Treatment of Atherosclerosis

If the condition has led to particular symptoms, such as angina, then these will be need to be treated accordingly. Treatment of atherosclerosis itself will vary according to the part of the body that is involved, and the involvement of any factors that may have contributed to the development of the disease. For example, the patient will be required to exercise daily, reduce their weight, stop smoking and drinking, restrict sugar intake and reduce the level of cholesterol in the diet.

Anti-coagulants such as Warfarin may be prescribed to thin the blood and prevent it from clotting. Hypolipidemic agents (particularly statins) may also be prescribed to reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol and triglyceride. Patients at risk for atherosclerosis-related diseases are often treated prophylactically (i.e to prevent, rather than treat or cure the condition) with low-dose aspirin and a statin.

Occasionally, surgery may be necessary to deal with severely affected arteries. This may include major invasive surgery (for example, bypass surgery), to create additional blood supply connections, or minimally-invasive angioplasty procedures to expand narrowed arteries.