Question: Are there any treatments for atherosclerosis?

Rachel Dakin answered on 17 Nov 2013:

Hi Delaram123 – great question : )
I would say there are 2 types of treatment for atherosclerosis. Those that try and reduce the reasons it developed in the first place (called risk factors) or those that involve surgery to open the blood vessel again.
The first group of treatments involve drugs that reduce blood pressure, reduce cholesterol (certain fats) in the blood and normally a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise where appropriate. These don’t tend to get rid of atherosclerosis that is already there but do stop it getting worse. They can also reduce the chance of getting a blood clot which is more likely to happen in someone with atherosclerosis.

The surgical treatments are mainly only used if you have atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries (those that supply the heart with blood) or cartoid arteries (those which supply the head and brain). The surgery doesn’t necassarily get rid of the atherosclerosis but tries to open the vessels or give the blood more space to flow in. The first type of surgery is called angioplasty this involves inserting a long tube called a catheter into the blood vessel. On the end of the catheter is a balloon and this is positioned inside the blood vessel where the atherosclerosis is. The balloon is then inflated and this pushes the walls of the blood vessel apart leaving more space for blood to flow. Often a stent is inserted in the coronary arteries. A stent is like a bit of metal scaffolding – it is round and pushes in to the wall of the blood vessel to hold it open.
The second surgery is called a coronary artery bypass graft. This is used when coronary arteries are getting very narrow due to atherosclerosis, reducing blood flow to the heart. A piece of mammary artery or saphenous vein (from the leg) is taken from the patient. This is the attached before and after the segment of the artery with atherosclerosis providing a new route for the blood to flow. It’s a bit like a traffic jam – the cars (blood) can only get through slowly so we provide an alternative route for them.

Like many diseases it’s best to prevent atherosclerosis from occuring in the first place. This may be difficult for some people due to their genes but having a healthy balanced diet, exercising regularly and not smoking have been proved to help.
I hope that answers your question – let me know if not or if you have anymore.