Atherosclerosis - The fatal plug in your arteries

Dateline: 07/06/97

In last week's article, we discussed the anatomy of the coronary circulation in humans. Today, we will see how this coronary system can be affected by disease, and how this affects normal life.

Almost every one of us has heard of, and known friends and relatives who have suffered from, angina, a heart attack, ischemic heart disease or a coronary. All of these conditions are due to disease of the coronary arteries that supply the muscle of the heart itself with blood, oxygen and nutrients so that it can work normally.

Atherosclerosis literally means "hardening of the arteries". It is a disease that causes thickening and stiffness of the wall of the artery, leading to serious consequences. In fact, over one half of all deaths in the US are a direct or indirect result of atherosclerosis, making it the single largest "killer disease" of them all.

The basic abnormality in this condition is the formation of a "plaque" which is a thickened area on the inner lining of the blood vessel. This plaque or "atheroma" (derived from the Greek word for 'gruel') is composed of a porridge-like accumulation of fats and their compounds within a fibrous coat.

Atherosclerosis affects medium and large sized arteries in the body. It most frequently affects the aorta (the largest blood vessel in the body), the coronary arteries, the cerebral arteries (which supply the brain) and sometimes arteries in the legs and abdomen. The involvement of the arteries is usually located at bifurcations - places where the artery branches into two.

Read more about atherosclerosis:

• How is an atheroma formed ?
• Why is an atheromatous plaque dangerous ?
• What are the risk factors for atherosclerosis ?