Carotid Artery Blockage

Do you think you might be suffering from carotid heart blockage, or do you know someone who does? For people suffering from carotid heart blockage, there is always an elevated risk of heart strokes. The number of people suffering from strokes in United States is not just some small number. As a matter of fact, around 900,000 die every year in America alone due to heart strokes and other heart diseases. Facts have proven that the older you get, the greater chances of you suffering from a stroke is. Furthermore, men are more prone than women. Strokes have been ranked as the number three killer in the country, and rank the list in causing disability among the elderly.

Here are some facts everyone should know about carotid heart blockages and other factors contributing to heart strokes:

• Either side of the human neck consists of an artery known as the common carotid. Every common carotid can be further divided into two categories. They are individually known as the internal branch and the external branch. The function of the internal branch is to bring blood that is rich in oxygen to the brain. On the other hand, the external branch acts to bring blood to your face.

If any of these arteries are blocked by any chance, the condition that prevails is called the carotid artery blockage. This disease affects all the vessels that lead to the brain. Just like the heart, the brain also needs a constant and regular supply of blood that is rich in oxygen. The arteries can be considered to be the most important suppliers of this blood to the brain. Once you are diagnosed with this disease, the chances of having a stroke increases significantly due to the following reasons:

• The narrowing of carotid arteries due to plaque
• There may develop a blood clot in an artery that has already been narrowed by plaque
• If the plaque breaks, it could block an artery in the brain.

All the risk factors that can increase the risk of coronary heart diseases also work for the triggering and development of carotid artery disease. Some of the factors are mentioned below:

• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Any family history of coronary artery diseases, and
• High levels of triglycerides and also low density lipoprotein cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol.