As you get older, fats, cholesterol, and calcium can collect in your arteries and form plaque. The buildup of plaque makes it difficult for blood to flow through your arteries. This buildup may occur in any artery in your body, including around your heart, legs, brain, and kidneys. It can result in a shortage of blood and oxygen in various tissues of your body. Pieces of plaque can also break off, causing a blood clot. Without treatment, atherosclerosis can lead to heart attack , stroke , or heart failure , among other conditions.
Atherosclerosis is a fairly common problem associated with aging. This condition can be prevented and many successful treatment options exist. Atherosclerosis is a form of arteriosclerosis, otherwise known as hardening of the arteries. Both of these can be caused by atherosclerosis and require immediate medical attention. The symptoms of a heart attack include:. The symptoms of stroke include:. Heart attack and stroke are both medical emergencies.
When plaque builds up and the arteries become hard and inflamed, blood has trouble flowing through them to the rest of the body. This prevents your organs and tissues from getting the oxygenated blood they need to function. If the levels of cholesterol in your blood are too high, it can clog your arteries.
It becomes a hard plaque that restricts or blocks blood circulation to your heart and other organs. As you age, your heart and blood vessels work harder to pump and receive blood. Your arteries may stiffen and become less elastic, making them more susceptible to plaque buildup. Your doctor will perform a physical exam if you have symptoms of atherosclerosis. A cardiologist may listen to your heart to see if you have any atypical sounds.
Your doctor will order more tests if they think you may have atherosclerosis. If the arteries supplying the heart become narrow, blood flow can slow down or stop. This can cause chest pain stable angina , shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Narrowed or blocked arteries may also cause problems in the intestines, kidneys, legs, and brain.
A health care provider will perform a physical exam and listen to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Atherosclerosis can create a whooshing or blowing sound "bruit" over an artery. All adults over the age of 18 should have their blood pressure checked every year. More frequent measurement may be needed for those with a history of high blood pressure readings or those with risk factors for high blood pressure. Cholesterol testing is recommended in all adults.
The major national guidelines differ on the suggested age to start testing. The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of health problems caused by high blood pressure.
You and your provider should set a blood pressure goal for you. Your provider may want you to take medicine for abnormal cholesterol levels or for high blood pressure if lifestyle changes do not work. This will depend on:. Your provider may suggest taking aspirin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries. These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs.
DO NOT take aspirin without first talking to your provider. Losing weight if you are overweight and reducing blood sugar if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes can help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis cannot be reversed once it has occurred. However, lifestyle changes and treating high cholesterol levels can prevent or slow the process from becoming worse. This can help reduce the chances of having a heart attack and stroke as a result of atherosclerosis. In some cases, the plaque is part of a process that causes a weakening of the wall of an artery.
This can lead to a bulge in an artery called an aneurysm. Aneurysms can break open rupture. This causes bleeding that can be life threatening. J Am Coll Cardiol. PMID: pubmed. Genest J, Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Libby P. The vascular biology of atherosclerosis. This can cause chest pain stable angina , shortness of breath, and other symptoms.
Narrowed or blocked arteries may also cause problems in the intestines, kidneys, legs, and brain. A health care provider will perform a physical exam and listen to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Atherosclerosis can create a whooshing or blowing sound "bruit" over an artery. All adults over the age of 18 should have their blood pressure checked every year. More frequent measurement may be needed for those with a history of high blood pressure readings or those with risk factors for high blood pressure.
Cholesterol testing is recommended in all adults. The major national guidelines differ on the suggested age to start testing. The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of health problems caused by high blood pressure.
You and your provider should set a blood pressure goal for you. Your provider may want you to take medicine for abnormal cholesterol levels or for high blood pressure if lifestyle changes do not work. This will depend on:. Your provider may suggest taking aspirin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries. These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs. DO NOT take aspirin without first talking to your provider.
Losing weight if you are overweight and reducing blood sugar if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes can help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis cannot be reversed once it has occurred. However, lifestyle changes and treating high cholesterol levels can prevent or slow the process from becoming worse. This can help reduce the chances of having a heart attack and stroke as a result of atherosclerosis.
In some cases, the plaque is part of a process that causes a weakening of the wall of an artery. Lower back pain: The arteries leading to the lower back are among the first in the body to accumulate plaque and show signs of blockage. In fact, 10 percent of Americans already experience advanced blockages in these arteries by age Reduced blood flow to the back can weaken the disks that cushion the vertebrae and lead to painful herniated disks and pinched nerves.
And according to studies , people who suffer from chronic back pain — the most common form of pain in the United States — are far more likely to have clogged lumbar arteries compared to those who do not experience back pain. Erectile Dysfunction: In many cases, erectile dysfunction is an early warning sign for clogged arteries.
When blood flow to the penis is reduced, sexual dysfunction results.
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