Atherosclerosis
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Atherosclerosis Books
The following are some books on Atherosclerosis. Some of them are exclusively on the subject, while some have a few pages of valuable information on the condition. People who are interested in purchasing the books must make their own research before buying them. This is just a place where they can start their search. The author of this blog does not have any ownership over any of these books and is not responsible for anything.
1. The Complete Book of Men's Health: The Definitive, Illustrated Guide to healthy living, exercise and sex
By Men's Health Books, Men's Health.
2. Cholesterol Cures: More Than 325 Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol and Live longer
By Prevention Health Books, William P. Castelli
3. The male body: an owner's manual : the ultimate head-to-toe guide to staying healthy and fit for life.
By K. Winston Caine, Perry Garfinkel, Men's Health Books.
4. Nature's medicines: from asthma to weight gain, from colds to high cholesterol- The Most Powerful All-natural cures
By Gale Maleskey, Prevention Health Books
5. The medical advisor: the complete guide to alternative & conventional treatments
Time-Life books.
6. Chlamydia Atherosclerosis Lesion: Discovery, Diagnosis and Treatment
By Allan Shor
7. The body multiple: ontology in medical practice
By Annemarie Mol
8. Soar: Achieving Your Best Possible Health Through Awareness
By Roger L White MD
9. Endothelial dysfunctions and vascular disease
By Raffaele De Caterina, Peter Libby
10. Best of Health: The 100 Best Books
By Sheldon Zerden
11. Experimental atherosclerosis
By Louis Nelson Katz, Jeremiah Stamler.
More risk factors for Atherosclerosis
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High blood pressure , hypertension, can cause atherosclerosis. If the blood pressure is over 140/90 mm Hg over time, then it is considered high and if the person has diabetes or kidney problems, then 130/80 mm Hg is considered high.
Triglycerides, a type of fat, in high levels in the blood can act as a risk factor for atherosclerosis, especially in a women.
If the body cannot use the insulin properly then it might lead to atherosclerosis. Insulin is nothing but a hormone that traffics blood sugar into the cells. If the body cannot use the insulin, then it is called as insulin resistance.
Stress increases chances of heart attack and improper sleep over a longer period raises blood pressure, thereby increasing chances of atherosclerosis. Sleep apnea must be treated right away.
Childhood obesity rates are on the rise and increasingly more children and youngsters are risking atherosclerosis.
Heart diseases in the family can cause the condition, though it is not absolutely probable. A person from a family with heart diseases, if looks after himself or herself well by properly following a proper lifestyle, he or she can prevent atherosclerosis.
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People who drink a lot invite a whole lot of health problems including atherosclerosis. Men should take only two drinks per day with alcohol, while women should take only one. Alcohol hurts the heart muscles.
C-reactive protein, referred to as CRP in high levels in the blood is a sign of inflammation, which is caused due to injury or infection. The inner walls of arteries might have been damaged and it can lead to inflammation, which will lead to the growth of plaque, resulting in atherosclerosis.
So all these factors can lead to Atherosclerosis and doctors should be approached at the earliest and the treatment must be strictly followed to prevent the condition from developing.
Prevention
Complete change of lifestyle (if you have a poor one) is required. Proper diet should be maintained and healthy foods have to be eaten. Nutrition rich food has to be taken and proper levels of physical exercises must be done to prevent artery diseases.
Obesity, Diabetes, high level of cholesterol are major reasons for the artery diseases and only exercise and proper dietary habits can help prevent them.
People should exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week, to remain healthy.
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Smoking should be stopped as toxic components of cigarettes damage the artery walls.
Green vegetables, pulses, fruits have to be taken to prevent atherosclerosis. Spinach, kale collards are some healthy foods that can be taken. Free radicals must not be taken in and antioxidants and flavonoids must be taken in.
People should avoid taking in animal fats and they should instead take in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids must be taken in. It is usually present in fish oil.
Chlorinated water must be avoided at all costs as chlorine causes damage to the artery walls.
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Even food with above recommended fats must be taken in controlled quantities. On any account cholesterol levels must be kept under control and sugar levels must be controlled as well.
Family history have to be known and if anyone in the family had atherosclerosis, doctors treating you, must be informed about it.
Pollution, air pollution in particular, can also be a factor for bringing in atherosclerosis based diseases. So it is better to avoid unhealthy atmospheres.
Doctors can also recommend medicines that might help in the control of atherosclerosis risk factors.
Who can get it?
Atherosclerosis occurs in people at a very young age, possibly in their early adolescence, but people do not come to know about it till their are old. People above the age of forty are most likely to experience the real effects of the condition.
Since it's symptoms are not explicitly known, people do not know that they have the condition, till it becomes clinically apparent in the older ages. The condition does develop through age and hence it becomes serious in the middle aged and older men and women.
Men are more likely to get the condition than women. Women seem to be protected because of the protective nature of their sexual hormones, but that protection wears off after menopause. Women however display the manifestations of the Coronary Artery Disease a few years later than an average man. On the whole however, women match the rate of men, in having the condition.
Atherosclerosis is one of the leading cause of death all over the world, developed countries more than the developing countries. But it is estimated that the cases will increase in the developing countries more in the coming years.
Cardio Vascular disease and Coronary artery disease are the main reasons for death in many people with Atherosclerosis.
The condition is prevalent in Western countries like Great Britain, Finland, Scotland, Russia, Scandinavia. Better treatment for Hypertension in England has brought down the condition a lot in England.
Asian and African countries have lesser artery related diseases compared to the west, but numbers are increasing in the Middle East, India, and in parts of South America.
Coronary Artery disease will however increase in Asian and African countries in the future, due to the adoption of western lifestyles and dietary habits.
People who do not have a good dietary pattern, good lifestyle and who tend to smoke more are more likely to get the artery diseases. People who are obese, who have diabetes and high levels of cholesterol will also get the Coronary Artery disease.
Atherosclerosis- The Causes
Unfortunately the exact cause of Atherosclerosis hasn't been found yet and scientists across the world are working on finding why it happens.
All we know is that, the condition happens during a very young age, and develops as the affected person ages.
The inner layers of the arteries are prone to be damaged due to a variety of reasons. Some of them are smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Diabetes, presence of certain fats and a sedentary lifestyle. These factors can damage the inner walls of the arteries thereby leading to Atherosclerosis.
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Atherosclerosis, as said before, is the formation of plaques made of lipoproteins, dead cells, tissues and so on, blocking the blood flow in the arteries, to different parts like the heart, brain and other body parts.
These plaques could eventually break of and as a result the body might begin to heal. When the healing happens, blood clots might appear in these parts, where the plaques have been broken and this will lead to further narrowing of the arteries, thereby raising more chances of heart attack and or stroke.
Even today scientists are making more researches to find the exact cause of the condition hoping to answer many unanswered questions.
What is Atherosclerosis?
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Atherosclerosis is nothing but a condition in which, the inner walls of the arteries narrow, due to the formation of plaques, which blocks the blood flow to the various parts of the body. It's causes are not really known, but it can appear in people in a very young age, possibly in their childhood or in the adolescent age.
The plaque formation can happen anywhere in the body and based on where it happens, different kind of problems occur. Most dangerous are the conditions in which the wall narrows in the arteries carrying blood to the heart and brain.
When it happens on the arteries carrying blood to the heart, heart attacks and strokes might happen. If it happens on the arteries carrying blood to the body parts like hands or legs, then it might lead to the numbness of the body parts and in some cases even infections.
These plaque formations mostly occur in people who have relatively higher levels of cholesterol. These plaques are made of dead tissue, blood platelets, lipoproteins, decaying muscle cells and sometimes even calcium.
In the US alone, a lot of deaths have occurred due to Atherosclerosis, since it's symptoms and signs are not really known to the people till they get some major heart problems or strokes.
As people get older, the size and number of the plaques increase causing more problems for the affected person.
Atherosclerosis- Signs and symptoms
The condition of Atherosclerosis occurs most probably in the adolescent age, or in early adolescence. It does not have an open sign or symptom. It basically affects the artery and it slowly narrows it down and that is when the affected person begins to realise that he or she has Atherosclerosis.
Heart Attack, Stroke, Chest pain are some signs, but other signs could be observed based on which artery has been affected by the condition.
Three types of arteries get affected, Coronary Arteries, Carotid Arteries and peripheral arteries. Places where the Lumen narrowing is less than fifty percent, the artery flow disrupting events occur. Nuclear test methods help in finding these 50 percent lumen narrowing. Cardiac stress testing helps as well.
The Coronary arteries provide oxygen rich blood to the heart and the narrowing of the plaque, blocks this flow of blood, resulting in chest pains and shortness of breath. Coronary heart disease is a result of this event. Pain in the neck, arm, shoulders, chest, occurs and a little resting may help you feel better.
The Carotid arteries supply oxygen rich blood to the brain and when the plaque blocks these arteries, we get the Carotid artery disease. Stroke is a major symptom, which results in numbness in the body, improper vision, loss of balance, speaking problems and severe head ache.
The Peripheral arteries carry oxygen rich blood to arms, legs and other body parts and its blocking will cause the peripheral artery disease. Numbness, pain and major infections are the symptoms here.
The exact cause of the condition is not known and the affected person cannot possibly know of his condition till it has actually occurred.