Blood Clots
A plaque can rupture and form a blood clot, called a thrombus. If the thrombus breaks off and travels through the blood stream, it's called an embolus. Emboli can travel to the hearts, lungs, or brain. Healthy arteries are flexible and allow blood to flow freely, but arteries clogged by atherosclerosis are susceptible to partial or complete blockage by debris or clots. If a blood clot blocks one of the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply the heart with blood), the result can be a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. If it blocks blood flow to the brain, it can cause a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a stroke. More women than men die of stroke.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
A TIA is a brief interruption of blood supply to part of the brain. The symptoms of a TIA resemble those of ischemic stroke but they generally last less than an hour, and often no permanent damage is done.

Ischemic Stroke
Ischemic strokes occur when one of the large arteries that supply the brain is blocked by a thrombus (formed in an artery that supplies blood to the brain), or an embolus. Deprived of the blood that brings them oxygen, brain cells become stressed or damaged. If they are deprived for a long period of time, and this can mean just a few minutes, they may die, and some physical and mental functions may be lost.

Hemorrhagic Stroke
Brain arteries weakened by atherosclerosis are susceptible to another form of stroke as well: hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm is a bulge in an artery. If the aneurysm ruptures, blood can spill into the surrounding brain tissue, causing tissue scarring and depriving the brain cells beyond the rupture of blood. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can also lead to hemorrhagic stroke. While hemorrhagic strokes occur less frequently than ischemic strokes, they have a much higher death rate.

More on this topic

Women & Cardiovascular Disease (VIDEO)
Women & Heart Health
The Marvel
Women's Symptoms
How Arteries Age
Stroke: Blood, Interrupted
Pregnancy & Cardiovascular Changes
Risk Factors
Treatment
Prevention
3D Heart Rotation

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