Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes as the first line of treatment. You may also need additional medical treatments, such as medications or surgery.
Aspirin can be particularly effective for people with a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. An aspirin regimen discussed with your doctor may potentially lower your risk of having another health event if you already have atherosclerosis. The U. Preventive Services Task Force recently released updated guidelines on using aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. These guidelines may be relevant in discussions with your doctor.
If you have no history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, only use aspirin as a preventive medication if your risk of bleeding is low and your risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is high.
Always discuss an aspirin regimen with your doctor first. If symptoms are especially severe or if muscle or skin tissue are endangered, surgery may be necessary. Many factors place you at risk for atherosclerosis. If atherosclerosis runs in your family , you may be at risk for hardening of the arteries.
You can inherit this condition, as well as other heart-related problems. Regular exercise is good for your heart.
It keeps your heart muscle strong and encourages oxygen and blood flow throughout your body. Lack of exercise increases your risk for a host of medical conditions, including heart disease. High blood pressure can damage your blood vessels by making them weak in some areas.
Cholesterol and other substances in your blood may lower the flexibility of your arteries over time. Smoking tobacco products can damage your blood vessels and heart. People with diabetes have a much higher incidence of coronary artery disease. CAD occurs when the coronary arteries become hard. The carotid arteries are found in your neck and supply blood to your brain. The seventh step is maintaining normal blood pressure, which the researchers were already measuring. Sticking with these heart-healthy strategies can be challenging, Niiranen notes.
And the older you are, the more difficult it may be to achieve the desired results. In this study, about 30 percent of study subjects in their 50s had the low blood pressure and supple arteries characteristic of healthy vascular aging—compared with only 1 percent of people 70 and older. But it is possible, says Niiranen. Small studies have found that tribal communities in South America, Africa, and Oceania—who subsist on hunting and gathering—tend to have much lower rates of high blood pressure , hardening of the arteries, and heart disease than those in Westernized cultures.
That's likely, Niiranen says, because they have a far healthier diet and more active lifestyle than many of us do. To help keep your arteries healthy and reduce heart disease risks, the researchers advise that you:. Maintain a normal body weight. Excess pounds can burden your arteries and other blood vessels, along with your heart, lungs, and skeleton.
Staying at a healthy weight—often measured as a body mass index BMI between Be active. Studies have found that aerobic exercise can help you maintain more flexible arteries, and offers a host of other heart-health benefits. You can work up to that goal if you need to—start with just 10 minutes per day. To learn more about diagnostic tests, including coronary artery calcium scoring, contact one of our heart specialists at University Hospitals.
We have appointments available with our expert team at convenient locations near you. Skip to main content. Find Doctors Services Locations. Medical Professionals. Research Community. Medical Learners. Job Seekers. Atherosclerotic disease can occur in an artery anywhere in your body, leading to the following complications: Coronary heart disease : Coronary artery disease affects the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.
If your cholesterol is high, ask your doctor whether you should take cholesterol-lowering medication. Lastly, you may also need to take aspirin or another blood-thinning drug to prevent clots from forming in your arteries.
Atherosclerosis does not cause symptoms until blood flow to part of the body becomes slowed or blocked. 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.
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