Atherosclerosis treatment

The first course of action for atherosclerosis is preventing the condition altogether. The same lifestyle changes used to treat the condition can help prevent it.

Atherosclerosis prevention

Some healthy lifestyle changes and choices that can help prevent or slow the progression³² of atherosclerosis include:

• Quitting smoking: Smoking damages your arteries. According to the American College of Cardiology³³, your risk for coronary artery disease (which is caused by atherosclerosis) drops relatively soon after you quit smoking. After your first year smoke-free, your risk of heart disease from smoking decreases by half. After 15 years of not smoking, your risk of death from heart disease is the same as if you had never smoked at all.
• Staying active: Regular exercise can condition your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently, as well as improve circulation and promote the development of new blood vessels that form a natural bypass around obstructions (called collateral vessels).
• Eating a healthy diet: A heart-healthy diet (one based on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in refined carbohydrates, sugars, saturated fat, and sodium) can help you manage your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
• Maintaining a healthy weight: If you’re overweight, losing as few as 5–10 pounds can help reduce your risk for developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two major risk factors for atherosclerosis.
• Managing stress: Reduce stress as much as possible by practicing healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation.

Atherosclerosis medications

If you have a concurrent condition (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or another chronic disease), it’s important that you carefully monitor and manage your disease with your healthcare provider to ensure that you are getting the best possible treatment.

Surgical procedures for atherosclerosis

In some cases, more aggressive treatment³⁴ may be necessary to treat atherosclerosis.

If you have severe symptoms of atherosclerosis or a blockage that threatens the survival of muscle or skin tissue, it may be recommended that you undergo one of the following procedures:

• Angioplasty³⁵: and stent placement: In this procedure, a catheter is inserted into the blocked or narrowed part of an artery. A second catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip is then passed through the catheter to the narrowed area. The balloon is then inflated, compressing the deposits against the artery walls and widening the artery. A mesh tube called a stent is usually left in the artery to help keep it open.

• Endarterectomy³⁶: In some cases, plaque deposits must be surgically removed from the walls of a narrowed or blocked artery. This procedure is referred to as a carotid endarterectomy when performed on the arteries in the neck.

• Fibrinolytic therapy³⁷: This therapy uses a clot-dissolving drug to break apart blockages caused by blood clots.

• Bypass surgery³⁸: In this procedure, a surgeon may create a graft bypass using a vessel from another part of the body or a tube made of synthetic fabric, allowing blood to flow around a blocked or narrowed artery.