Atherosclerosis › Heart and Vascular Resource Center › Services

A A A
Print
Share

find a cardiologist
find a cardiac surgeon

What Is Atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis comes from two Greek words meaning paste and hardness. It occurs when fatty substances accumulate in the inner lining, or walls, of an artery. A patch of this is called plaque.

Two things that can happen where plaque deposits develop include:

  • bleeding into the plaque
  • formation of a blood clot on the outside of the plaque

Plaques can affect both large and medium sized arteries. Over time the inner lining of blood vessels can become thick and hard. A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood through an artery that leads to the heart muscle becomes blocked by plaque. If an artery carrying blood to a leg or arm becomes blocked, then numbness, pain, and even gangrene may develop. When an artery in the brain becomes blocked, a stroke results.

Because plaques contain cholesterol, people with high levels of cholesterol in their blood have a greater chance of plaque formation. However, other causes of this problem can include:

  • smoking
  • high blood pressure and
  • diabetes

Lowering blood cholesterol levels reduces deaths from heart attack and stroke. High blood cholesterol levels may be controlled by cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed by a health care provider. Stopping smoking is an important change you can make to decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Schedule routine checkups with your health care provider if you have:

  • a history of high cholesterol
  • a family history of strokes or heart attacks

For more information, speak with your health care provider. If your health care provider would like to refer you to a cardiologist, ask for a referral to a Saint Vincent Heart Center cardiac specialist. Information is also available by contacting your local chapter of the American Heart Association or call the national office at (800) 242-8721 or visit their website at www.americanheart.org.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. HIL File CARD4291.RF2 VRS# 6101 Data Version 7.0
Copyright 1999, 2002
McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.