A risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke, atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of the arteries. However, it is avoidable in 80% of cases thanks to a healthy lifestyle.
Responsible for more than 30% of mortality, cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death in the world. In France, they are the cause of 150,000 deaths per year, which places them in 2and position after cancer.
Atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of myocardial infarction (120,000 cases per year), cerebrovascular accidents (150,000 victims per year), pathologies that can lead to serious disabilities or even death. This cardiovascular disease is characterized by the appearance of “atheroma plaques” on the inner wall of the arteries, called the endothelium. As explained Le Figarothese plaques, composed of fatty substances, fibrosis and calcium deposits are the result of an inflammatory phenomenon which associates fibrosis with LDL cholesterol.
Symptoms you shouldn’t ignore
At first asymptomatic, atherosclerosis can eventually clog the arteries more or less suddenly, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
Atherosclerosis is also responsible for 90% of cases of angina pectoris, or stable angina. The prevalence of angina pectoris is difficult to assess. This disease is not to be taken lightly, since one of its main complications is myocardial infarction.
Hence the need to watch out for the appearance of symptoms that may point to a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque: shortness of breath on exertion or walking, dizziness, chest pain, but also instability of the walking, visual disturbances or changes in heart rhythm.
How to prevent atherosclerosis?
If there is a family or genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis, the disease is, in 80% of cases, preventable. “Atherosclerosis is favored by smoking, physical inactivity, overweight, too sweet, too fatty, too salty food. Age and heredity also come into play, but are not avoidable”, thus explains to the Figaro Claire Le Hello, professor of vascular medicine at the CHU Nord de Saint-Etienne.
Little exposed before the age of 50, women are just as affected as men after menopause.
However, it is possible to reduce your risk of atherosclerosis by avoiding smoking, practicing regular physical activity, adopting a healthy diet, limiting your alcohol consumption and reducing your stress level.
It is also important to have a complete screening for cardiovascular risk factors, especially in cases of family history of cardiovascular disease. “The calcium score is one of the most effective tools for preventing the risk of heart attack”, assures Doctor Patrick Assyag, cardiologist in Paris. Complementary examinations are then carried out: auscultation of the heart, of the arteries, a “skin examination of the feet for arteritis, palpation of the pulses, measurement of the blood pressure taken in both arms and both legs, without forgetting the measurement of the abdominal perimeter”, continues Doctor Claire Mounier-Véhier, head of department at the Heart and Lung Institute at the University Hospital of Lille and honorary president of the French Federation of Cardiology. Finally, a standard biological assessment and blood pressure measurement are also recommended.
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