Artery plaque
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PrintWell if you had a chance to look at the pictures that were posted, were you able to guess what they were of?
This is an example of what a normal artery, inside your body may look like. Healthy, pink, nice open hole (lumen) in the center for blood to flow through. This is what we all start with in life.
Now do you notice anything different in this picture? What does that line point to? This shows the begining of some plaque inside the artery wall. This is caused by irritations to the lining of the artery, which then allows fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood to deposit there. When plaque builds up in the arteries, this is called atherosclerosis. This can start as early as age 10 depending on the child's diet (high in saturated and trans fat) and activity level.
Wow, this one sure looks different! What changes do you notice first? Look at all that yellow stuff! It is really blocking the size of the hole where blood is supposed to flow. This makes it really hard for the tissues to get enough blood and oxygen when you are doing activities. This could be happening in any artery in your body now, especially if you smoke, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, are diabetic, are overweight, or have any of the other risk factors we have talked about.
So now you must surely know, that this picture results in a heart attack, stroke, or a dead toe (for examples). There is no place for blood to get through! The plaque has burst into the middle and caused a complete blockage. Any tissue beyond this point, is going to die unless it is opened up fast! So if you or anyone you know has symptoms of a heart attack or stroke (www.bellinheart.org or www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053) call 911 and get to Bellin Hospital immediately so we can open this vessel up and restore normal blood flow.
