Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Adrenaline and Calcium deposits

Do high levels of Adrenaline cause Calcium deposits in your arteries? Does anybody know? I've read somewhere on the internet that it does, but these deposits are not located right under the Endothelium but further down and, therefore, can not be classified as Atherosclerosis.
9 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
May be you're right, I certainly would classify myself as a type A personality. However, the only reason why I know I have this problem with excess Adrenaline is going to the dentist and contrary to how many people feel about going there, I have no problem with it. "I like going there", would be overstating it, but the only thing he ever does, is clean my teeth - no big deal. So I don't think it is a "white coat syndrome" kind of problem. Good luck with your Angioplasty - now that is something I wouldn't want to face and you probably don't either.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
If you are a type A person who develops emotional stress very easily, is there a way to reduce adrenaline in the body? or to limit it? I know that you can take relaxation technique classes, I took some, but these take many years to master properly and when you have an active mind, it is even harder. I think, but this is being dug up from my oldest memories lol, the brain produces hormones which tell the body to jump to red alert. One of those hormones sends signals into the adrenal gland. Perhaps there are medications which can reduce this initial hormone release from the brain, such as certain anti depressants?
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Maybe that's the main reason why people who suffer long bouts of stress end up with heart disease. I haven't heard of this, but will certainly be investigating and asking my Cardiologist on Monday morning when I have my Angioplasty.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
No, you didn't really answer my question the following quote comes closer:
"Injections of adrenalin produced much more interesting changes that were much more relevant to humans. They produced necrosis (death) of cells in the media followed by extensive calcification. A similar process was observed in some of the blood pressure experiments and
in many of the experiments involving injections of metallic, bacterial, or other toxins. These changes, however, were fundamentally different from atherosclerosis, which occurs in the intima."
And I also have the following again by prof. Joe Cummins:
"My arteries were blocked, not by cholesterol, but by concrete-like deposits of calcium phosphate."
The above is by no means meant to question what you wrote above, but points out an alternate way to get there (plugging up your arteries)  in this case due to calcification - nothing to do with Cholesterol, Makrophages, Foam Cells and LDL - oxidized or not.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Well, Adrenaline doesn't CAUSE calcification, it simply helps create an arena for the process. Adrenaline is pumped into our body virtually all day don't forget, not just during stress, but also on exertion. It's the impact of stress that seems to really influence the damage of arteries because the 'fear' in the brain affects so many systems. Calcification in arteries is still atherosclerosis whether it be in the lumen, the endothelium or deeper. Atherosclerosis simply means 'stiffening of the arteries' and calcification will cause this no matter which level it resides in the artery. I agree with regards to Statins entirely, but I think healthy diets probably give better results for people with normal cholesterol levels, with regards to inflammation.
So just to quickly sum up, when you're body is in fight/flight mode, the coronary arteries basically receive a good pounding. If they are not in a particularly healthy condition, the artery endothelium will form fractures to which HDL calls on the immune system to repair. HDL does something to the white cells which attracts LDL to pump them full of fat, and turn them into macrophages. Now comes the real confusion and the part that research is confused with. Some claim free radicals damage the Macrophages and HDL so the Macrophages cannot signal the LDL to remove the fat again. However, in Lab experiments using Mice, removing ALL free radicals had the opposite effect as expected, the Mice all died of calcified arteries, and quite quickly. Increased in free radicals, the Mice survived much longer. Something damages the macrophages ability to signal the HDL/LDL lipids but nobody has yet found the reason. Over time, the Macrophages die and of course become foam cells, leaving fatty streaks in the artery lining. Depending on the size/number of fractures in the vicinity AND the number of Macrophages will determine how much soft vulnerable plaque will be left there. I do believe it's a reaction with something in the blood which causes the calcification, maybe the iron? I can't remember which element. This is why you end up with a hard calcified cap over the soft plaque, on the side facing the blood.
I'm not really sure if I've answered your question lol
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
No, I mean further away from the Lumen not just behind the Endothelium
The quote below is from Prof. Joe Cummins:
"The statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. As cholesterol is not implicated in coronary artery calcification, the statin effect is surprising. However, statins also reduce inflammation [12], which is implicated in coronary artery calcification."
Now, if Adrenaline causes calcification due to whatever process then soft plaque may not be present or only in minute quantities. Of course, this is just my musings during a sleepness night to explain what I have, I have nothing to back that up.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
"But if Adrenaline causes Calcium deposits further down without soft plaque"

Can you word this a different way please? I don't understand what you mean.
Are you saying further down the vessel? in narrower sections?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
May by this is academic, but If the Calcium deposits cover up the soft plaque caused by inflamation due to the Macrophages invading the Endotheleum that is one thing, because that will cause blockages and can rupture. But if Adrenaline causes Calcium deposits further down without soft plaque that's something else again. The reason why I bring this up is because I have a very high Calcium Score, but the Nuclear Stress test says LVEF 74% and I have high levels of Adrenaline. I never had that actually tested, but I can't take e.g. a normal Novocaine shot at the dentist. I was shaking so badly, I almost fell off the chair and he made sure never to do that again.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Well Atherosclerosis is actually a term which simply means hardening of the arteries and this is misleading. Artery disease can exist but the arteries can still be very supple. This is because plaque exists in various compositions, such as soft (vulnerable) and calcified. Calcium isn't simply deposited on the artery walls, it is the calcification of material trapped in the artery, such as dead macrophages (white cells) or cholesterol released from lipids.
Adrenaline does increase the formation of artery disease if it is in abundance for long periods of time. Short periods of adrenaline rushes are good for you, we are designed for that fight and flight response, but rather than being induced by the 'wild', it is there virtually full time due to society.
I would expect to see heart disease increase with the current recession, and if the world sinks into a second one as predicted, well, I think it will become obvious.
Artery disease is artery disease no matter which artery it's in, and no matter which location in that artery. A calcium score test will reveal how much calcified material you have stored in your arteries, giving a good indication of artery disease, but even this doesn't work for everyone. Certain ethnic groups have much higher soft plaque levels, but not much seems to calcify.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community

Top Heart Disease Answerers
159619 tn?1707018272
Salt Lake City, UT
11548417 tn?1506080564
Netherlands
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.