Benefits of early intervention in the progression of cardiovascular disease - role of renin-angiotensin system blockade

Atherosclerosis is a slowly progressive process. It begins early, progresses insidiously for many years, remains asymptotic and by the time it manifests as coronary artery disease or stroke, the atherosclerotic burden is immense. The question in that why does it remain asymptotic for so long? The answer lies in the fact that blood vessels are able to accommodate huge amount of plaque before the lumen becomes compromised. It is only when the plaque burden becomes severe that the lumen of the vessels becomes clogged and the symptoms start appearing. In fact the atherosclerotic process begins after the first decade of life. More so in the recent years when the fast food culture has prevailed along with significant changes in life style with decreased physical activity and increasing trend towards obesity. The process progresses steadily over the third and fourth decade of life and beyond. The fatty streaks grow to form fibrous plaques which may narrow or occlude the arterial lumen. Complex lesions may become unstable and rupture, leading to acute coronary events such as unstable angina, myocardial infarction and stroke. (author)