Researchers have found that 75% of all aortic aneurysms take place in the part of the aorta that is in the abdominal area. The exact cause of the aneurysms are unknown, but the studies states that smoking is a large factor.

Most forms of tobacco use including smoking are the most significant factors in causing aortic aneurysms. Smoking also plays a large part in heart conditions such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis smoking also causes heart aneurysms to grow at an accelerated pace.

To lean more about this subject click here Mayo Clinic.

When fatty deposits called plaque build up in the walls of your arteries over a period of time, it is called Atherosclosis. This buildup can start as early as childhood, due to their dietary habits and lack of exercise.

Children today eat fast foods more then any other time in history, they also spend less time in physical exercise. Parents need to watch their children’s eating habits more. They should also get the children involved in some sort of physical activity, even if it is just going outdoors to play.

A person can go for years without any symptoms of the plaque build up in there arteries. The fat will attach itself to the walls of your arteries and in time become calcified, causing a narrowing of the arteries. The narrowing in turn can cause a multitude of problems such as those listed below.

• Heart Failure
• The Aorta will become swollen and inhibit the flow of blood throughout the body. The swelling makes the blood vessel weak and can cause it to rupture.
• Blood clots can cause strokes, angina, pain, and heart attack due to lack of oxygen. Blood clots can also cut off the oxygen to the brain causing ischaemic strokes.
• Those with very high blood pressure are at risk of a heamorrhagic stroke, which can cause irreversible damage to the brain or in some cases death.
• When the arteries are extremely narrowed to the lower extremities such as your legs the result can be amputation.

Exactly how atherosclerosis begins or what causes it isn’t known, but some theories have been proposed. Many scientists think atherosclerosis starts because the innermost layer of the artery becomes damaged. This layer is called the endothelium. Three possible causes of damage to the arterial wall are:

• Elevated levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood
• High blood pressure
• Cigarette smoke

Listed below you will find some of the sites that I referenced.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=228

http://www.stronghealth.com/services/cardiology/Conditions/atherosclerosis.cfm

… he has identified how two different kinds of Chlamydia can cause both coronary artery disease and miscarriages. Solving one mystery gave him clues that he needed to figure out the other. By focusing on the immune system mechanisms in Chlamydia infections, Azenabor has identified an important link in seemingly unrelated health problems. The result could be new treatments and prevention strategies for both heart disease and infertility. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a microbe that normally causes pneumonia and bronchitis, but it has long been associated with atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease also called “hardening of the arteries.”

Huh? Chlamydia? Yes, when the macrophages’ cell walls are infected with the C. pneumoniae their usually tight cholesterol, which they regularly store, traffics that cholesterol into the cell membrane’s and cause them to become rigid and unable to move…

The bacteria also “hijacks” the cells signaling in a way that helps promote the existence of the Chlamydia pneumoniae. The bacterium also disturbs the macrophage’s production of toxins in a process that transforms them into “signaling molecules,” which support functions that keep the bacterium alive. Because of this the bacteria can very quickly reproduce and accumulate in the blood vessels causing stiffening and heart disease, ie. atherosclerosis.

Find this interesting? Hey- your not alone! Check out more here.

… he has identified how two different kinds of Chlamydia can cause both coronary artery disease and miscarriages. Solving one mystery gave him clues that he needed to figure out the other. By focusing on the immune system mechanisms in Chlamydia infections, Azenabor has identified an important link in seemingly unrelated health problems. The result could be new treatments and prevention strategies for both heart disease and infertility. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a microbe that normally causes pneumonia and bronchitis, but it has long been associated with atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease also called “hardening of the arteries.”

Huh? Chlamydia? Yes, when the macrophages’ cell walls are infected with the C. pneumoniae their usually tight cholesterol, which they regularly store, traffics that cholesterol into the cell membrane’s and cause them to become rigid and unable to move…

The bacteria also “hijacks” the cells signaling in a way that helps promote the existence of the Chlamydia pneumoniae. The bacterium also disturbs the macrophage’s production of toxins in a process that transforms them into “signaling molecules,” which support functions that keep the bacterium alive. Because of this the bacteria can very quickly reproduce and accumulate in the blood vessels causing stiffening and heart disease, ie. atherosclerosis.

Find this interesting? Hey- your not alone! Check out more here.

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

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is bad. Very bad. It clogs your heart’s arteries and is a major factor in coronary heart disease.

Some people, like the Chinese, naturally have low levels of LDL and correspondingly low levels of heart disease. Genetics play a large part in determining LDL Levels but the environment is important too. High-fat, high-cholesterol diet, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking all increase LDL cholesterol levels.

In a recent study, researchers found that even a small increase decrease in LDL cholesterol can reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease. It’s possible to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol through lifestyle changes like exercise and diet or cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. The key, however, is to maintain low LDL cholesterol over a lifetime rather than letting it get out of control then trying to stamp it down.

Rats. I shouldn’t have eaten that bacon this morning.

HHMI News, March 23, 2006