What Role Does Hardening Of The Arteries Play In The Development Of Heart Failure?

— -- Question: What role does hardening of the arteries (coronary artery disease) play in the development of heart failure?

Answer: One of the things that is ubiquitous in the American landscape of heart disease is hardening of the arteries. Arthrosclerosis is what we call it on the medical side, but it's hardening of the arteries. And a hardened artery is characterized by having plaque or deposits in that blood vessel. Any blood vessel that is diseased threatens blood flow to whatever organ it's supplying. When the organ it's supplying is the heart, then that leads to heart attacks, heart muscle destruction and that sets the stage for heart failure.

So without question, not only does hardening of the arteries increase the likelihood of developing heart failure, but controlling the risk factors for hardening of the arteries and the cause, specifically abnormal lipids, is a very clear way that we can modify the likelihood of developing not only heart disease but especially heart failure.

So we should be very attune to getting a handle on these abnormal lipids because that's a great way of reducing heart disease and in turn reducing heart failure.