Atherosclerosis

What is atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is the umbrella term for a set of pathological changes which occur in the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle and many other organs of the body.

What atherosclerosis does to the body

After plaque has formed it can cause problems in a number of different ways. If an established plaque ruptures, the resulting events can cause a heart attack or stroke.

How is your heart affected?

The complications resulting from atherosclerosis can arise slowly over time as blood flow is reduced. The lack of blood flow to the heart and other organs is called ischaemia.

Stable angina

Stable angina describes characteristic chest pain which occurs most commonly with exercise, but also with stress, cold and large meals.

Unstable angina

Unstable angina is also called crescendo angina. It is angina which is rapidly becoming more frequent and more severe. It occurs at rest as well as with exercise.