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Heart & Home: Heart Health Guide Learn how to lower your risk of heart disease in the NWHRC's Heart Health Guide. The Heart & Home campaign is sponsored by Bed Bath & Beyond, REDBOOK magazine and the NWHRC: Partnering to help women get heart healthy.

Healthy From the Heart Learn about the treatment options for coronary artery disease in our Healthy From the Heart brochure. Disponible en Español.

1. What is atherosclerosis?

   Often referred to as "hardening of the arteries," atherosclerosis occurs when your arteries narrow and become less flexible because cholesterol, fatty substances, cell waste products, calcium and fibrin—collectively called plaque—collect on their inner walls. The arteries respond to the build up by becoming inflamed. This causes scar tissue to form and other cells to collect in the affected areas, further narrowing the artery. Atherosclerosis is a form of arteriosclerosis, which is a general term for the natural hardening of your arteries that happens with age.

2. What causes plaque to build up?

   We don't know. Some experts think plaque accumulates in places where the inner layer of an artery is damaged, possibly by elevated cholesterol levels, elevated triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and cigarette smoke. Smoking especially accelerates the development of atherosclerosis as well as increasing blood pressure and restricting the amount of oxygen the blood supplies to the body. Diabetes is also a major risk factor, and stress has also been implicated, although its exact association with heart disease has not been determined.

3. Will I know I have atherosclerosis by recognizing the symptoms?

   Not necessarily. Often the disease progresses for a long while before complications or symptoms arise. However, there are some conditions that may hint at an atherosclerosis diagnosis, including chest pain, or angina.

4. What can I do to prevent atherosclerosis?

   Changing your habits remains the single most effective way to stop the disease from progressing. Changing your diet to one low in fat, especially saturated fat, and cholesterol helps reduce high blood cholesterol, a primary cause of atherosclerosis. Eating less fat should also help you lose weight. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower blood cholesterol and is the most effective lifestyle way to reduce high blood pressure, another risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease. You also can benefit from exercise.

5. Is atherosclerosis dangerous?

   Yes! As the disease progresses, it can completely clog arteries, cutting off blood flow. This is especially dangerous in arteries near the brain, the heart or other vital organs. Completely or nearly blocked blood flow to the heart can lead to a heart attack and kill muscle cells in the heart. The result is permanent heart damage. Plaque may also break loose suddenly and travel through the bloodstream to your brain or heart, causing a stroke or a heart attack.

6. Which arteries are most at risk for atherosclerosis?

   Although atherosclerosis can affect medium and large arteries anywhere in your body, those going to your brain (carotid), heart (coronary) and legs (femoral or iliac) are most at risk.

7. How quickly does atherosclerosis occur?

   While atherosclerosis typically progresses gradually—sometimes even starting in childhood—you are most at risk when arterial blockage builds up quickly, completely closing off an entire artery. This can happen if plaque ruptures and a clot forms.

8. Does my risk increase as I age?

   Yes! Prior to menopause, women are protected from heart disease, in part, by estrogen produced by the ovaries. The body's own natural estrogen helps keep your arteries free from plaque by improving the ratio of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. It also increases the amount of HDL cholesterol, which helps clear LDL cholesterol—the kind that most contributes to plaque build up—from the bloodstream. However, supplemental estrogen or estrogen therapy is not recommended after menopause to prevent against atherosclerosis and heart disease.