Answer to Question 1
Normally, the arteries expand with each heartbeat to accommodate the pulses of blood that flow through them. Arteries hardened and narrowed by plaque cannot expand, however, so the blood pressure rises. The increased pressure damages the artery walls further and strains the heart. Because plaques are more likely to form at damage sites, the development of atherosclerosis becomes a self-accelerating process.
Answer to Question 2
Some risk factors, such as avoiding tobacco, are important to everyone's health. Others, such as some relating to diet, are more important for people who are genetically predisposed to certain diseases. To pinpoint your own areas of concern, you can search your family's medical history for diseases common to your family. Any condition that shows up in several close blood relatives may be a special concern for you. For example, a person whose parents, grandparents, or other close blood relatives suffered from diabetes and heart disease is urgently advised to avoid becoming obese and not to smoke. Also, after your next physical examination, find out which test results are out of line. The combination of family medical history and laboratory test results is a powerful predictor of disease.
Blood vessels: (A) normal artery, (B) constriction, and (C) arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
Pathophysiology of renal diseases and hypertension
Atherosclerosis. (a) A sectioned coronary artery that exhibits an accumulation of fatty plaque, whic
Hypertension drugs
A schematic showing the progression of atherosclerosis
Should Parents Make Their Own Baby Food?