Carotid Artery Disease

What is Carotid Artery Disease?

Your carotid arteries are a pair of blood vessels located inside the neck that deliver blood to your brain and head. Carotid Artery Disease results from the build-up of waxy deposits, called plaques, over the inner surface of the arteries. These plaques can eventually decrease or block the blood supply to your brain and may lead to stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), also known as “mini-stroke”, which occurs when a blood clot temporarily obstructs an artery that supplies blood to the brain.

Carotid Artery Disease is responsible for 20%-30% of all strokes. The treatment of Carotid Artery Disease may include a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and in some cases surgery.

1Causes

Causes

The causes of Carotid Artery Disease include:

Modifiable causes
- Conditions including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which can increase the risk of carotid artery disease
- Smoking, lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet
Non-modifiable causes
- Age (women who are over 75 years of age have a greater risk than men in the same age group, and men younger than 75 years of age are more prone to developing carotid artery disease than women in the same age group)
- Family history of the disease
- Those who suffer from Coronary Artery Disease (hardening of the arteries supplying blood to the heart) are more prone to developing Carotid Artery Disease

2Symptoms

Symptoms

Carotid Artery Disease may result in no symptoms. The build-up of the plaques can go unnoticed and may result in a TIA. If you experience a TIA, your chances of experiencing a stroke increase by 10 fold.

The symptoms of a TIA are temporary (may last few minutes to a few hours), and they include any of the following:

Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty talking
Numbness, tingling or weakness on one side of the face or description-inner, or in one arm or leg.
Sudden dizziness or confusion
Sudden lack of coordination, balance and difficulty in walking
Sudden loss of or blurred vision
Sudden severe headache

It is crucial that you seek emergency help to receive immediate treatment in order to prevent the progression to a stroke.

3Treatment

Treatment

Your doctor will evaluate your condition and discuss with you the range of treatment options suitable for you. These may include a combination of:

Lifestyle changes:

Limit alcohol consumption
Maintain a healthy diet
Maintaining control of your blood pressure, diabetes and other heart diseases
Quit smoking
Take regular exercise

Medication to reduce the risk of stroke and other heart disease complications, as well as clot-dissolving medications
Surgery to unblock the artery and prevent future strokes

4Complications and Related Diseases

Complications and Related Diseases

Stroke is the most common complication of carotid artery disease. A stroke can lead to

Death
Muscle weakness and paralysis
Permanent brain damage