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What is atherosclerosis and how does it related to heart attacks and strokes?

User Cherpak Evgeny
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20 votes

Answer:

Arteries become clogged with fatty deposits called plaque. Plaque is a mixture of fat, calcium, cholesterol and cellular waste in the body. This mixture can build up inside the walls of the arteries, making those blood vessels narrower. This is how atherosclerosis occurs. Atherosclerosis is a disease of arterial blood vessels characterized by thickening and hardening of the arterial wall.

Narrowed or blocked arteries can stop fresh blood from reaching certain parts of the body. This can put a person at risk of heart attack, heart failure or stroke. There are no quick fixes for eliminating plaque from the arteries, but people can make key lifestyle changes to stop the buildup of plaque in the arteries and improve overall health.

User Capikaw
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