What is Atherosclerosis? What are the Symptoms?
Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries in your body caused by a build-up of plaque, a mix of fat, cholesterol and other substances. It can affect arteries around the body and, as a result, can cause multiple cardiovascular-related complications, such as heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease and other serious health conditions.
Atherosclerosis is becoming an increasingly common condition and is considered a leading cause of death worldwide, so knowing the symptoms and causes of this condition is essential if you want to maintain good cardiovascular health.
Below, we explore what atherosclerosis is in further detail, share common symptoms and causes of the condition, and explain how you can understand more about your risk of the condition through regular full body health assessments.
What is atherosclerotic heart disease?
Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis caused by a hardening of the arteries due to a build-up of plaque. Arteriosclerosis is the term used to describe conditions that cause arteries, the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body, to become thick and stiff, often referred to as hardened.
In atherosclerosis, the arteries' hardening is caused by plaque build-up. Plaque consists of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. Plaque sticks to artery walls and, over time, builds up and hardens, which causes the arteries to narrow. This process is usually ‘silent’ meaning there are no symptoms that this is happening in your body.
The hardening and narrowing of an artery (atherosclerosis of an artery) restricts blood flow to some organs and tissues, which can lead to complications. It can also put arteries under undue force, leading to plaque erosion or rupture and cause a blood clot to form.
A blood clot is serious as it blocks blood flow to certain organs or tissues the affected artery normally feeds. The effects of this will depend on where the clot forms. For example, a blood clot in your coronary artery can deprive your heart of oxygen-rich blood and lead to a heart attack.
What are the symptoms of atherosclerosis?
The clinical features of atherosclerosis are often limited until the condition has progressed so much that an artery is severely narrowed or blocked by the formation of a blood clot. This means that most people will only be aware that they have an issue once they have a medical emergency like a heart attack or stroke.
For those with severe arterial narrowing of 70% or more, atherosclerosis symptoms vary depending on the location of the narrowing. Commonly affected areas and associated symptoms include:
Heart
If you suffer from a narrowing in arteries that supply blood to your heart, it is known as coronary artery disease. The symptoms of this condition often include:
- Shortness of breath when performing everyday activities
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain in your back, shoulders, neck, arms or belly
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Heart palpitations
- Unexplained fatigue
- Nausea or vomiting
Digestive system
When blood flow is restricted to the digestive system due to atherosclerosis and plaque build-up, it is known as mesenteric ischemia. Common symptoms include:
- Pain or cramps in your abdomen after eating
- Bloating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Unintentional weight loss
Legs and feet
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the term used to describe restricted blood flow to the arteries in your limbs. Typical symptoms include:
- Muscle pain (in legs/feet)
- Burning or aching pain in feet and toes at rest
- Changes in skin colour
- Cool skin on your feet
- Frequent skin or soft tissue infections on legs and feet
- Sore on feet and toes that don’t heal
Kidneys
Narrowing to the arteries that take blood to the kidneys is known as renal artery stenosis and can result in:
- Significantly elevated blood pressure that doesn’t respond to multiple medications
- Changes in urination
- Swelling
- Feeling drowsy or tired
- Itchy, dry or numb skin
- Headaches
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of appetite
Brain
Known as carotid artery disease, the first symptoms of a narrowing in arteries taking blood to the brain are usually a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke. Symptoms of these emergency health conditions can include:
- Dizziness
- Drooping on one side of your face
- Loss of feeling or loss of strength on one side of your body
- Severe headache
- Slurred speech or difficulty forming words
- Vision loss in one eye
What are the causes of arteriosclerosis?
The exact causes of arteriosclerosis are not fully known, and it is widely accepted that they may vary depending on the underlying cause of arteriosclerosis.
However, in the case of atherosclerosis, plaque causes the hardening of the arteries, so anything that can contribute to the build-up of plaque is a potential cause. This can include factors that are outside your control, like your age and genetics, which can put you at higher risk of conditions like high blood pressure, as well as those you can modify, like your diet or smoking.
Causes of atherosclerosis include:
- High blood pressure
- High LDL Cholesterol
- High triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Insulin resistance
- Obesity
- Inflammation from autoimmune disorders like lupus or an unknown cause
All these factors can increase the risk of damage to your artery’s inner lining, which can cause atherosclerosis to begin. However, the damage usually occurs slowly, and it takes considerable time for the condition to develop, so it is possible to slow down or prevent further damage by making lifestyle changes or taking medication to help with conditions like high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
What are the risk factors for atherosclerosis?
Multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis exist. Some are modifiable, meaning you can make changes to help reduce your risk, while others, like your age, are outside your control.
Common risk factors include:
- Age – being male and over 45 or female and over 55
- Having a family history of premature cardiovascular disease
- Having diabetes
- Having high blood pressure
- Having high cholesterol (specifically high LDL cholesterol)
- Having a metabolic syndrome
- Smoking
- Having a sedentary lifestyle
- Eating a diet high in saturated or trans fats, salt and sugar
What are the complications of atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis is a serious health condition as it interferes with the everyday workings of your cardiovascular system, restricting or blocking blood flow to various parts of your body. The complications of atherosclerosis vary depending on where blood flow is restricted, but they can include:
- Coronary artery disease
- Carotid artery disease
- Heart attack
- Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rate)
- Heart failure
- Mesenteric ischemia
- Peripheral artery disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Renal artery stenosis
- Stroke
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Aneurysms and rupture of blood vessels
How is atherosclerosis diagnosed?
Atherosclerosis is a health condition that can lead to serious complications. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital to help avoid or delay complications and improve health. To get an arteriosclerosis diagnosis or to calculate your risk of atherosclerosis, a health assessment specialist will:
- Perform a physical examination of your body - this may include measuring your weight and blood pressure, which can contribute to your risk of developing the condition.
- Ask questions about your medical history and lifestyle. This may include questions about whether anyone in your family has the condition and general questions about how active you are and what your diet is like.
- Order blood tests to check your cholesterol levels and other key heart blood markers.
A doctor then assesses this information to calculate your risk of atherosclerosis. If you are diagnosed as having atherosclerosis, your doctor may refer you for further tests to help them create a treatment plan. Additional tests often used can include:
- Angiography – a test that uses X-rays and a contrast dye to locate and measure arterial blockages
- Ankle-brachial index – a test that compares the blood pressure in your ankle to that in your arm
- Chest X-ray – this gives doctors a picture of the inside of your chest
- CT scan – provides pictures inside your body that can show any hardening or narrowing of large arteries
- Heart MRI – this test can show problems with blood flow in your arteries
- Echocardiogram – this test measures how well your heart pumps blood
- Electrocardiogram – this measures your heart’s electrical activity, rate and rhythm
- Exercise stress test – this measures how your heart functions when you are physically active
- Carotid ultrasound – this test takes ultrasound pictures of arteries in your neck to help detect hardening or narrowing as blood flows to your brain
- Abdominal ultrasound – this test provides pictures of your abdominal aorta, the main artery in your abdomen and checks for ballooning or plaque build-up.
Private health checks for complete peace of mind
As there are often no symptoms of atherosclerosis until the condition has significantly progressed, regular annual health assessments are one of the best ways to pick up the condition in its infancy.
At Bluecrest Wellness, we offer a range of full-body health assessment packages that provide vital insights into your overall health and wellbeing. Our health MOTs include a range of key blood tests and important metrics like your blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol levels as well as our peripheral arterial disease test (measuring the ankle brachial index) which can all play a role in the development of atherosclerosis.
We use the latest technologies to ensure accurate results for all our tests. What’s more, we provide you with a comprehensive Results Report and free access to a 24/7 GP helpline for a year for complete peace of mind following your health assessment.
