AtherosclerosisSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis, sometimes called "hardening of the arteries," occurs when fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the walls of arteries. These deposits are called plaques. Over time, these plaques can narrow or completely block the arteries and cause problems throughout the body.
Atherosclerosis is a common disorder.
Hardening of the arteries; Arteriosclerosis; Plaque buildup - arteries; Hyperlipidemia - atherosclerosis; Cholesterol - atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis often occurs with aging. As you grow older, plaque buildup narrows your arteries and makes them stiffer. These changes make it harder for blood to flow through them.
Clots may form in these narrowed arteries and block blood flow. Pieces of plaque can also break off and move to smaller blood vessels, blocking them.
These blockages starve tissues of blood and oxygen. This can result in damage or tissue death. It is a common cause of heart attack and stroke.
High blood cholesterol levels can cause hardening of the arteries at a younger age.
For many people, high cholesterol levels are due to or worsened by a diet that is too high in saturated fats and trans fats.
Other factors that can contribute to hardening of the arteries include:
- Diabetes
- Family history of hardening of the arteries
- High blood pressure
- Lack of exercise
- Being overweight or obese
- Smoking
Atherosclerosis does not cause symptoms until blood flow to part of the body becomes slowed or blocked.
If the arteries supplying the heart become narrow, blood flow can slow down or stop. This can cause chest pain (stable angina or unstable angina), shortness of breath, and other symptoms.
Narrowed or blocked arteries may also cause problems in the intestines, kidneys, legs, and brain.
Lifestyle changes will reduce your risk for atherosclerosis. Things you can do include:
- Quit smoking: This is the single most important change you can make to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.
- Avoid fatty foods: Eat well-balanced meals that are low in fat and cholesterol. Include several daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Adding fish to your diet at least twice a week may be helpful. However, do not eat fried fish.
- Limit how much alcohol you drink: Recommended limits are one drink a day for women, two a day for men.
- Get regular physical activity: Exercise with moderate intensity (such as brisk walking) 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day if you are at a healthy weight. For weight loss, exercise for 60 to 90 minutes a day. Talk to your provider before starting a new exercise plan, especially if you have been diagnosed with heart disease or you have ever had a heart attack.
If your blood pressure is high, it is important for you to lower it and keep it under control.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of health problems caused by high blood pressure. You and your provider should set a blood pressure goal for you.
- Do not stop or change high blood pressure medicines without talking to your provider.
Your provider may want you to take medicine for abnormal cholesterol levels or for high blood pressure if lifestyle changes do not get you to your goals for these. This will depend on:
- Your age
- The medicines you take
- Your risk of side effects from possible medicines
- Whether you have heart disease or other blood flow problems
- Whether you smoke or are overweight
- Whether you have diabetes or other heart disease risk factors
- Whether you have any other medical problems, such as kidney disease
Your provider may suggest taking aspirin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries. These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs. DO NOT take aspirin without first talking to your provider.
Losing weight if you are overweight and reducing blood sugar if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes can help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center - Green Spring Station, Lutherville
Dr. Michael J. Blaha MD MPH is Professor of Cardiology and Epidemiology and presently serves as the Director of Clinical Research for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Director of the Cardiometabolic Clinic, and Program Director for the Preventive Cardiology Fellowship. His clinical interests include primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, with emphasis on early intervention in patients with advanced subclinical atherosclerosis detected with cardiac computed tomography. Dr. Blaha represents the 4th generation of physicians in his family. After earning a BS in pre-medical studies and classical civilization at the University of Notre Dame in 2001, Dr. Blaha went to Vanderbilt University where in 2006 he received his MD as well as an MPH. in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. Dr. Blaha then completed his Internal Medicine residency in the Osler Medical Housestaff Training Program at Johns Hopkins in 2009 before completing a fellowship in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins in 2012. In 2018, Dr. Blaha received the Dr. Fred Brancati award at Johns Hopkins for excellence in mentoring. He has mentored over 30 trainees, many of which have gone on to hold prominent academic appointments. In 2021, Dr. Blaha was named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher List, representing the top 1% of world’s researchers, and was first named to the Baltimore Magazine Best Doctors List. In 2022, he received the Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Award. Clinically, he practices as a preventive cardiologist specializing in cardiometabolic disease and in the interpretation of cardiac CT. His clinic specializes in patients with cardiometabolic disease and advanced subclinical atherosclerosis, and the focused use of an array of lifestyle and pharmacotherapies to mitigate that risk. Dr. Blaha is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Atherosclerosis. He is also highly rated in 25 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Atherosclerosis, Coronary Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), and Heart Bypass Surgery.
Houston Methodist Debakey Cardiology Associates
Khurram Nasir is a Cardiologist practicing medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Nasir is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Atherosclerosis. He is also highly rated in 24 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Atherosclerosis, Coronary Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), and Heart Bypass Surgery.
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center - Green Spring Station, Lutherville
Dr. Erin D. Michos is a Professor of Medicine within the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is the Director of Women's Cardiovascular Health and the Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology within the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Michos is an internationally known expert in Preventive Cardiology and Women’s Health, having authored >700 publications and 11 book chapters. Her research involves (1) Women’s Cardiovascular Health; (2) Lipids and Lipid management; (3) Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic and Obesity disease management (4) Coronary artery calcium, inflammation and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. She is the co-Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. She is Co-Director of the IMPACT Center (Improving Participation Among Diverse Populations in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials) at Johns Hopkins, funded by the American Heart Association (AHA). She is a co-investigator in several NIH-funded studies including the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohorts. She has served as the Training Director for four AHA Strategic Focused Research Networks. She has mentored over 60 individuals and the recipient of 2 mentoring awards. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Nanette Wegner Award for Women’s Health Medical Leadership by the Women Heart Organization and the Donna Vogel Women’s Health Champion Award by Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Michos completed medical school at Northwestern University, Internal Medicine residency and Cardiology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a Masters of Health Science degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Michos is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Atherosclerosis. She is also highly rated in 30 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Atherosclerosis, Vitamin D Deficiency, Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), and Thrombectomy. Dr. Michos is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine.
Atherosclerosis cannot be reversed once it has occurred. However, lifestyle changes and treating high cholesterol levels can prevent or slow the process from becoming worse. This can help reduce the chances of having a heart attack and stroke as a result of atherosclerosis.
In some cases, the plaque is part of a process that causes a weakening of the wall of an artery. This can lead to a bulge in an artery called an aneurysm. Aneurysms can break open (rupture). This causes bleeding that can be life threatening.
Summary: This study will evaluate people with dyslipidemias - disorders that affect the fat content in the blood. Fats, or lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, are carried in the blood in particles called lipoproteins. These particles are involved in causing blood vessel diseases that can lead to conditions like atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or heart attack. Participants will underg...
Summary: This study aims to investigate whether TET2-associated clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (TET2-CHIP) can serve as a biomarker to guide precision use of colchicine in a population of clinically stable post-ACS patients receiving standard of care (SoC) therapy. Specifically, we will evaluate whether TET2-CHIP status predicts a differential response to colchicine. As a pilot study, it a...
Published Date: January 27, 2026
Published By: Thomas S. Metkus MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Libby P. The vascular biology of atherosclerosis. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, et al, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026: chap 22.
Marks AR. Cardiac and circulatory function. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 41.
Tokgozoglu L, Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, et al, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 25.
US Preventive Services Task Force; Mangione CM, Barry MJ, et al. Statin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2022;328(8):746-753. PMID: 35997723 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35997723/.
Writing Committee Members; Jones DW, Ferdinand KC, et al. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation and management of high blood pressure in adults: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Hypertension. 2025;82(10):e212-e316. PMID: 40811516 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40811516/.