The symptoms of atherosclerosis are hidden for many years. Here are the warning signs of clogged arteries

We talk about atherosclerosis when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body become thick and stiff, sometimes restricting blood flow to organs and tissues. Risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and a diet high in saturated fat. Untreated atherosclerosis can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

1. Most people don’t know that their body is developing atherosclerosis. The disease does not show symptoms until the atherosclerotic plaque ruptures
2. However, it is worth paying attention to any disturbing signals, especially if we are at risk
3. People with a genetic burden, high cholesterol and diabetes are more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

What is atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of the arteries due to a build-up of plaque on the walls of the arteries. Atherosclerotic plaque is formed from the combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium and blood components. The arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When they narrow and stiffen due to plaque build-up, blood flow to various organs and tissues can be restricted, potentially leading to life-threatening complications such as stroke and heart attack.

Atherosclerosis can affect any artery in the body. When the arteries leading to the heart are affected by atherosclerosis, the condition is called coronary artery disease.

What are the symptoms of atherosclerosis?

Most often, atherosclerosis affects elderly people, but it may begin to develop in adolescence. With atherosclerosis, symptoms usually don’t occur until the plaque ruptures or blood flow is obstructed, and this can take many years.

The symptoms of atherosclerosis depend on the arteries that are affected.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – carotid arteries

The carotid arteries are the main blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain, neck, and face. There are two carotid arteries, one on the right and one on the left. In the neck, each carotid artery branches into two parts:

1. the internal carotid artery supplies blood to the brain.
2. the external carotid artery supplies blood to the face and neck.

Restricted blood supply can lead to a stroke.

Symptoms of a stroke can come on suddenly and include:

1. weakness;
2. breathing difficulties;
3. Headache;
4. facial numbness;
5. paralysis.

If a person has signs of a stroke, they need immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – coronary arteries

The coronary arteries are the arteries that carry oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, just like any other tissue or organ in the body. Coronary arteries surround the entire heart, dividing into a left coronary artery and a right coronary artery. The right coronary artery supplies blood mainly to the right side of the heart. The right side of the heart is smaller because it only pumps blood to the lungs.

Reduced function of the coronary arteries can reduce the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart. Not only does this affect the supply of the heart muscle itself, it can also affect the heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body. Therefore, any disorder or disease of the coronary arteries can have a serious impact on health, possibly leading to angina, heart attack and even death.

Atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries can manifest as:

1. chest pain;
2. vomiting;
3. extreme anxiety;
4. coughing;
5. fainting.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – renal arteries

The renal arteries are the pairs of arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. The renal arteries carry a large proportion of the total blood flow to the kidneys. As much as a third of the total cardiac output can pass through the renal arteries and be filtered through the kidneys. If the blood supply to the renal arteries is restricted, chronic kidney disease may develop.

Atherosclerosis affecting the renal arteries is manifested by:

1. loss of appetite;
2. swelling of the hands and feet;
3. problems with concentration.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – peripheral arteries

Peripheral arteries deliver oxygenated blood to the body (arms, hands, legs, and feet), and peripheral veins carry deoxygenated blood from the capillaries on the extremities back to the heart.

If blood cannot circulate efficiently in them, a person may feel numbness and pain in the limbs. In severe cases, tissue death and gangrene may occur. Peripheral arterial disease also increases the risk of stroke or heart attack.

When do the symptoms of atherosclerosis appear?

The following factors are among the most common causes of atherosclerosis.

1. High cholesterol – is a naturally occurring substance in our body, as well as in some foods we eat. Your arteries may become clogged if your blood cholesterol is too high. These arteries become hard and the plaques judging from them restrict or block the circulation of blood to the heart and other organs.
2. Age – As you age, your heart and blood vessels work harder to pump and receive blood. The arteries can stiffen and become less flexible, making them more prone to plaque build-up. In women, the risk is even higher if you suffer from endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome, or if you had gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy.
3. High blood pressure – over time, high blood pressure can damage the walls of your arteries, allowing plaque to build up.
4. Diabetes – high blood sugar can damage the inner layers of your arteries, causing plaque to build up.
5. Metabolic syndrome – high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
6. Unhealthy diet – Eating a lot of foods high in saturated fat can increase cholesterol.
7. Genetics – you may have atherosclerosis genetically, especially if you have an inherited cholesterol disorder called familial hypercholesterolaemia.
8. Inflammatory diseases – high levels of inflammation can irritate the blood vessels, which can lead to plaque build-up (rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis are examples of diseases).

Atherosclerosis symptoms – diagnostics

The diagnosis of atherosclerosis is initially based on a medical history and a physical examination, in which the doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the arteries for abnormal wheezing. This could indicate poor blood flow due to plaque build-up.

Common diagnostic procedures for atherosclerosis include:

1. ankle-brachial index (ABI) – during this test, blood pressure cuffs are placed over the arms and ankles. The test compares your blood pressure in your ankle with that in your arm. This is to check for atherosclerosis in the arteries of the legs and feet. The difference between blood pressure measurements at the ankle and upper arm may be due to peripheral vascular disease, which is usually caused by atherosclerosis;
2. blood test – Blood tests check the levels of some fats, cholesterol, sugar and protein in the blood that may indicate heart disease;
3. electrocardiogram (EKG) – the test measures the activity of the heart. During the test, electrodes are attached to the chest and connected to the rest of the machine. The test results can help determine if blood flow to the heart is reduced;
4. echocardiogram – is a test with a necklace of sound waves to show the flow of blood through the heart. This is sometimes done with exercise testing;
5. Exercise test – during this test, the patient is subjected to exercise, e.g. on a treadmill or stationary bike, and at the same time doctors will monitor his heart. If a person is unable to exercise, drugs are given to increase the heart rate. Exercise makes the heart beat harder and faster than most daily activities, stress testing can reveal heart problems that might otherwise be missed;
6. Doppler ultrasound – a test used to estimate blood flow through blood vessels by reflecting high-frequency sound waves from circulating red blood cells;
7. cardiac catheterization and angiogram – an examination by using a catheter and inserting it into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or wrist, to the heart. The dye flows through the catheter into the arteries in the heart and helps to show the arteries more clearly in the pictures taken during the examination.

In the diagnosis of atherosclerosis, other tests can also be used, such as magnetic resonance angiography or positron emission tomography (PET). These tests may show hardening and narrowing of large arteries, as well as aneurysms.

Atherosclerosis symptoms and treatment

The course of treatment of atherosclerosis depends on how severe the case is and what symptoms of atherosclerosis the patient has (which arteries are affected by atherosclerosis).

Treatments for atherosclerosis include lifestyle changes, prescription medications, and surgery. Changing lifestyle is usually the first recommendation and is likely to help, even if the patient requires different treatments.

Drug treatment of atherosclerosis can lower blood pressure, improve unhealthy cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of dangerous blood clots forming. Among the drugs used in the treatment of atherosclerosis, statins and antihypertensive drugs are used.

1. Statins – they are used to lower cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis. Occasionally, a patient may need more than one type of cholesterol medication. Among other agents used to lower cholesterol, niacin, fibrates and bile acid sequestrants can be mentioned.
2. Aspirin – Thins the blood and prevents the formation of blood clots. For some people, daily use of aspirin may be part of the recommended prevention measures for heart attack or stroke. However, you should know that such use of this drug can lead to various side effects, including bleeding in the stomach and intestines.
3. Drugs for high blood pressure – although these drugs do not help reverse the effects of atherosclerosis, they prevent or treat complications associated with atherosclerosis, for example, they can help reduce the risk of a heart attack.

In addition, in the treatment of atherosclerosis, other drugs are sometimes used in the case of other diseases, such as diabetes increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Medicines are also used for certain symptoms of atherosclerosis, such as pain in the legs during exercise.

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It happens, however, that the treatment of atherosclerosis will require certain treatments.

1. Angioplasty – used to treat peripheral artery disease affecting the legs, in the heart arteries to treat coronary artery disease, or in the neck to treat stenosis of the carotid arteries. It involves using a catheter and inserting it into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or wrist, and then directing it to a blocked area. There is a special sheath at the end of the catheter that may enlarge to open the artery. Your doctor may also insert a small mesh tube called a stent to reduce the risk of narrowing the artery again.
2. Endarterectomy – used to remove atherosclerotic plaque from the walls of a narrowed artery.
3. Fibrinolytic treatment – it uses a medicine to dissolve the clot that blocks the blood flow in the artery.
4. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) – Also known as bypass, this is the removal of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body to create a new path for blood in the heart. The blood then circulates around the blocked or narrowed coronary artery. This procedure is an open heart operation. This is usually only done in people with many narrowed arteries in the heart.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – complications

Failure to treat the symptoms of atherosclerosis can lead to many serious complications.

1. Coronary artery disease – Atherosclerosis, which narrows the arteries near the heart, you may develop coronary artery disease, which can cause chest pain (angina), heart attack or heart failure.
2. Peripheral arterial disease – the aforementioned peripheral arterial disease results from narrowing of the arteries in the arms or legs, which translates into problems with blood flow in them. The sick person becomes less sensitive to heat and cold, and the risk of burns or frostbites increases. Rarely, lack of blood supply to the arms or legs can cause tissue death (gangrene).
3. Carotid stenosis – may cause a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.
4. Aneurysms – Ignoring the symptoms of atherosclerosis can lead to the development of aneurysms, which can occur anywhere in the body. Worse still, aneurysms are usually asymptomatic (a person with an aneurysm may sometimes feel pain and throbbing around the aneurysm). If the aneurysm ruptures, it can cause life-threatening bleeding inside the body.
5. Chronic kidney disease – if the atherosclerotic symptoms affect the kidney arteries, it may stop getting enough oxygen-rich blood to the kidneys. The kidneys need sufficient blood flow to filter waste products and remove excess fluid. Atherosclerosis of these arteries can lead to kidney failure.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis – prevention

The symptoms of atherosclerosis can be prevented before they appear, by following certain rules.

1. Regular exercise – regular exercise is assumed to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure and lower the risk of conditions that increase the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Healthcare professionals recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. However, you do not have to limit yourself to typical exercises such as squats, you can simply give up elevators and use the stairs.
2. Maintaining a healthy weight – Losing weight reduces the risk of coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerosis.
3. Quit smoking cigarettes – Quitting smoking is a great way to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic complications such as a heart attack. This is because nicotine tightens the blood vessels and forces the heart to work harder.
4. Healthy Eating – a healthy diet should include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Instead, you should give up processed carbohydrates, sugars, saturated fats and salt. This helps to maintain a healthy weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
5. Reducing stress and stressful situations – Stress has a huge impact on our lives, and researchers believe it can also damage arteries, causing inflammation. In addition, hormones that are released into the bloodstream during stress can raise both cholesterol and blood pressure. In order to reduce stress, it is worth exercising not only the body, but also the mind, using relaxation techniques such as yoga or deep breathing. These practices can temporarily lower your blood pressure, reducing your risk of developing atherosclerosis.