High Cholesterol - Reasons For Blocked Arteries

Arteries are nothing but a type of blood vessel that carries oxygenated and nutrient rich blood from heart to various parts of the body. Arteries are made up of three layers, an outer later made up of tissue, middle muscular layer an inner layer of epithelial cells. The muscular layer helps in pumping the blood and the inner layer is smooth causing free flow of blood with no obstruction. The arteries send the oxygen rich blood to capillaries where the actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs and the waste blood is delivered to the veins for transporting back to lungs and heart.

The heart pumps blood through one main artery called aorta, which is divided and branches in to many smaller arteries which carries blood various parts of the body. Main function of aorta is to carry pure blood from heart. The other type of artery is called coronary in which the blood is carried away from heart. The function of the coronary is to carry oxygenated and nutrient filled blood to heart muscle.

Block in the arteries is one of the major disorders.  High cholesterol tends to be one of the main reasons for blocked arteries.  Atorvastatin and Simvastatin are mainly used to help with high cholesterol.

Some of the disorders of arteries include Atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, Coronary heart disease or ischaemic heart disease, Angina, heart attack etc. Ischaemic heart disease is a condition in which the coronary arteries are blocked by the deposition of fatty substance which blocks the passage of blood. High blood pressure is caused when the artery walls lose it elasticity or hardening of artery walls which exerts pressure on heart to pump the blood. High intake of fat leads to the increase of cholesterol level in blood. This excess fat will be deposited in the arterial wall which prevents the blood flow leading to heart attack. The blocked arteries become rigid or hard due to the low supply of blood to arteries leading to the condition called as Atherosclerosis.