Atherosclerosis Causes & Risk Factors

Conditions & Diseases: Cardiovascular System

Atherosclerosis

Causes & Risk Factors

Causes:
Even though the exact causes of atherosclerosis are not known, it is known that that atherosclerosis is caused due to damage to the inner layers of the arteries by factors such as:

1. Smoking

2. High levels of fat and cholesterol in blood

3. High blood pressure

4. High sugar levels in blood due to insulin resistance or diabetes (2)

Damage to an arterial wall leads to initiation of natural healing process, wherein white blood cells attach to the arterial wall and move into the wall. These white blood cells are transformed into foam cells and collect cholesterol and fatty material triggering the growth of smooth muscle cells in the arterial wall. Over a period, these fat laden foam cells accumulate calcium too forming patchy deposits (called atheromas or plaques) covered with fibrous cap in the arterial wall lining (5).

Risks:
Some of the risk factors for Atherosclerosis include:

1. Tobacco smokers are at high risk of developing atherosclerosis. Smoking leads to reduction of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol (also called “good” Cholesterol) and increase in Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol (also called “bad” Cholesterol) in the blood. Smoking also increases carbon monoxide levels in the blood leading to reduced supply of oxygen to various body tissues.

2. Hypertension

3. Diabetes

4. Overweight or obesity: Extra body weight from muscle, bone, fat and water leads to being overweight.

5. Lack of physical activity

6. Age: Ageing and lifestyle factors lead to building of plaque in arteries. In men, the risk is more after 45 years and in women after 55 years.

7. Family history of heart disease (2)

8. Elevated C-Reactive protein (CRP) and triglycerides levels in blood (6)

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com