Imagine driving through a tunnel. Show On Monday, you encounter a pile of rubble. There is a narrow gap, big enough to drive through. On Tuesday, you're driving through the tunnel and find a giant boulder blocking the entire tunnel. No gaps whatsoever. Now translate those examples to your health. The tunnels are the arteries that carry blood to your heart. The rubble and boulders are blockages that can lead to problems – shown through symptoms. Blocked tunnels aren’t good for traffic flow, and blocked arteries aren’t good for your heart. In cardiology, the boulder is called a Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO). It means the artery is completely blocked. This occurs in 15% to 20% of patients who have heart disease. Sometimes there has been a complete blockage for many months or even years. However, only about 3% to 5% of these patients undergo a stent or bypass procedure, so there's a real need to help these untreated patients. Failure to diagnose and treat a CTO can lead to symptoms and impact your quality of life. Impacts of a complete blockageArtery blockages are not created equal. Treatment of an artery that is 97% blocked is much easier than treating one that has been 100% blocked for a long time. The symptoms – chest pain, tightness and shortness of breath – can be similar, though. Sometimes, when arteries become completely blocked, a new blood supply develops around the blockage. This new blood supply, called collaterals, won't deliver as much blood to your heart. This can lead to those same symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath. If you have these symptoms, a stress test can help determine if they are caused by a blockage in an artery or something else. The first step is to see a doctor.  Blocked arteries can cause serious problems if they prevent blood from reaching vital parts of the body such as the heart or brain. However, the symptoms of blocked arteries aren’t always obvious until they cause a life-threatening issue such as a heart attack or stroke. Sometimes the only way to know if your arteries are clogged is to undergo a screening test such as a carotid Doppler ultrasound, which can check for blockages that might put you at risk of a stroke. Why Do Arteries Get Clogged? Clogged arteries occur because of a condition known as atherosclerosis, which happens when fatty material from the blood sticks to the inside of the arteries. Over time, enough of this material can build up that it starts to affect the flow of blood. The effects of this can depend on the location of the blockage. Clogged arteries can be particularly dangerous when they affect blood supplying the heart or brain as these organs need continuous supplies of oxygen to keep functioning properly. Signs of Clogged Arteries Clogged arteries don’t always cause any obvious symptoms so the problem is often missed unless it causes a medical emergency such as a heart attack or stroke. Sometimes there can be warning signs that an artery is blocked before it causes a serious event. Angina occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel supplying the heart. It can cause symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, heart palpitations and sweating, which may be triggered by physical activity. Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs) or mini-strokes can occur when there is a blockage affecting the brain. The symptoms can include temporary weakness on one side of your body, loss of vision in one eye, or slurred speech. Angina can be a sign that you are at risk of a heart attack while a TIA is a warning that you are at risk of a major stroke, so it is vital to take these symptoms seriously and see a doctor. Tests for Clogged Arteries Cardiac screening can reveal whether you are at risk of clogged arteries by testing for issues such as high cholesterol that can increase the chances of fatty deposits accumulating in your blood vessels. If you are at high risk, you’re experiencing issues such as angina, or you’ve already had a stroke or heart attack, then there are some tests that can look inside your arteries to check for blockages. At the Cardiac Screen clinic, we can use ultrasounds to look for signs of blockages. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of your heart that can help us to assess the risk of heart disease while a carotid Doppler ultrasound allows us to measure the flow of blood through the arteries that supply your brain. The carotid Doppler scan is used to evaluate the risk of a stroke. If any issues are detected during these tests, treatment may help to improve the blood flow through your clogged arteries and reduce the risks. Do clogged arteries always cause high blood pressure?Clogged or blocked arteries, or atherosclerosis, can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, or even death, so it is vital to understand the signs and symptoms of blocked arteries.
Can your blood pressure be normal and still have heart problems?Even levels of blood pressure that are generally considered “normal” may be high enough to foster the development of heart disease, new research shows.
How can you tell if you have blocked arteries?Dizziness or weakness. Heart palpitations, or sensations of your heart racing or fluttering. Nausea or sweating. Shortness of breath.
Can you have low blood pressure and clogged arteries?Atherosclerosis — a condition in which fat (plaque) builds up in and on artery walls — can stiffen blood vessels and have the same effect on blood pressure. Thus, many older patients can have both a high systolic and a low diastolic blood pressure.
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Can you have clogged arteries and normal blood pressure
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