What Is Atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis is a hardening and narrowing of your arteries. It can put blood flow at risk as your arteries become blocked.
You might hear it called arteriosclerosis or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It’s the usual cause of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease what together are called cardiovascular disease.
You can prevent and treat this process.
Atherosclerosis Signs and Symptoms
You might not have symptoms until your artery is nearly closed or until you have a heart attack or stroke. Signs can also depend on which artery is narrowed or blocked.
Symptoms related to your coronary arteries include
Arrhythmia, an unusual heartbeat
Pain or pressure in your upper body, including your chest, arms, neck, or jaw. This is known as angina.
Shortness of breath
Symptoms related to the arteries that deliver blood to your brain include
Numbness or weakness in your arms or legs
A hard time speaking or understanding someone who’s talking
Drooping facial muscles
Paralysis
Severe headache
Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Symptoms related to the arteries of your arms, legs, and pelvis include
Leg pain when walking
Numbness
Symptoms related to the arteries that deliver blood to your kidneys include
High blood pressure
Kidney failure
Atherosclerosis Diagnosis
Your doctor will start with a physical exam. They’ll listen to your arteries and check for weak or absent pulses.
You might need tests, including
Angiogram, in which your doctor puts dye into your arteries so they’ll be visible on an X-ray
Ankle-brachial index, a test to compare blood pressures in your lower leg and arm
Blood tests to look for things that raise your risk of having atherosclerosis, like high cholesterol or blood sugar
Chest X-ray to check for signs of heart failure
CT scan or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to look for hardened or narrowed arteries
EKG, a record of your heart’s electrical activity
Stress test, in which you exercise while health care professionals watch your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing
You might also need to see doctors who specialize in certain parts of your body, like cardiologists or vascular specialists, depending on your condition.
