Atherosclerosis is a disease that affects blood flow in the arteries due to plaques buildup. Plaques consist of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium, cellular waste products and fibrin. As plaques build up, the artery wall gets thicker, reducing blood flow and oxygen supply to body cells.
Although atherosclerosis is typically associated with the heart, it can affect any of the arteries in the body. Plaques can totally or partially restrict the blood flow to the brain, heart, arms, legs, kidneys or pelvis. Depending on which particular arteries become blocked and its severity, atherosclerosis can result in dangerous complications, among which are:
Carotid artery disease. When plaques are formed in carotid (neck) arteries that deliver blood to the brain, it can lead to a stroke or transient ischemic attack (a near-stroke condition that spontaneously improves for unknown reasons).
As you see atherosclerosis is dangerous because it can provoke complications in any body organ. And while it is still unknown how exactly it begins, the three possible causes – high cholesterol, hypertension and smoking- should be kept in mind to significantly lower the risk.
