Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis

September 6, 2015

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that not only affects the cardiovascular system, but the entire vascular system as well possibly affecting the renal system. Atherosclerosis slows the flow of blood and oxygen through an artery, because of the buildup of plaque and fat clog the vessel. Atherosclerosis comes from the Greek words, Athero means porridge like deposits and Sclerosis means hardening of tissues. So with the fatty deposits and the narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels, Atherosclerosis is a major cause of heart attack and stroke. The process of fat and plaque development is the same no matter what a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, or geographic location is. This paper will describe the disease state, as well as the dietary needs for a person with Atherosclerosis, what dietary limitations are needed for a person with Atherosclerosis, and the proper educational tools for teaching a person with Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis develops over the course of a person’s life and can begin as early your teenage years. Plaques and fat deposits can begin to develop in childhood. “Small cholesterol plaques in the coronary arteries, which feed the heart its vital blood supply, can be found in more than 15 percent of “normal” American teenagers and in 85 percent of people over the age of 50.” (Samaan MD, 2012). An actual cause of the disease is not known, however it is believed that, “damage or injury to the inner layer of the artery”, (Clinic, 2012). One of the causes of Atherosclerosis appears to be fat and plaque retention, which causes chronic inflammation and hardening of sites in the walls of all major arteries. This process can happen to any artery anywhere in your body. Fatty deposits can become fibrous and plaques or blockages begin develop, some of which can rupture, causing thrombosis or stenosis. Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot and stenosis is a smaller build up of plaque...