Treatment FAQ

what is the intial treatment for patients with atherosclerosis

by Reba Little II Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising, are the first treatment for atherosclerosis — and may be all that you need to treat your atherosclerosis. But sometimes, medication or surgical procedures may be needed.Mar 16, 2021

Full Answer

What is the best diet for atherosclerosis?

There are simple ways to cut back on saturated and trans fats:

  • Trim fat off your meat or choose lean meats with less than 10% fat.
  • Use less butter, margarine and shortening when cooking and serving.
  • Use low-fat substitutions when possible for a heart-healthy diet. For example, top your baked potato with low-sodium salsa or low-fat yogurt rather than butter, or use sliced whole fruit or ...

What you can do to prevent atherosclerosis?

What You Can Do to Prevent Atherosclerosis

  • Kick Your Smoking Habit. If you smoke, quitting is the single most important step you can take to reduce your risk for atherosclerosis and other heart disease risk factors, according ...
  • Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet. ...
  • Get Enough Exercise. ...
  • Keep Track of Your Numbers. ...

Can atherosclerosis be prevented, treated or cured?

Treatment. There is no cure for atherosclerosis, but treatment can slow or halt the worsening of the disease. The major treatment goal is to prevent significant narrowing of the arteries so that symptoms never develop and vital organs are never damaged. To do this, you would begin by following the healthy lifestyle outlined above.

What can be done to prevent atherosclerosis?

Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to keep your arteries healthy and prevent atherosclerosis complications. Exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise improves blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your risk of conditions that increase the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

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What is the treatment of atherosclerosis?

Treatment for arteriosclerosis includes a healthy diet, exercise and medication to control or possibly reverse your condition. If enlarged blood vessels have been diagnosed, our goal is to develop an individualized treatment plan so blood clots do not form.

What 4 steps can a patient take to prevent atherosclerosis?

Stay heart healthy with these tips.Eat healthy. A plant-based, nutritious diet also improves chronic conditions, like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. ... Stay active. Regular exercise can help reduce your risk of developing atherosclerosis. ... Stop smoking. ... Maintain a healthy weight. ... Manage stress.

What treatment options are available for patients with coronary atherosclerosis?

TreatmentCholesterol drugs. Medications can help lower bad cholesterol and reduce plaque buildup in the arteries. ... Aspirin. ... Beta blockers. ... Calcium channel blockers. ... Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). ... Nitroglycerin. ... Ranolazine.

What is the best for atherosclerosis?

Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet. Your diet is an especially important factor in your risk for atherosclerosis, and heart disease generally. A heart-healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats and poultry, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes (dried beans and peas).

How can you prevent and treat atherosclerosis?

An important way to prevent atherosclerosis is by living a healthy lifestyle. Maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet, and exercise. These changes may help you lose weight (if necessary), lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol, increase your HDL “good” cholesterol, and lower your blood pressure.

How do you survive atherosclerosis?

Take these steps for living healthy after being diagnosed with atherosclerosis:Stop or refrain from smoking. Smoking cigarettes makes it more likely that fatty deposits will form in your arteries. ... Know your cholesterol and blood pressure. ... Get on a heart-healthy diet. ... Make fitness your goal. ... Strive for weight loss.

Can atherosclerosis be treated with medication?

Medical treatment, regular exercise, and dietary changes can be used to keep atherosclerosis from getting worse and stabilize the plaque, but they aren't able to reverse the disease.

What is one key way to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis?

This includes adopting a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet, losing weight, being physically active, and not smoking can help reduce your risk of atherosclerosis. A healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, skinless chicken, seafood, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.

How is atherosclerosis of the aorta treated?

Atherosclerosis of the aorta can be treated with lifestyle changes and medicines that help lower your risk of serious complications. These medicines include: Blood pressure medicines such as ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers), and beta-blockers.

How do you treat atherosclerosis with food?

A healthy diet rich in nutrient-dense foods may help reduce your risk of developing clogged arteries. Research has shown that adding foods like cruciferous vegetables, fish, berries, olive oil, oats, onions, greens, and beans to your diet may be an effective way to prevent atherosclerosis.

Can you get rid of atherosclerosis?

There are no proven cures for atherosclerosis. But medication and lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of complications.

How do you reverse atherosclerosis plaque?

Medical treatment, regular exercise, and dietary changes can be used to keep atherosclerosis from getting worse and stabilize the plaque, but they aren't able to reverse the disease....Exercisemanage a moderate weight.maintain a stable blood pressure.boost your HDL (good cholesterol) levels.lower your triglycerides.

How to reduce risk of atherosclerosis?

Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight. If you're overweight, losing even just a few pounds can reduce your risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two of the major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. Ask your doctor what your target weight should be. Eat healthy foods.

What is the best test for atherosclerosis?

High levels of blood sugar and cholesterol raise your risk of atherosclerosis. A C-reactive protein (CRP) test also may be done to check for a protein linked to inflammation of the arteries. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This simple and painless test records the electrical signals in your heart. Exercise stress test.

How to tell if you have atherosclerosis?

This test can tell if you have atherosclerosis in the arteries in your legs and feet. During an ABI test, your doctor compares the blood pressure in your ankle with the blood pressure in your arm. An abnormal difference may be a sign of peripheral vascular disease, which is usually caused by atherosclerosis.

How to reduce the risk of heart disease?

Regular exercise improves blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your risk of conditions that increase the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Aim to exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week. If you can't fit it all into one session, try breaking it up into 10-minute intervals.

How to control blood pressure and cholesterol?

Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in refined carbohydrates, sugars, saturated fat and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Try substituting whole-grain bread in place of white bread.

Does herbal medicine help with high cholesterol?

It's thought that some foods and herbal supplements can help reduce your high cholesterol level and high blood pressure, two major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. With your doctor's OK, you might consider these supplements and products:

What are the treatments for atherosclerosis?

Medically Reviewed. Prescription drugs, surgery, and heart-healthy lifestyle changes are treatment options for atherosclerosis. Shutterstock (2) Atherosclerosis occurs when fat-containing deposits called plaque form in your arteries, causing them to harden and narrow. This can reduce blood flow to different areas of your body, ...

How does a surgeon treat atherosclerosis?

Surgical procedures used to treat atherosclerosis include: Angioplasty In angioplasty, a surgeon inserts a narrow tube into the blocked or narrowed artery and passes a second tube containing a deflated balloon tip through it. The balloon is then inflated, which pushes the blockage open against your artery walls.

What are the medications that help reduce cholesterol?

Cholesterol Medication Drugs known as statins and fibrates can reduce your LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or "bad") cholesterol, which can help stop or even reverse the buildup of plaque in your arteries. In addition to regulating your cholesterol, statins can help stabilize the lining of your heart arteries and prevent atherosclerosis.

How to control risk factors for atherosclerosis?

You can help control risk factors for atherosclerosis and heart disease — such as your weight, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol and glucose levels — by focusing on eating certain foods while avoiding others.

What is the best medicine for blood pressure?

Diuretics (Water Pills) Diuretics help lower your blood pressure by reducing fluid retention throughout your body. Other Drugs Your doctor may prescribe medication to control specific risk factors for atherosclerosis — like diabetes — or symptoms of atherosclerosis, like leg pain during exercise.

How does ACE inhibitor help with atherosclerosis?

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors ACE inhibitors may help slow the progression of atherosclerosis by lowering your blood pressure and relaxing your blood vessels. They also reduce your risk of having multiple heart attacks.

How to stop atherosclerosis?

Stop smoking. Smoking — or using tobacco in another form — damages your arteries. If you’re a smoker, quitting is the single most effective way to stop your atherosclerosis from getting worse and reduce your risk of complications, according to the Mayo Clinic. (2) Get enough exercise.

What are the best treatments for atherosclerosis?

Other Treatment Options for Atherosclerosis. There are three main types of treatment options when it comes to atherosclerosis: lifestyle changes, medication, and surgery. Because many lifestyle habits contribute to hardening of the arteries, addressing these can help improve the condition. This involves eating healthy, reducing sodium ...

Why is it important to eat healthy to prevent atherosclerosis?

The main culprit behind atherosclerosis is plaque buildup, which is a result of cholesterol. Hence, it is important that you eat foods that are not only healthy but help lower your LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. Making changes to your diet in order to prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerosis can also help to keep your cholesterol levels in check. Because high cholesterol levels can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, the same lifestyle modifications you apply to prevent your cholesterol levels from becoming too high can also be used towards preventing atherosclerosis.

How to prevent plaque buildup in the arteries?

Including herbs into your diet is another great way to help prevent and treat plaque buildup in the arteries. Studies show that garlic is a great way to lower cholesterol levels, prevent blood clots and destroy plaque. It works by reducing the “stickiness” of blood platelets.

How old is too old to get atherosclerosis?

For men, signs of atherosclerosis can be seen as early as the age of 45, and for women, it’s around the age of 55. Let’s take a look at some preventative measures you can take in order to reduce your risk of atherosclerosis and the associated complications.

When does arthrosclerosis start?

Although arthrosclerosis is often associated with age, it actually occurs much earlier than you may think. This condition can begin as early as your 20s, and by 30s these changes start surfacing. Although routine checks may come back normal, after the age of 40 issues like cholesterol become evident. For men, signs of atherosclerosis can be seen as ...

Does running help with atherosclerosis?

A study published in the American College of Sports Medicine found that regular physical activity of large muscle groups such as those involved walking, running, or swimming, can reduce symptoms associated with coronary artery disease, which can result from atherosclerosis. Regular exercise is well documented to help reduce cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce your risk of other conditions such as diabetes that can contribute to atherosclerosis.

Does physical activity reduce atherosclerosis?

The study found that regular physical activity was associated with a reduction of many risk factors contributing to atherosclerosis. The study was a meta-analysis of 52 training trials involving of 4,700 participants over the course of 12 weeks. HDL cholesterol was found to improve and LDL cholesterol was reduced.

What is the treatment for ICAD?

Treatments for patients with ICAD have evolved, but it remains a common cause of stroke in the world and associated with a relatively high risk of recurrence stroke. Medical therapy remains the standard of care for patients with ICAD, and this includes antithrombotic therapy , aggressive risk factor control, and lifestyle changes. Future studies are needed to investigate novel treatments geared to optimize medical therapy, target inflammation, and identify those who may benefit from revascularization procedures. These studies should take into consideration the underlying stroke mechanism and include patients from North America, Asia, and Europe to maximize the generalizability of their findings.

Is angioplasty a safer option than stenting?

Furthermore, angioplasty has been suggested as a potentially safer alternative to angioplasty plus stenting, but this needs further study. Recent evidence suggests that patients with symptomatic ICAD with evidence of impaired distal perfusion or blood flow are at higher risk of recurrence with medical treatment.

Is bypass surgery a symptomatic atherosclerosis?

Bypass surgery has been studied in patients with symptomatic atherosclerosis of the internal carotid artery or MCA. The EC/IC Bypass study (International Cooperative Study of Extracranial/Intracranial Arterial Anastomosis) randomized 1377 patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery versus MCA stenosis to medical treatment versus medical treatment plus a bypass procedure that joined the superficial temporal artery and MCA. In this trial, there was no benefit of bypass over medical treatment, particularly in those with severe MCA stenosis (n=109 patients) where the stroke recurrence risk was higher in patients receiving bypass surgery (44% versus 23.7%; P =0.04). 26

Does aspirin help with ICAD?

Antithrombotic therapy is an important treatment in patients with ICAD. Aspirin is the most widely used antiplatelet agent; however, in patients with symptomatic ICAD, aspirin monotherapy was associated with a relatively high rate of recurrent stroke. 5 The WASID trials (Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease) showed no difference in recurrent stroke or death at 2 years between warfarin and aspirin ( Table) for patients with ICAD causing 50% to 99% stenosis. The rate of recurrent stroke was similar between randomization arms, but the warfarin arm had a significantly higher rate of death at a median of 2 years of follow-up when compared with the aspirin arm (9.7% versus 4.3%) and significantly more major hemorrhage (8.3% versus 3.2%). 6 Following WASID, antiplatelet therapy has been standard of care for ICAD, although the newer, and safer, direct oral anticoagulants have not yet been studied in patients with ICAD.

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Diagnosis

Treatment

  • Lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising, are the first treatment for atherosclerosis — and may be all that you need to treat your atherosclerosis. But sometimes, medication or surgical procedures may be needed.
See more on mayoclinic.org

Clinical Trials

  • Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
See more on mayoclinic.org

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

  • Lifestyle changes can help you prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerosis. 1. Stop smoking.Smoking damages your arteries. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to keep your arteries healthy and prevent atherosclerosis complications. 2. Exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise improves blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your risk of co…
See more on mayoclinic.org

Alternative Medicine

  • It's thought that some foods and herbal supplements can help reduce your high cholesterol level and high blood pressure, two major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. With your doctor's OK, you might consider these supplements and products: 1. Alpha-linolenic acid 2. Barley 3. Beta-sitosterol (found in supplements and some margarines, such as Promise Activ) 4. Blond psylliu…
See more on mayoclinic.org

Preparing For Your Appointment

  • If you think you may have atherosclerosis or are worried about having atherosclerosis because of a strong family history of heart disease, make an appointment with your doctor to have your cholesterol level checked. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and know what to expect from your doctor.
See more on mayoclinic.org

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