Carotid Artery Disease

Outlook

Carotid artery disease causes more than half of the strokes that occur in the United States. Other conditions, such as certain heart problems and bleeding in brain, also can cause strokes.

Lifestyle changes, medicines, and/or medical procedures can help prevent or treat carotid artery disease and may reduce the risk for stroke.

If you think you’re having a stroke, you need urgent treatment. Call 9–1–1 right away if you have symptoms of a stroke (don’t drive yourself to the hospital). Getting care within 1 hour of having symptoms is important.

You have the best chance for full recovery if treatment to open a blocked artery is given within 6 hours of symptom onset. Ideally, treatment should be given within 3 hours of symptom onset.

What Causes Carotid Artery Disease?

Carotid artery disease appears to start when damage occurs to the inner layers of the carotid arteries. Major factors that contribute to damage include:

• Smoking
• High amounts of certain fats and cholesterol in the blood
• High blood pressure
• High amounts of sugar in the blood due to insulin resistance or diabetes

When damage occurs, your body starts a healing process. The healing may cause plaque to build up where the arteries are damaged.

Over time, the plaque may crack. Blood cells called platelets stick to the injured lining of the artery and may clump together to form blood clots.

The buildup of plaque or blood clots can severely narrow or block the carotid arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain and can cause a stroke.

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.

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 coronary artery disease (CAD).

Stroke

Most people who have carotid artery disease don’t have mini-strokes before they have strokes. The symptoms of stroke are the same as those of mini-stroke, but the results are not. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, paralysis (an inability to move), or even death.

Getting treatment for a stroke right away is very important. You have the best chance for full recovery if treatment to open a blocked artery is given within 6 hours of symptom onset. Ideally, treatment should be given within 3 hours of symptom onset.

Call 9–1–1 as soon as symptoms occur (don’t drive yourself to the hospital). It’s very important to get checked and to get treatment started within 1 hour of having symptoms.

Make those close to you aware of stroke symptoms and the need for urgent action. Learning the signs and symptoms of a stroke will allow you to help yourself or someone close to you lower the risk for damage or death from a stroke.

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