The exact cause of hardening of the arteries is not know. Nevertheless, there are a number of risk factors that can shed light on the dark subject of what causes hardening of the arteries. Some of these risk factors will be things we can change, while others are out of our control. If you have a few minutes to spare why don't we take a walk through this cast of characters in a attempt to draw a logical conclusion as to what causes hardening of the arteries.

What causes hardening of the arteries - Risk factors

Life is a mix of continual and ongoing probabilities. For instance there is a very small chance your car may not start today, or you may have a flat on the way to work. Is it likely? The answer is no. Are there any signs it is about to occur? Probably not. This is similar to set of circumstances that revolve around hardening of the arteries. There likely will not be any symptoms that one of the many causes has triggered the accumulation of atherosclerotic plaque in one or more of your arteries leading to blockage, and eventually if left unidentified and/or untreated a heart attack or stroke is bound to occur.

According to the American Medical Association the uncontrollable risk factors are age, sex, and heredity. Increasing age does not in itself cause hardening of the arteries, but does increase the risk of heart disease. When younger than 60, men are more likely to suffer heart attacks caused by hardening of the arteries. After that pivotal age the risk of having coronary event is about even between the genders. Hardening of the arteries also has a tendency to run in families. Individuals with a parent who suffered a heart attack because of hardening of the arteries at a relatively young age are at an increased risk for the disease.

One of the main risk factors that is in our control is whether or not we chose to smoke tobacco. Smoking increases the risk of fatty deposits within the arteries that is the root cause of the condition.

High blood pressure also can play a role in contributing to hardening of the arteries as well as damaging the heart. The combination of smoking and high blood pressure is a particularly dangerous one when it come to heart and artery disease.

Diabetes is another dangerous risk factor. Men with diabetes have twice the normal risk of coronary artery disease, while women with diabetes have five times the normal risk.

High blood cholesterol along with a diet high in saturated and/or trans fats is another one of the myriad of possibilities to consider in our quest to determine what causes hardening of the arteries.

Additional risk factors include being overweight, inactivity, and race, with African Americans tending to experience hardening of the arteries earlier in life.

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