How to live with atherosclerosis?

What are atherosclerosis signs and symptoms?

Atherosclerosis is a dangerous disease that causes heart attack or stroke. According to U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, you can not find out any signs and symptoms of atherosclerosis until one of your arteries is narrowed or blocked. Some people have signs or symptoms below:

• Chest pain or discomfort because of the deficiency of oxygen in heart muscle. This feeling like pressure or squeezing in chest.
• Shortness of breath and arrhythmia
• Sleep problems, fatigue, lack of energy
• Numbness, pain and dangerous infections if peripheral arteries have plaques
• Changing in urination (more often or less often), swelling in the hands or feet if the plaques builds up in renal arteries

What is atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is a disease of arteries which is built up plaques inside. Plaques is made of fats, cholesterol, calcium, inflammation factors. In the fullness of time, plaques becomes harden and the arteries is narrow. This reduces or blocks the blood flow that need for supplying oxygen and nutrition to brain, heart and other parts of our body.

What causes atherosclerosis?

Until now, the exact causes of atherosclerosis is not known clearly. There are some risk factors that damage the inner layers of the arteries can lead atherosclerosis:

• High blood cholesterols and triglycerides levels: these fatty acids are stick to the artery walls and combine with inflammation factors to build up plaques
• Cigarette smoking and second-hand smoking: the chemicals in cigarettes damage artery walls and build up plaques. Moreover, the toxins in smoke lower HDL-cholesterol levels and raise the LDL-cholesterol levels, increases the risk of atherosclerosis
• High blood pressure: damages the artery walls that causes plaque forming
• Diabetes: the excess glucose in blood can damage the walls of arteries
• Obesity: increases the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and has high blood cholesterols levels. All of these factors are the risks of atherosclerosis.

Living with atherosclerosis

The atherosclerosis mortality ratio have reduced by improving treatments. So you can living with atherosclerosis better by some rules below:

• Changes your lifestyle: stop smoking and drinking, restrict sodium and fats intake, increase the vegetables intake, take exercise regularly
• Avoiding serious problems by contacting closely with health professionals
• Following treatment plan strictly
• Let your doctor know about the new symptoms as soon as possible
• Getting the support for changing lifestyle from family and friends

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