What happened to Shonka Dukureh? Meaning of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease explored as cause of death is revealed

Shonka Dukureh, best known for her latest musical drama Elvis, was found dead last month in Nashville. The actress' cause of death has been confirmed following an autopsy.

Earlier this week, the Tennessee Davidson County Medical Examiner's office confirmed to several media outlets that the 44-yeard-old actress and singer died from natural causes due to "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease."

While hypertension is more commonly known as high blood pressure, the latter, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is caused due to the thickening and hardening of the arteries.

There was some speculation surrounding Shonka Dukureh's death as she was found unresponsive in her bedroom by one of her kids. At the time, the cause of death was not confirmed. However, the autopsy has now revealed that Dakureh died of “natural causes.”

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Hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease disease: Does it happen due to high blood pressure?

While it is now clear that Shonka Dukureh passed away due to a heart disorder, netizens are curious to know more about the disease and whether it can have a serious health impact.

Hypertensive heart disease refers to heart conditions caused by high blood pressure. This high pressure can cause heart failure, thickening of the heart muscles, and many other serious conditions. Being a long-term condition, the hypertensive heart is a group of medical problems that can be fatal if not taken care of. Atherosclerosis is generally a build-up of cholesterol plaque in the walls of the arteries that obstructs the flow of blood.

The common causes of this dangerous heart problem are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation, obesity, and smoking. However, this illness doesn’t cause any symptoms until the patient is middle-aged or older than that. However, once the narrowing becomes severe, it can cause immense pain and choke off the flow of blood, which can also rupture the heart and the arteries.

As for the symptoms, a lot of people experience an unusual heartbeat, a pressure kind of feeling in the upper body, chest, arms, and shortness of breath.

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“Big Mama” Shonka Dukureh passed away at the age of 44

The singer and actress, who played the role of Big Mama in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, was 44 when she succumbed to her heart condition. Shonka Dukureh was found dead in the bedroom of her Kothe Way apartment in Nashville on July 21, 2022. She was discovered unresponsive by her son, who then notified the neighbors and ultimately called 911 for help.

However, at the time, the cause of death was not specified as the autopsy report was awaited, but the Nashville Police Department did notify that no foul play was evident. The Metro Nashville Police Department also tweeted about the same, saying:

“BREAKING: No foul play is evident in today's death of actress Shonka Dukureh, 44, who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in this year's Elvis movie. Dukureh, a Fisk Univ graduate, was found dead in the bedroom of her Kothe Way apt that she shared with her 2 young children.”

Although Shonka Dukureh was a celebrated singer, her career as an actor had just begun with Elvis. The actress is survived by two young children who shared the apartment with her.