischemic heart disease , a common symptom is angina. Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood.
Angina may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. You also may feel it in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion. The pain tends to get worse with activity and go away with rest. Emotional stress also can trigger the pain. Other symptoms of ischemic heart disease are shortness of breath and arrhythmias ah-RITH-me-ahs.
Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. Plaque also can form in the heart's smallest arteries. This disease is called coronary microvascular disease MVD. Symptoms of coronary MVD include angina, shortness of breath, sleep problems, fatigue tiredness , and lack of energy. The carotid arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your brain.
If plaque narrows or blocks these arteries a disease called carotid artery disease , you may have symptoms of a stroke. These symptoms may include:. Plaque also can build up in the major arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the legs, arms, and pelvis a disease called peripheral artery disease. If these major arteries are narrowed or blocked, you may have numbness, pain, and, sometimes, dangerous infections.
The renal arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your kidneys. If plaque builds up in these arteries, you may develop chronic kidney disease. Early kidney disease often has no signs or symptoms. As the disease gets worse it can cause tiredness, changes in how you urinate more often or less often , loss of appetite, nausea feeling sick to the stomach , swelling in the hands or feet, itchiness or numbness, and trouble concentrating.
Your doctor will diagnose atherosclerosis based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and test results. If you have atherosclerosis, a primary care doctor, such as an internist or family practitioner, may handle your care. Your doctor may recommend other health care specialists if you need expert care, such as:.
During the physical exam, your doctor may listen to your arteries for an abnormal whooshing sound called a bruit broo-E. Your doctor can hear a bruit when placing a stethoscope over an affected artery. A bruit may indicate poor blood flow due to plaque buildup. Your doctor also may check to see whether any of your pulses for example, in the leg or foot are weak or absent. A weak or absent pulse can be a sign of a blocked artery. Your doctor may recommend one or more tests to diagnose atherosclerosis.
These tests also can help your doctor learn the extent of your disease and plan the best treatment. Blood tests check the levels of certain fats, cholesterol, sugar, and proteins in your blood. Abnormal levels may be a sign that you're at risk for atherosclerosis. An EKG is a simple, painless test that detects and records the heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast the heart is beating and its rhythm steady or irregular. An EKG also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through the heart.
The test also can show signs of a previous or current heart attack. Once the inner wall of an artery is damaged, blood cells and other substances often clump at the injury site and build up in the inner lining of the artery. Over time, fatty deposits plaque made of cholesterol and other cellular products also build up at the injury site and harden, narrowing your arteries.
The organs and tissues connected to the blocked arteries then don't receive enough blood to function properly. In addition, the smooth lining of the plaque may rupture, spilling cholesterol and other substances into your bloodstream.
This may cause a blood clot, which can block the blood flow to a specific part of your body, such as occurs when blocked blood flow to your heart causes a heart attack. A blood clot can also travel to other parts of your body, blocking flow to another organ.
Hardening of the arteries occurs over time. Besides aging, factors that may increase your risk of atherosclerosis include:. Atherosclerosis can also cause aneurysms, a serious complication that can occur anywhere in your body.
An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of your artery. Most people with aneurysms have no symptoms. Pain and throbbing in the area of an aneurysm may occur and is a medical emergency.
If an aneurysm bursts, you may face life-threatening internal bleeding. Although this is usually a sudden, catastrophic event, a slow leak is possible. If a blood clot within an aneurysm dislodges, it may block an artery at some distant point.
The same healthy lifestyle changes recommended to treat atherosclerosis also help prevent it. These include:. Just remember to make changes one step at a time, and keep in mind what lifestyle changes are manageable for you in the long run. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Plaque fatty deposits build up in your arteries is called atherosclerosis. These deposits are made up of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin a clotting material in the blood.
As plaque builds up, the wall of the blood vessel thickens. This narrows the channel within the artery — reducing blood flow. That lessens the amount of oxygen and other nutrients reaching the body.
Watch an animation about atherosclerosis. Where plaque develops, and the type of artery affected, varies with each person. Plaque may partially or totally block blood flow through large- or medium-sized arteries in the heart, brain, pelvis, legs, arms or kidneys.
Page last reviewed: 02 May Next review due: 02 May Atherosclerosis arteriosclerosis. Health risks of atherosclerosis If left to get worse, atherosclerosis can potentially lead to a number of serious conditions known as cardiovascular disease CVD.
Types of CVD include: coronary heart disease — the main arteries that supply your heart the coronary arteries become clogged with plaques angina — short periods of tight, dull or heavy chest pain caused by coronary heart disease, which may precede a heart attack heart attacks — where the blood supply to your heart is blocked, causing sudden crushing or indigestion -like chest pain that can radiate to nearby areas, as well as shortness of breath and dizziness strokes — where the blood supply to your brain is interrupted, causing the face to droop to 1 side, weakness on 1 side of the body, and slurred speech transient ischaemic attacks TIAs — where there are temporary symptoms of a stroke peripheral arterial disease — where the blood supply to your legs is blocked, causing leg pain when walking Who's at risk of atherosclerosis Exactly why and how arteries become clogged is unclear.
It can happen to anyone, although the following things can increase your risk: increasing age smoking an unhealthy, high-fat diet lack of exercise being overweight or obese regularly drinking excessive amounts of alcohol other conditions, including high blood pressure , high cholesterol and diabetes a family history of atherosclerosis and CVD being of south Asian, African or African-Caribbean descent You cannot do anything about some of these factors, but by tackling things like an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise you can help reduce your risk of atherosclerosis and CVD.
Find out more about the risk factors for CVD Testing for atherosclerosis Speak to your GP if you're worried you may be at a high risk of atherosclerosis.
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