The carotid arteries are the main arteries in your neck that supply blood to your brain. A substance called plaque accumulates inside your arteries as you age. If too much plaque builds up in your carotid artery, it can cause the artery to narrow (carotid stenosis). Small clots can form, then break off and travel to the brain, causing a minor or major stroke.<\/p>\n
Up to 3% of individuals older than 65 have carotid artery disease. Your risk increases as you age, and is heightened if you have a history of smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease. Carotid stenosis is responsible for up to one-third of all strokes. Stroke causes 1 in every 15 deaths. About 700,000 strokes occur every year, usually in men.<\/p>\n
If you develop carotid artery disease, you will need regular carotid artery ultrasound tests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The carotid arteries are the main arteries in your neck that supply blood to your brain. A substance called plaque accumulates inside your arteries as you age. If too much plaque builds up in your carotid artery, it can cause the artery to narrow (carotid stenosis). Small clots can form, then break off and travel…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1073,"parent":76,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/conditions.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-300","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n