Although atherosclerosis is not curable, preventive measures can help us avoid it. At present there are no known drugs capable of removing existing calcification or restoring elasticity to rigid vessel walls.

However, progression of atherosclerosis can be markedly slowed by influencing the risk factors through lifestyle changes or medication. In the early stages a cholesterol-lowering diet and regular exercise can cause plaques to regress.

Drug treatment

• Lipid-lowering drugs: Reducing levels of blood lipids, especially LDL cholesterol, can slow the progression of atherosclerosis.
• Treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Antiplatelet drugs: These prevent blood platelets from clumping together (aggregating) and sticking to atherosclerotic vessel walls.

Surgical measures

• Life-threatening atherosclerosis can also be treated surgically. The choice of procedure depends on the nature and severity of the disease.
• Balloon dilatation (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty): A small balloon catheter is advanced through the bloodstream to the narrowed site and inflated. The vessel expands and blood can flow freely again. If the vessel threatens to reocclude, a small wire mesh (stent) is inserted to keep it open.
• Bypass: A vessel – either artificial (usually made of Gore-Tex) or taken from elsewhere in the body – is used to connect a free artery to the damaged vessel beyond the narrowed segment, thus bypassing the stenosis.