Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Recognize known symptoms of blocked arteries
• Method 2 of 3: Have yourself examined for blocked arteries
• Method 3 of 3: Prevent clogged arteries
• Tips
• Warnings

Atherosclerosis is the medical term for blocked arteries or hardening of the arteries. It is a common cause of cardiovascular disease, where a fatty substance clogs the veins and prevents blood from flowing through them easily to distribute oxygen throughout the body. You can have blocked arteries in the heart, brain, kidneys, intestines, arms, or legs. It's important to recognize the symptoms of clogged arteries, especially if you're at higher risk for them, so you can get medical help as soon as possible.

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Method 1 of 3: Recognize known symptoms of blocked arteries

1. Watch for symptoms of a heart attack. Specific symptoms may indicate the onset of a heart attack, in which the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygenated blood. If the heart doesn't get enough oxygenated blood, some of it can die. If you are treated with appropriate medication in the hospital within an hour of the first symptoms appearing, the damage to the heart can be minimized. These symptoms include:
   • Pain or pressure in the chest
   • A heavy or tight feeling in the chest
   • Sweating, or "cold sweats"
   • Feeling full or bloated
   • Nausea and / or vomiting
   • Feeling light-headed
   • Dizziness
   • Extreme weakness
   • An anxious feeling
   • Fast or irregular heartbeat
   • Shortness of breath
   • Pain radiating into an arm
   • Pain described as a squeezing or tight feeling in the chest, but not a sharp pain
   • Note that a heart attack in women, the elderly and diabetics often does not have these symptoms, and very different symptoms can occur in them. Fatigue is a well-known symptom for everyone.
2. Identify a blocked artery in the kidneys. This can cause symptoms other than a blocked artery elsewhere. Consider a blocked artery in the kidneys if you experience high blood pressure that is difficult to control, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, itchy skin, or difficulty concentrating.
   • If the artery is completely blocked, you may experience fever, nausea, vomiting, and persistent pain in the lower back or abdomen.
   • If the blockage is due to small blocks in the renal artery, you may also have similar blockages in other parts of your body, such as your fingers, legs, brain, or intestines.
3. See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. While you can't be sure that you really have a clogged artery, you can have a closer look at it just to be sure. Make an appointment with your doctor and describe your symptoms. Your doctor will then tell you if you can come to him / her or if you need to go to the nearest emergency room.
4. Keep calm and don't do anything if you can't get medical help right away. Wait quietly until the medical help arrives. By sitting still, you don't need a lot of oxygen and your heart muscle doesn't have to work as hard.
   • If you think you're having a heart attack, chew on 325 mg of aspirin as soon as you call 911. If you only have childhood aspirin, take four 81 mg pills. Chewing it makes the aspirin work faster than if you swallow it straight away.

Method 2 of 3: Have yourself examined for blocked arteries

1. Expect images to be taken of your heart and blood tests to look for clogged arteries. Your doctor will likely tell you to have blood tests to show the presence of certain sugars, cholesterol, calcium, fats and proteins that can increase the risk of arteriosclerosis or blocked arteries.
   • The doctor may also order an electrocardiogram to record the signs of a heart attack (now or in the past).
   • Your doctor may also order imaging studies, such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI scan to assess how the heart is functioning, to see blockages in the heart, and to reveal calcium deposits that can contribute to blocked arteries of the heart.
   • A stress test can also be performed. The doctor can measure the blood flow to the heart in stressful situations.
2. Consider a kidney function test to determine if the renal artery is blocked. Your doctor can measure creatinine levels and glomerular filtration rate, and perform a nitrogen test of the blood urea. These are all urinalysis. Blocked veins and calcium deposits can be made visible with an ultrasound or CT scan.
3. Get tested for peripheral vascular disease. Peripheral vascular disease is a vascular disease in which your arteries in the legs (and sometimes the arms) are narrowed. Due to this narrowing of the arteries, the blood flow to the limbs is less good. One of the simplest tests is to have the doctor measure the heart rate in both feet. You are more at risk for this disease if you:
   • Are under 50 years of age, have diabetes, and at least one of the following applies: smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
   • Are over 50 years old and have diabetes
   • Are 50 or older and have always smoked
   • Are 70 or older
   • Have one or more of the following symptoms: pain in your feet or toes that makes it difficult to sleep, a wound on the foot or leg that heals slowly (more than 8 weeks), and fatigue, feeling heavy or tired in the leg , calf or gluteal muscles, which get worse with exercise and decrease when you relax.

Method 3 of 3: Prevent clogged arteries

1. Know the causes of clogged arteries. While many people believe that the fatty substance that blocks the arteries is caused by too much cholesterol, this explanation is far too simple due to the complexity of the different sizes of cholesterol molecules. Cholesterol is needed for the production of vitamins, hormones and other chemical transmitters. Researchers have found that while certain types of cholesterol are dangerous to the heart and can cause clogged arteries, it is sugars and carbohydrates that trigger an inflammatory response in the body, which is an important precursor to atherosclerosis.
   • While you may be tempted to forgo saturated fat to lower your cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and clogged arteries, you're making a big mistake. Eating healthy saturated fats is not linked to heart disease and clogged arteries.
   • However, a diet high in fructose, sugars, whole grains, and low in fat has been linked to dyslipidemia, which causes clogged arteries. Fructose can be found in drinks, fruits, jams and other sweet foods.
2. Eat a healthy diet rich in healthy saturated fats and low in sugar, fructose and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are converted into sugar in the body and also trigger an inflammatory response. Large amounts of sugar, fructose and carbohydrates increase the risk of diabetes. Diabetes increases the risk of blocked arteries.
   • This also means that you are allowed to drink very little alcohol.
3. Stop smoking. It is not known exactly which toxins in tobacco cause arteriosclerosis and clogged arteries, but researchers do know that smoking poses a high risk of inflammation, thrombosis and oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, all of which cause clogged arteries.
4. Maintain a healthy weight. A high body weight increases the risk of diabetes. Diabetes in turn increases the risk of clogged arteries.
5. Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Lack of physical activity is one of the factors predicting 90% of the risk of heart attack in men and 94% of the risk in women. Heart disease and heart attack are just two of the consequences of clogged arteries.
6. Try to reduce stress. Another factor that can lead to blocked veins is your stress level. Remember to relax and take breaks to let off steam. While measuring blood pressure doesn't tell you how your cholesterol is doing, it can be an indicator of whether you should be concerned or not.
7. Talk to your doctor about medications. Your doctor can prescribe a medicine called a statin that can help reduce plaque build-up in your arteries. Statins stop your body from producing cholesterol, so that you absorb the existing cholesterol that has accumulated in your arteries.
   • Statins don't work for everyone, but if you have diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol (190 mg / dL or higher of LDL cholesterol), or have been at high risk of heart attack for 10 years, your doctor recommends that you try it.
   • Statins include atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin.

Tips

• Preventing or slowing down blocked arteries requires you to change your diet and lifestyle; however, these changes will pay off in the long run and provide better health and more opportunities to enjoy life.
• Keep an eye out for the symptoms of blocked arteries and ask your doctor to examine you further if you suspect that a lifetime of wrong dietary choice has increased your risk of arteriosclerosis. Early diagnosis and treatment increases the likelihood that you will not develop serious symptoms.

Warnings

• While clogged arteries often do the most damage where they are, the deposits on the vessel wall can loosen and completely block blood flow to the brain or heart, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
• A blocked artery in the heart can cause angina. This is chronic chest pain that gets better with rest. This condition must be treated as it can eventually result in a heart attack.