Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis

Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are disorders of the blood vessels in the human circulatory system. Both these conditions constitute serious risk factors that endanger heart health.

The terms atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis are often used interchangeably by the public. But they are not exactly the same.

Arteries play in important role in providing your organs and tissues with oxygen and nutrients. When we're born, our arteries are wide, flexible, strong and elastic. But as we age, our arteries can become narrow as fats build up on their inside walls. This condition is known as arteriosclerosis. 

Sometimes our arteries also stiffen and harden due to age and a condition called hypertension or high blood pressure. This can also restrict blood flow and endanger our organs and tissues by depriving them of oxygen and nutrients.

When arteries harden and thicken in this way, it is known as atherosclerosis. It is also simply called "hardening of the arteries."

Both these conditions make it more likely that you'll have a life-threatening heart attack or stroke.

Dangers of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis develops over a period of years. Most people think of it as a condition you get in middle or old age, but in fact, it can start when you're a child. Researchers haven't been able to determine the precise cause, but they know it usually begins with damage or injury to the inside wall of an artery.

Once such damage or an injury has occurred, your body responds by trying to repair it. Blood cells called platelets gather, and sometimes they begin to clump together. As time passes, cholesterol begins to collect around the clump of platelets. Blood flow is compromised as the artery grows more narrow.

This blockage may even break away at some point. A blood clot can then form, causing further circulatory problems. Heart attack or stroke become more likely.

People with the following conditions or lifestyle choices are at increased risk for atherosclerosis:

• hypertension, or high blood pressure
• high blood cholesterol levels
• certain diseases, especially diabetes
• smoking
• sedentary lifestyle that includes little exercise

Why arteriosclerosis is dangerous

Like atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) sometimes begins much earlier than people think. Research has shown it may actually start in childhood and progress slowly through your adult life into old age.

After you've reached your 50th birthday, there's a 30 percent chance you have at least some hardening in the carotid artery, which is the major blood vessel that supplies the brain. This condition is known to medical professionals as cerebrovascular disease, and it causes more than 200,000 deaths per year in the United States.

Arteriosclerosis causes three out of every four deaths from heart disease.

Researchers have not been able to determine exactly why hardening of the arteries occurs. But there's no doubt about the risk factors, which are generally the same ones associated with atherosclerosis. Women are at lower risk until menopause, when their risk rises to the same level as men. 

Once you've been diagnosed with atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis, your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes that include eating a low cholesterol diet and getting more exercise.

Medications to lower blood pressure and get your cholesterol levels back to a normal range may be appropriate.

When atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis have advanced to the stage where there's a high risk of heart attack or stroke, surgery may be necessary.