Who Is At Risk for Carotid Artery Disease?
Certain traits, conditions, or habits may raise your
risk for carotid artery disease. These conditions are known as risk factors.
The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to get the disease. You
can control some, but not all, risk factors.
The major risk factors for carotid artery disease,
listed below, also are the major risk factors for
coronary
artery disease (CAD) and heart disease.
-
Unhealthy blood cholesterol levels. This includes high LDL cholesterol
(sometimes called bad cholesterol) and low HDL cholesterol (sometimes called
good cholesterol).
- High
blood pressure. Blood pressure is considered high if it stays at or above
140/90 mmHg over time.
- Smoking. This can damage and tighten blood
vessels, raise cholesterol levels, and raise blood pressure. Smoking also can
limit how much oxygen reaches the body's tissues.
- Older age. As you get older, your risk for
carotid artery disease goes up. About 1 percent of adults aged 50 to 59
have major plaque buildup in the carotid arteries. In contrast, 10 percent
of adults aged 80 to 89 have this problem. Before age 75, the risk is greater
in men than women. However, after age 75, the risk is higher in women.
- Insulin resistance. This condition occurs when
the body can't use its own insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps
move blood sugar into cells where it's used. Insulin resistance may lead to
diabetes.
- Diabetes. With this disease, the body's blood sugar level is
high because the body doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't use its insulin
properly. People who have diabetes are four times more likely to have carotid
artery disease than people who don’t have diabetes.
-
Overweight or obesity. The most useful measure of overweight and obesity is
the body mass index (BMI). BMI measures your weight in relation to your height
and gives an estimate of your total body fat. A BMI between 25 and 29 is
considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. You can check
your BMI using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s
online BMI calculator, or your
doctor can check your BMI.
-
Metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk
factors that raise your risk for stroke and other health problems, such as
diabetes and heart disease.
- Lack of physical activity. Lack of activity can
worsen other risk factors for carotid artery disease.
- Family history of
atherosclerosis.
Having any of these risk factors doesn't mean that
you will get carotid artery disease. However, if you have one or more risk
factors, you can take steps to help prevent the disease.
Steps include following a healthy lifestyle and
taking any medicines your doctor prescribes. (For more information, see
“How Can Carotid Artery Disease Be
Prevented?”)
The amount of plaque buildup in the carotid arteries
also may suggest plaque buildup in other arteries. Doctors can predict the
degree of atherosclerosis in other arteries based on the thickness of the
carotid arteries. Thus, people who have carotid artery disease also are more
likely to have CAD. |