Carotid artery disease

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Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

In its early stages, carotid artery disease often doesn't produce any signs or symptoms. You and your doctor may not know you have carotid artery disease until it's serious enough to deprive your brain of blood.

If that happens, you may develop signs and symptoms of a stroke or TIA — an early warning sign of a future stroke. These signs and symptoms may include:

  • Sudden numbness or weakness involving your face, arm or leg, typically on one side of your body
  • Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others
  • Sudden blindness in one eye

If you experience any of these symptoms, you may be having a stroke. Seek immediate medical attention.

Even if the signs and symptoms last only a short while — usually less than an hour but, technically, anything less than 24 hours — and then you feel normal, tell your doctor right away. What you may have experienced is a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary shortage of blood to your brain. A TIA is an important sign that you're at high risk of having a full-blown stroke, so don't ignore it.

When to see a doctor
Talk to your doctor if you have risk factors for carotid artery disease. Your doctor may do some tests to see what shape your arteries are in. Even if you don't have any signs or symptoms, your doctor may recommend aggressive management of your risk factors to protect you from stroke.

Seek emergency care if you experience signs or symptoms of a transient ischemic attack or stroke — such as numbness, slurred speech or loss of vision. Just because they may go away on their own doesn't mean that they can be ignored. Seeing a doctor early increases your chances that carotid artery disease will be detected and treated before a disabling stroke occurs.

Make sure your close friends and family know the signs and symptoms of stroke and understand that it's critical to act fast in the event of a possible stroke.

Causes Definition
References
  1. Lee JT, et al. Peripheral arterial disease. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151488178-7/866918859/1621/197.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50101-1_1467. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  2. Riles TS, et al. Cerebrovascular disease. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151488178-3/866914256/1565/622.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..50068-X--cesec4_3762. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  3. Schwartz JB, et al. Vascular disease. In: Libby P, et al., eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50078-9--cesec28&uniq=151488178&isbn=978-1-4160-4106-1&sid=866915121#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50078-9--cesec95%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4106-1. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  4. Carotid artery disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/catd/catd_whatis.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  5. Carotid artery disease, stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Society for Vascular Surgery. http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Artery_Disease.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  6. Furie KL, et al. Secondary prevention of stroke: Risk factor reduction. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  7. Angioplasty and vascular stenting. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angioplasty. Accessed Aug. 28, 2009.
  8. Questions and answers about carotid endarterectomy. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/carotid_endarterectomy_backgrounder.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
  9. Greelish JP, et al. Carotid angioplasty and stenting. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  10. Greelish JP, et al. Carotid endarterectomy: Preoperative evaluation; surgical technique; and complications. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  11. Sodium. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  12. Stop smoking: Resources and tools for quitting. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038010. Accessed July 23, 2009.
  13. Rundek T, et al. Risk factor management to prevent first stroke. Neurologic Clinics.2008;26:1007.

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Oct. 1, 2009

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