Carotid disease happens when atherosclerosis — a buildup of sticky plaque deposits along the walls of your arteries — affects one or both of the arteries in your neck. While it rarely causes symptoms, carotid disease can reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain and increase your risk of having a stroke.
In this month’s blog, our team at Sunnyvale Cardiology discusses the ins and outs of carotid disease, including how proper management works to halt its progression, support improved cardiovascular health, and protect against stroke.
Atherosclerosis is a common disease that develops when fatty plaque deposits collect along the walls of the arteries — the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart and lungs to the rest of your body.
The condition starts when unhealthy lifestyle habits, medical conditions, genetics, or a combination of factors damage areas of an arterial wall. Inflammatory cells travel to the site of damage to initiate repair, releasing chemical signals that prompt cholesterol and cell waste to cluster at the damaged spots.
This initial buildup attracts protective white blood cells, which ingest the cholesterol and clump together, forming plaque. When this process occurs frequently over decades, the plaque gradually builds — and the affected vessel becomes progressively narrower.
So, what causes the gradual accumulation of plaque in arteries? Older age and family history can play a part, as can lifestyle habits like smoking, inactivity, uncontrolled stress, and eating a diet rich in unhealthy saturated fats (i.e., red meat, cheese, baked goods).
You’re also more likely to develop atherosclerosis if you’re overweight or have insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Cardiovascular conditions stemming from atherosclerosis rank as the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. In fact, this inflammatory vascular disease is the underlying cause of around half of all deaths in westernized societies.
Atherosclerosis goes by many names, depending on the arteries it affects. Peripheral artery disease (PAD), for example, is the name for arterial plaque buildup that limits blood flow in the extremities (usually the legs). Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects the heart, and carotid disease narrows the arteries of the neck, reducing blood flow to the brain.
Atherosclerosis is both a sneaky condition and a silent killer because it doesn’t usually cause symptoms until it’s progressed very far. With advanced PAD or CAD, for example, you might experience leg or chest pain during activity.
In the case of carotid disease, however, the first sign of a plaque problem may arrive in the form of a stroke event — either a “mini stroke,” called a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or a full-blown ischemic stroke from a blood clot that completely blocks the artery (occlusion) or breaks off and travels to the brain (embolism).
In either case, cells in the affected brain area die within minutes; immediate emergency care is vital for limiting brain damage and preventing death. With a TIA, blood supply to the brain is only blocked for a short amount of time. Having a TIA raises your risk of having a major stroke.
Every year in the U.S., over 795,000 people have a stroke, the vast majority of which are ischemic in nature. Such cardiovascular events can lead to lengthy rehabilitation, a lifetime of disability, or death; stroke accounts for 1 in 6 six deaths from cardiovascular disease.
The good news? There’s a lot you can do to stop carotid disease progression and reduce your stroke risk. And, as luck would have it, these actions promote better cardiovascular health, too. Lifestyle changes for managing carotid disease include:
Medical management of carotid disease may involve taking a daily aspirin or other antiplatelet medication to reduce your risk of developing a blood clot. Blood pressure control, diabetes management, and cholesterol stabilization are also vital.
If these measures aren’t enough — or if a carotid Doppler ultrasound reveals that you have a concerning degree of plaque buildup in either artery (i.e., partial blockage), our team may recommend a procedure to clear the blockage and reduce your stroke risk, such as carotid endarterectomy or stenting.
Ready to reduce your stroke risk and take control of your cardiovascular health? We’re here to help. Schedule an appointment by calling or messaging Sunnyvale Cardiology in Sunnyvale, Texas, today.
