Thursday, April 21, 2011

How Does Plaque On Arteries Happen?

By John Kirzno


Coronary heart disease or plaque on arteries affects over 14 million people per year in the United States. It does not discriminate between men and women. This disease starts when fat deposits, calcium, and scar tissues (which forms when the body is trying to heal itself against excessive plaque) build up in the arteries that provide the heart with its blood supply.

These arteries are called the coronary arteries because it is through these arteries that the myocardium gets the blood that is enriched with oxygen and other nutrients to keep you alive. This happens when the passage ways in the vessels are so narrow that the heart does not receive enough blood. Lack of adequate blood supply to the heart can cause angina or chest pain to persist notifying a person that their heart is indeed struggling to get that blood. If the passage ways become too clogged or completely obstructed, a heart attack may ensue or even cardiac arrest may occur which are often fatal.

The heart has four parts referred to as chambers. There are the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium and left ventricle. The way the heart woks is blood comes to the heart from all the veins of the body and flow into the right atrium. Then the blood continues on to the right ventricle in which oxygen is delivered to the blood and the oxygenated blood flows into the left atrium; the blood then flows into the left ventricle. This cycle is done in the time of one heartbeat. Once the blood leaves the left ventricle it is pumped at high pressure into the arteries.

In a perfect body the arteries are elastic and flexible. In a person suffering from heart disease body the arteries are often hard, rigid and tough. There is a lot of plaque on arteries. There are three major arteries to the heart. Two of these arteries form the left main coronary artery which supplies the left side of the heart with blood. It is the larger part of the heart and the right coronary artery supplies the right side with blood.

As children, the inside lining of the arteries are smooth and blood is able to pass through quite easily. As a person gets an older, cholesterol and calcium start to buildup making the arteries thicker with narrower passage ways and making the arteries more rigid. As blood is pumped through the arteries, the plaque on arteries can break and fissure off and expose a cholesterol core which will increase your blood's clotting factor. If clots develop, they can further impede the blood flow and cause chest pain and stop all blood flow to the heart. It is best to seek out medical attention if you are concerned and want to know if you are at risk for heart disease.




About the Author:



No comments: