Why Heart Arteries Narrow & Clog
Arteries mean blood vessels that exit the heart to various parts of the body, carrying oxygen and essential nutrients to cells all around the body, including the heart itself. In a healthy body, arteries have smooth walls and are flexible to adjust and expand by stretching and contracting according to changes in blood pressure when the heart beats and relaxes.
The inner walls of arteries may start to accumulate small amounts of fats, which gradually gather more to form layers, slowly thickening until the arteries lose their flexibility due to increased fat within the walls. Eventually, the artery walls thicken, and the inner diameter narrows, similar to a rust-clogged iron pipe, reducing blood flow accordingly.
Arteries harden and stiffen until the passage for blood flow narrows and clogs, starting with fats attaching to the inner walls of the arteries. Therefore, individuals with higher than normal blood fat levels are more likely to develop these abnormalities compared to those with normal blood fat levels or those who regularly exercise, enhancing heart and circulatory system efficiency, preventing fat from beginning to cling to artery walls, and reducing the risk of ischemic heart disease.
Effects of Narrowed and Clogged Heart Arteries
Normally, heart muscles require a consistent supply of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to function, contracting and sending blood through the arteries to various parts of the body, including the heart muscle itself, via three major coronary arteries.
Fats may start to deposit on the inner walls of these coronary arteries, accumulating more until forming a layer, gradually thickening and leading to artery constriction. This situation results in inadequate blood supply to the heart muscles. Additionally, blood clots may form in these arteries, and when the body is more active or under physical and emotional stress, causing the heart to beat faster and increase blood pressure, the heart requires more blood.
Narrowing and clogging of coronary arteries mean that the heart muscles do not receive enough blood for normal function, leading to chest pain due to lack of blood supply, and if a clot blocks any of the coronary arteries, a dangerous situation can arise, possibly resulting in death suddenly or immediately.
Research Findings
Continuous research has led to a better understanding of arteries that narrow, clog, and lose flexibility, concluding that the accumulation of fats inside artery walls until they constrict and lose flexibility can now be found in younger individuals, such as teenagers, increasingly. Most people whose coronary arteries have already changed often show no symptoms at all, and statistics show that 1 in 3 patients die immediately after the first symptom. If the heart muscles are affected by insufficient blood supply until scarring occurs, it is difficult to restore heart function to 100% as before, reducing the ability to pump blood to various parts of the body.
