-Atherothrombosis is a serious disease that is linked to other severe and often fatal diseases. Nearly 12 million people worldwide die every year of diseases ociated with atherothrombosis. Some of these diseases include stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral arterial disease.
Atherothrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms on fatty deposits in the wall of a blood vessel. The formation of a blood clot is called thrombosis and the fatty deposit in the blood vessel is often referred to as an atheroma.
Atherothrombosis is a dangerous development because if the clot grows until it completely blocks an affected artery, blood stops flowing and the tissue downstream from the blockage is at risk, sometimes with life-threatening consequences.
If atherothrombosis takes place and yet there is enough circulation in this artery or nearby arteries to supply the downstream tissue, then the tissue continues to receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients despite the blockage. But if there is insufficient circulation, the tissue becomes starved of oxygen and the nutrients it needs. If blood flow is not restored in time, cell or tissue death occurs.
Sometimes, rather than blocking an artery or vein, a clot may break lose from a lesion and become an embolus. An embolus is a mass of clotted blood or other material that is carried along in the bloodstream until it lodges and obstructs a blood vessel. Then, as in atherothrombosis, the downstream flow is shut off and crucial tissue may die, causing stroke, myocardial infarction, or limb death.
-BY ED ZERATI
-http://www.zerati.com
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