Atherosclerotic Plaques Are Like Pimples
April 9, 2007 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
The heart and cardiovascular system are often likened to a pump and pipes but that imagery is misleading. Dr. Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, clarifies that cholesterol doesn’t directly clog an artery and cause a heart attack. We should actually picture atherosclerotic plaques as pimples in the artery wall. These plaques consist of cholesterol, white blood cells, and smooth muscle cells. When plaque pimple bursts through the artery wall, it creates an opening that is sealed by red blood cells that creates a clot which can grow so large, it clogs the artery.
Learn more from The New York Times weekend feature on heart disease:
- Controlling the Risk Factors Can Provide an Aid in Preventing Heart Disease by Dr. Elizabeth Nabel
- It’s not a “Plumbing Problem”: Doctors Also Fight the Popular Misconceptions About the Causes of Heart Disease by Gina Kolata
- Lessons of Heart Disease, Learned and Ignored by Gina Kolata
- Naomi Atrubi, a Survivor of Two Heart Attacks, Shares the Lessons She has Learned
