Your heart is about the most important organ in your body and when it is not taken care of properly, several coronary heart diseases can happen. One of them is the hardening of the arteries or in healthcare terms, it is referred to as arteriosclerosis.It ofter appears along with high blood pressure.
The arteries are the blood vessels that carry the oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the other parts of the body. Over time, these fat deposits in the arteries will turn into hardened which then leads to reduced blood supply of the organs in the body. When this is not properly deal withd, the arteries will turn into eventually blocked, resulting in tissue death which is often the case in coronary heart attacks and stroke.
There are several factors that are related with hardening of the arteries which are categorized into modifiable and non-modifiable. The non-modifiable factors are those which you are not able to change such as hereditary factors, advancing age, gender (male have a higher risk of developing hardening of the arteries than women) and race. For the modifiable factors, these are the ones that you can manage which include cigarette smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, diet that is high in saturated fat, high blood pressure, diabetes and high ldl cholesterol ranges.
The indicators or symptoms of hardening of the arteries depend on the location of the affected arteries. If it is located in the arteries that supply the heart, you will typically experience chest pain, profuse sweating, shortness of breath of air and anxiety. Arteries that supply blood to the brain when affected will be manifested through numbness or weakness, paralysis normally in one half of the body, loss of speech, blindness and difficulty when swallowing. For the ones that supply the legs, severe leg pain will be manifested which occurs during walking and disappears when you stop. Kidney failure and high blood pressure are the manifestations when the arteries affected are the ones that supply the kidneys.
As to this date, there is no known cure for hardening of the arteries but the signs and effects can be treated. Medications for the indicators and signs and symptoms will be given such as anti-hypertensives, ldl cholesterol reducing medicines, diuretics and medications to control the upper body pain. To re-open the artery when it is blocked, angioplasty is usually performed.
Even if there are non-modifiable factors for hardening of the arteries, you can do a lot to help lower down your risks. Life style changes are warranted such as smoking cessation, having a balanced diet that is low in fat and cholesterol, having enough exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Hardening of the arteries is a serious cardio vascular disorder so while you nonetheless can, you have to prevent it.