ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
Arteriosclerosis which is a combination of two
Greek words, arteria (meaning artery) and skleros (meaning hard) is a general
term used for hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis on the other hand is a form of
arteriosclerosis. It is also made up of two Greek words, athere (meaning soft,
fatty, gruel-like) and skleros (meaning hard) and it refers to the buildup of a
waxy plaque on the inside of blood vessels. Atherosclerosis is often called
arteriosclerosis but really, it is a form of arteriosclerosis. It is not
uncommon to find people using both terms synonymously probably due to the
slight difference in their spellings, but it is noteworthy to state here that
they are two different words, with their different meanings, although they have
similar risk factors and treatments. Both
conditions will be referred to in the course of this article because they are
interwoven.
Arteriosclerosis is the stiffening or hardening
of the artery walls. Arteriosclerosis as a phenomenon may have been in existence
since ancient times but nothing about its diagnostics and clinical implications
were acknowledged until the 20th century. Although many cases have been
observed and recorded, the term ‘arteriosclerosis’
was not used until Jean Fréderic Martin Lobstein coined it in the course of analyzing
the composition of calcified arterial lesions. An artery is a kind of blood
vessel and it is composed of several layers: an internal lining called the
endothelium, an elastic membrane that permits the artery to enlarge and
contract, a layer of smooth muscle, and a layer of connective tissue. Arteriosclerosis is a broad term that means a
hardening of the inner and middle layers of the artery. It is characterized by
irregularly distributed lipid deposits in the intima of large and medium-sized
arteries, leading to a narrowing of arterial lumens and resulting eventually to
fibrosis and calcification. Restriction of blood flow gives rise to most
clinical manifestations, which differ with the distribution and severity.
PREVALENCE
OF ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
In
2008, the United States of America had an estimation of 16 million
atherosclerotic heart disease conditions and 5.8 million strokes. The cardiovascular
diseases that resulted from arteriosclerosis also led to almost 812,000 deaths
in 2008, more than any other cause, including cancer. Approximately 1.2 million
Americans are predicted to suffer a heart attack each year.
An
important question to ask is those who are at risk of this deadly condition. It
starts early. Autopsies of young soldiers who died in the Korean and Vietnam
wars showed that half to three-quarters of them had early forms of
atherosclerosis. Even today, a considerable number of young people without
symptoms have evidence of atherosclerosis. A study of 262 apparently healthy people's
hearts conducted in 2001 surprisingly revealed that 52% had some
atherosclerosis, 85% of those older than 50 also had this condition, including
17% of teenagers. No one showed symptoms, and a very insignificant proportion
of them had severe narrowing in any arteries. This was a very early disease
which could only be detected by special tests. In fact, anyone who is up to 40
years of age and is apparently healthy has about a 50% chance of coming down
with atherosclerosis in their lifetime. The risk increases with age and majority
of adults who are older than 60 have some atherosclerosis but often do not show
obvious symptoms. Atherosclerosis
can begin in the late teens, but it generally takes decades to cause symptoms, and as the narrowing of the
artery becomes severe, it can impede blood flow and cause pain. Some people usually
experience rapidly advancing atherosclerosis in their thirties and some others
during their fifties or sixties. However, the rates of death from
atherosclerosis have fallen by 25% in the past three decades and this is attributed
to better lifestyles and improved treatment options.
ETIOLOGY OF ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
Atherosclerosis is
complicated. Its exact cause is not yet known, but it is thought to be caused
by a response to damage to the endothelium resulting from high cholesterol
level, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking. Therefore, a person who has
all the three risk factors is eight times more likely to have atherosclerosis more
than a person who has none of the risk factors.
The
prominent cause of arteriosclerosis is the adoption of an unhealthy diet. A
diet that essentially contains saturated and hydrogenated fat, in addition to processed
and refined food, can potentially cause arteriosclerosis.
Other major risk factors
that can predisposes people to arteriosclerosis are unhealthy blood cholesterol
levels (this includes high LDL cholesterol commonly referred to as
"bad" cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol which is referred to as
"good" cholesterol) others are:
- age,
- high blood pressure,
- diabetes,
- obesity,
- absence of physical activity,
- smoking and other sources of tobacco,
- insulin resistance,
- inflammation resulting from diseases such as arthritis, infections, or inflammation of unknown cause,
- family history of arterial disease,
- addictions to sugar, coca cola, and caffeine in the diet,
- lack of sunshine (vitamin D is highly protective against arterial disease),
- industrial pollution (which is now a significant cause of arteriosclerosis), and
- western diet (which contains high amount of refined carbohydrates, dairy products, and is deficient in micronutrient and polluted by food additives and pesticides).
Tags:
what is arteriosclerosis? What is atherosclerosis? How does arteriosclerosis
occur? How does atherosclerosis? Prevalence
of arteriosclerosis. Risk of atherosclerosis in the young. Arteriosclerosis
risk increases with age. Atherosclerotic heart disease conditions. Etiology of arteriosclerosis. Cause of arteriosclerosis
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