Can atherosclerosis be cured?

Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

Updated on February 10, 2025

00:00

00:00

Atherosclerosis is a very common disease in daily life. Many patients, after being diagnosed with atherosclerosis, often ask doctors "Can my atherosclerosis be cured?" The answer is no, as atherosclerosis cannot be completely cured.

However, this does not mean that atherosclerosis is untreatable. From a medical perspective, controlling blood pressure, lipids, and blood sugar, maintaining good lifestyle habits, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, controlling weight, and following a doctor's guidance to properly take medications can effectively control the onset and progression of atherosclerosis.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Zeng Wei Jie

Cardiology

1min 3sec

home-news-image

What medicine to take for arteriosclerosis?

Drug therapy is an important component of the treatment for atherosclerosis and mainly includes the following types. The first is to regulate blood sugar and lipids, keeping them under control to slow down the process of atherosclerosis. The second involves taking antiplatelet medications to prevent the formation of blood clots, especially since some plaques, particularly soft plaques, are prone to rupture. For some patients who have already formed blood clots, thrombolytic therapy might be considered, but this is not typically necessary for all patients. Additionally, because high blood pressure can accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis, some patients also need to take antihypertensive drugs. For patients with narrowed blood vessels and severe symptoms, such as angina, vasodilators, including nitrates, might be used. Therefore, the treatment choices may vary depending on the severity of the condition, and the modes of drug therapy differ. (Note: Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a doctor.)

home-news-image

Written by Zeng Wei Jie

Cardiology

54sec

home-news-image

Treatment of Arteriosclerosis

The treatment of arteriosclerosis includes general preventative measures, pharmacological treatment, interventional procedures, and surgical operations. General precautions involve a balanced diet, with some patients needing to lose weight, increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption, and adopting a low-fat diet. Additionally, it is advised that patients engage in appropriate physical labor and sports activities, while also maintaining an optimistic and calm mindset. Pharmacological treatment is quite specialized, mainly including lipid-lowering and antiplatelet therapies. Then, there are cases with clear symptoms, such as renal artery stenosis or coronary artery narrowing, where interventional treatments can be considered. For those unsuitable for interventional procedures, surgical treatments, such as bypass surgery, might be considered.

home-news-image

Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

1min 35sec

home-news-image

Is coronary arteriosclerosis serious?

The severity of arterial atherosclerosis is related to the location of the lesion and the narrowing it causes in the coronary arteries. This is because if the blood flow through the coronary arteries is insufficient to meet the metabolic demands of the heart muscle, it can lead to ischemia and hypoxia of the heart muscle, causing angina. Severe and prolonged ischemia can lead to myocardial necrosis, or myocardial infarction. When there is significant narrowing in the coronary artery lumen, for instance more than 50%-75%, the situation can be compensated during rest. However, during exercise or rapid heart rate or emotional excitation, the oxygen demand of the heart muscle increases. This may result in mild or transient myocardial oxygen supply, or an imbalance between supply and demand. Another scenario involves unstable atherosclerotic plaques that rupture, erode, or bleed, leading to platelet aggregation or thrombus formation, causing a rapid worsening of luminal narrowing. This results in a decreased supply of oxygen to heart muscle, leading to acute coronary syndrome, which is very severe. In fact, the degree of coronary artery atherosclerosis is positively correlated with plaque stability, plaque location, and the elasticity of the coronary artery.

home-news-image

Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

38sec

home-news-image

Arteriosclerosis is a disease

Arteriosclerosis is a disease characterized by thickening of the arterial wall and narrowing of the arterial lumen due to plaque formation, leading to various problems. As for whether arteriosclerosis can be prevented and treated, the answer is definitely yes. This can be achieved by maintaining good lifestyle habits. Regular exercise, quitting smoking, and controlling blood pressure and blood sugar with medications under a doctor’s guidance, as well as appropriate use of statin medications, can effectively prevent and treat the onset, progression, and worsening of arteriosclerosis.

home-news-image

Written by Zeng Wei Jie

Cardiology

48sec

home-news-image

How is arteriosclerosis treated?

To treat arteriosclerosis, we differentiate treatments based on the severity of the condition. For early-stage patients, we emphasize the control of lipids, blood pressure, and blood sugar to potentially slow the progression of arteriosclerosis. For patients who have already suffered damage to target organs, such as cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, renal artery stenosis, or mesenteric artery stenosis, treatment might significantly rely on medication, and could possibly require the use of stents or even surgical bypass procedures. For the general population, we emphasize primary prevention, which includes a reasonable diet, appropriate exercise, and a balanced mental state to effectively prevent the disease.