What is the danger and complications of atherosclerosis?
What is the danger and complications of atherosclerosis?
Week 3 discussion
Hypercholesterolemia and Statins
High cholesterol levels in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) is associated with various cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. What is the danger and complications of atherosclerosis? What other cardiovascular diseases can hypercholesterolemia lead to the development of? How does hypercholesterolemia develop?
A common treatment for hypercholesterolemia is a class of drugs called statins. Are statins the best course of treatment for hypercholesterolemia in adults? Why or why not? Should they be prescribed to adults with hypercholesterolemia with no evidence of heart disease? Should teenagers be prescribed statins if they are diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia? Why or why not? Is there a better solution for these situations?
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Causes
Development of atherosclerosis
Development of atherosclerosisOpen pop-up dialog box
Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may begin as early as childhood. Although the exact cause is unknown, atherosclerosis may start with damage or injury to the inner layer of an artery. The damage may be caused by:
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides, a type of fat (lipid) in your blood
Smoking and other sources of tobacco
Insulin resistance, obesity or diabetes
Inflammation from an unknown cause or from diseases such as arthritis, lupus, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease
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.
What is the danger and complications of atherosclerosis?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.
Eventually, pieces of the fatty deposits may break off and enter your bloodstream.
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.
Risk factors
Hardening of the arteries occurs over time. Besides aging, factors that may increase your risk of atherosclerosis include:
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation
Diabetes
Obesity
Sleep apnea
Smoking and other tobacco use
A family history of early heart disease
Lack of exercise
An unhealthy diet