Macrophages: Atherosclerosis In The Human Body

Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease cause problems because they lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the narrowing and thickening of arteries and develops for years without causing symptoms. It can happen in any part of the body. Around the heart, it is known as coronary artery disease, in the legs it is known as peripheral arterial disease. The narrowing and thickening of the arteries is due to the deposition of fatty material, cholesterol and other substances in the walls of blood vessels. The deposits are known as plaques. The rupture of a plaque can lead to stroke or a heart attack. (World Heart Federation).

Atherosclerosis is the process in which substances known as plaques, which are made up of cholesterol and platelets, adhere to tears in the walls of arteries. Over time these plaques build up to the point where they occlude blood flow in the arteries. When this happens in the coronary arteries, either directly, as the result of buildup in the arteries themselves, indirectly in the form a clot from another part of the body breaking loose and becoming lodged in the coronary arteries, the usual result is a heart attack.3

When LDL or the cholesterol crossed the endothelium, which is already damaged, it will force the cholesterol to move through the artery wall. This will force the white blood cells in the body to stream, and because of that, it would digest the LDL. When this process goes on for a very long time, it would constitute a plaque to the artery wall.

LDL carries plaque which attaches to the walls of arteries and beings to build up. The plaque is a combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances. As it builds up over time, it hardens and the arteries become narrow, a condition called atherosclerosis. The blood cannot flow as freely and oxygen cannot get throughout the body as it should. If the plaque ruptures or breaks open, a blood clot can form. If the clot becomes large enough, blood flow is impaired or blocked completely. You may experience extreme pressure or pain in the chest called angina or possible pain in the shoulders, jaw, arms, back, or the discomfort associated with indigestion. This is a heart attack. Heart damage or even death may result if blood flow is not quickly restored. However, arteries leading to other parts of the body can have plaque buildup resulting in strokes, carotid artery disease, and peripheral artery disease. On the other hand, if the HDL is higher, the risk for heart disease is lower.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the buildup of plaques, or fatty deposits, on the inner walls of arteries, making it more difficult for blood to pass through. Another disease is hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, which leads to an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack. A stroke is when a blood clot forms and blocks up a blood vessel. This means that blood cannot travel to the brain, so brain cells become deprived of oxygen, leading to impaired brain functioning. A heart attack is also caused by a blood clot, in this case, a part of cardiac muscle dies. Depending on how much muscle dies, a heart attack may occur. One interesting fact about this system is that if all of the blood vessels within the adult human body were to be stretched out, they would reach about 60,000 miles. There are about 5 liters of blood in the

To begin with, cells create atherosclerotic deposits, and these deposits arise on vessel walls. This is formed when LDL deposits tend to become stuck in the matrix, and they undergo oxidation and glycation. Macrophages then feast on LDL’s, becoming fueled with fatty droplets. If there is an inflammatory disease, this can cause more growth of plaque, and a fibrous cap or the lipid core is established. Then, foam cells weaken the caps by digesting matrix molecules, which then leads to the damage of smooth muscle, resulting in the inability to repair the cap. If a clot is big enough, the flow of blood will be interrupted resulting

A sufficient coronary artery blood flow is essential to supply oxygen for normal cardiac activities (Craft, 2014, p. 599). Atherosclerosis is a common form of CHD. It is an inflammation disease when plasma cholesterol is high. Risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes increase the risk of endothelium injuries, contributing to the increase in oxidated lipid-lipoprotein (LDL). Foam cell is produced by the increase in the number of macrophages signalled by oxidated LDL. Next, the accumulation of foam cells will cause the formation of fatty streak lesions on arteries walls. Over time, fatty streak lesions migrate to the site and form fibrous plaque due to the increase in smooth muscles and collagen. The thickening and hardening initiated by an accumulation in calcified fibrous plaque caused the blood vessels to narrow. As a result, a decrease in tissue perfusion contributing to the development of myocardial ischemia (Craft, 2014, p. 599; McCance & Huether, 2014, pp. 1145-1147).

There are many risk factors which facilitate the development of atherosclerosis; abnormal level of blood lipids is just one of them. Blood lipids consisted of three components including cholesterol, triglycerides, and two major forms of lipoproteins: high density lipoproteins (HDLs) and Low density lipoproteins (LDLs). In addition, one of the critical components which determine the degree of blockage on the arterial walls is the quantity of

With the increased consumption of fast-food and poor lifestyle choices, we have become an increasingly obese nation. For this reason, diseases such as cardiovascular disease have been on the rise. Cardiovascular disease is the combined term for a number of diseases concerning the heart and the blood vessels. Many of these life threatening diseases are related to a condition called atherosclerosis. The condition creates plaque build-up on the walls of the blood vessels. The plaque effects the flow of blood making it harder and can lead to blood clots which stops the flow of blood altogether. The two main effects to this are heart attacks and strokes however, other types of cardiovascular disease includes complete heart failure, arrhythmia

Proteins form over the platelets called fibrin that make the blood clot and stick the platelets together. When this process gets repeated it can cause a clot, or thrombus. As a result, this forces the heart to work much harder to pump blood efficiently due to the arteries becoming narrower. Continued buildup of plaque can lead to heart disease and cause a heart attack as well as many other health complications.

Coronary Artery disease is caused by damage or injury to the inner layer of a coronary artery and can be caused by a number of factors. Some of them are; smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or insulin resistance, and/or a sedentary lifestyle. After the wall of an artery is damaged it makes it much easier for fatty deposits (plaque) such as cholesterol and other fatty waste products to build up on the linings of artery walls. This process is known as atherosclerosis. If this plaque breaks or ruptures platelets will clump at the site to try and repair the artery, but this can also block the arteries which can lead to a heart attack. The main factors that place a person at risk for this disease are age, as getting older is

Atherosclerosis is a disease where fatty deposits obstruct the inside of arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that transport blood rich in oxygen to the heart and other parts of the human body. The execs of plaque harden and narrow the arteries. This limits the flow of blood rich in oxygen to the organs and other parts of the human body. Atherosclerosis can lead to more serious problems, such as a heart attack, stroke, or even death. Medical procedures and surgery are recommended in severe cases atherosclerosis.

784). The immune system attempts to attack the inflamed area in the artery with special white blood cells and “cells full of fatty nutrients, foam cells, begin to form there, too” (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 43). The white blood cells are unable to properly fight the affected area, and in turn, end up adding more substance to the build up. As this process continues, the affected area becomes inflamed and physically hardens. This produces a blockage in the artery and reduces blood flow, while also causing an increase in blood pressure. At this point of the atherosclerosis build up, many people, especially women, experience angina.

Atherosclerosis is the narrowing and hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis that occurs in coronary arteries is called coronary heart disease. Deep vein thrombosis can be fatal. The blood clot mixed with the fat on the blood vessels. As a result of heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

Atherosclerosis more commonly known as plaque is a buildup of cholesterol and fats in the blood vessels. Those can break free and form a blood clot which can cause blockages in the arteries which carries oxygen rich blood to the heart. When