If you've ever peered into a clogged pipe in your home, you have an idea of what happens when an artery supplying your heart or brain becomes blocked. However, blockages in your arteries develop in a more complicated fashion - one that involves inflammation in the blood vessel.
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque - containing fat, cholesterol, and other substances - within the walls of your arteries. As plaque makes arteries narrower and stiffer, blood has a harder time flowing through these blocked arteries. If this happens in an artery feeding your heart or brain, the atherosclerosis could set the stage for a heart attack or stroke.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), inflammation plays many roles in the growth of plaque. Inflammation is the process by which your body deals with injuries or infection through the use of certain chemicals and cells. A blockage begins as a cluster of material called a "fatty streak" under the lining within the artery. This contains a lot of immune-system cells. As the plaque grows, more immune-system cells enter the area, many of them producing inflammatory chemicals.
In most caseswith blocked arteries, the problem is due to a blood clot that's formed on the surface of the plaque. This often occurs after the plaque ruptures, exposing the contents inside the plaque to the blood flowing through the artery. Immune-system cells and inflammatory chemicals may play a role in these ruptures.
According to the AHA, many of the risk factors that are linked to atherosclerosis - such as smoking, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar - can set the stage for inflammation leading to blocked arteries. In addition, infections from several kinds of bacteria and viruses have been associated with atherosclerosis.
Experts now think that statin drugs - which are popular medications that lower cholesterol - may also be helpful by reducing inflammation. Another reason why knowing about inflammation could be important for your health is that measuring your C-reactive protein - which increases when you have inflammation in your body - may help show if you have increased risk of heart disease.
Life Line Screening CRP Test May Point to Heart Risk
According to the American Heart Association, if you have an intermediate risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years, having a test to measure your C-reactive protein (CRP) may help your doctor plan any treatments you may need. Factors that raise your risk of heart disease include high blood pressure and diabetes.
Having elevated CRP is a sign that you have inflammation in your body, and it can indicate that you're at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Life Line Screening offers a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein screening to measure the CRP level in your blood as part of its 6 for Life screening. We recommend the test - which requires only a simple finger stick to draw a small amount of blood - for people with risk factors for heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes, or stroke.
SCHEDULE A SCREENING
 |
| Introducing: |
 |
| Update your subscription to receive your FREE personalized monthly newsletter - featuring these topics: |
 Diabetes |
High Blood Pressure |
| Weight Loss |
High Cholesterol |
|
 |
|
|
 |