Also called carotid artery disease, carotid stenosis is caused by the accumulation of plaque along the artery walls (atherosclerosis). These deposits are created by fat, cell wastes, cholesterol and other material that cling to the inside surface of the artery.

Certain risk factors increase your chance of developing carotid artery disease:

• An inactive lifestyle
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• A high saturated fat diet
• Hyperlipidemia (high amount of lipids or fats in blood)
• A family history of atherosclerosis
• Older age

Carotid stenosis often does not have any symptoms. But when it does, the signs are associated with either a transient ischemic attack (sometimes called a mini-stroke) or a stroke:

• Blurry vision or vision loss in one or both eyes dizziness
• Confusion
• Weakness or numbness on one side of the face or body
• Slurred speech
• Swallowing difficulties
• Loss of coordination

If you or someone you know are experiencing these stroke symptoms, get emergency medical help right away.

A transient ischemic attack is a temporary (transient) loss of adequate blood flow to an area (ischemic).