Posts Tagged ‘Artery Disease’
Risk Factors and Stroke Prevention (Part 2)
Risk factors that may cause blood more likely to clot, which can lead to stroke include:
* Birth control pills may increase the likelihood of blood clots, especially in women who smoke and are over 35 years
* Disorders of blood clotting
* Cancer
* Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, vasculitis and ulcerative colitis
* Pregnancy: Women have a higher risk of stroke during pregnancy and the weeks immediately after it
Risk factors for strokes caused by blood clots (emboli) that develop in the heart include:
* Infected or artificial heart valves
* Inflammation of the lining of the heart chambers and valves (endocarditis)
* An attack that is not beating strongly or regularly, which can cause blood to remain in the area of the heart, leading to the formation of a clot. The clot can break off and travel to the brain
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronari arteries coronary artery disease (CAD) affects almost 13 million Americans, making it the most common type of cardiovascular disease. The CAD and its complications such as arrhythmia, angina and heart attack are the main causes of death in the United States. The most common cause of CAD is a condition called atherosclerosis, which occurs when a waxy substance forms inside the arteries that supply the heart. This substance, called plaque, is made of cholesterol, fatty compounds, calcium and a clotting material called fibrin. Have identified two types of plaque: hard plaque and soft plaque.
Most people have heard of the hard plaque and knows it can cause a heart attack. If hard plaque builds up in arteries supplying the heart, blood flow slows or stops. This decreases the amount of oxygen reaching the heart, which can cause a heart attack.
But it has been determined that although some heart attacks are caused by hard plaque, most of them are caused by the soft plaque or vulnerable plaque. The vulnerable plaque is an inflamed section of an artery that can rupture. This may lead to the formation of a blood clot that can cause a heart attack.