Stenosing Atherosclerosis Of The Arteries - Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Arterial stenosing atherosclerosis

What is stenosing arterial atherosclerosis?

Stenosing atherosclerosis of the arteries is a pathology of the functioning of blood vessels, in which atherosclerotic plaques form on their inner walls, narrowing the bloodstream. This process does not happen in a short time. Such a disease is the result of prolonged deposition of cholesterol, the formation of calcifications and the proliferation of connective tissue.

The mechanism of occurrence of stenosing atherosclerosis is reduced to the fact that low-density fats accumulate in the blood. Sooner or later, they stick to the smallest irregularities inside the vessels and form plaques. It is the latter that clog the arteries, leaving less and less clearance for blood flow. The result of such a disease is a violation of blood supply, ischemia of tissues and organs.

Content:

• Symptoms of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis
• Causes of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis
• Diagnosis of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis
• Treatment of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis

Symptoms of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis

As mentioned above, stenosing arterial atherosclerosis develops slowly. Symptoms of the disease appear at the same rate.

The first bells look like this:

• Mood swings appear, the general emotional background becomes unstable;
• The degree of concentration of attention decreases, absent-mindedness appears more and more often;
• There are headaches associated with dizziness, up to fainting conditions;
• Forgetfulness arises, mnemonic functions begin to suffer;
• Sleep is disturbed, insomnia appears, or vice versa, constant drowsiness;
• The level of efficiency decreases.

If at least one of the listed symptoms occurs, you should consult a doctor. The initial stage of the disease allows the use of effective treatments.

At later stages, the symptoms of stenosing atherosclerosis of the arteries are even more serious:

• At the first stage, there is a weak reaction of the pupils to a light stimulus, a pathological manifestation of reflexes;
• The second stage is characterized by significant impairment of memory and attention functions. Decreased efficiency and learning ability. At this stage, micro-strokes occur, causing dizziness and fainting. Often such conditions lead to complete or partial paralysis;
• In the third stage of development of stenosing atherosclerosis of the arteries, an irreversible impairment of cognitive processes occurs due to extensive ischemia of the brain regions.

The stage of the disease can only be determined by a specialist, so seeking medical help cannot be postponed!

Causes of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis

There are several causes of arterial stenosing atherosclerosis.

The main factor, and the most common one, is an atherosclerotic process associated with the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. As a result, the lumen of the vessel is narrowed or completely blocked. This results in strokes, blood clots and other serious complications.

The provoking factors for the development of stenosing atherosclerosis of the arteries include:

• Genetic predisposition;
• Hypertension;
• Diabetes;
• Obesity of varying severity;
• The presence of bad habits, especially smoking;
• Gender characteristics (according to statistics, men are 4 times more susceptible to the onset and development of atherosclerosis than women);
• Poor nutrition;
• Stress;
• Leading a sedentary lifestyle.

With rare exceptions, a person is able to eliminate these factors, because disease prevention is the key to a healthy and long life!

Diagnosis of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis

Diagnostic measures can include a number of procedures:

• Collecting anamnesis;
• Discussion of the patient's lifestyle and habits;
• Visual inspection;
• General analysis of blood and urine to identify a possible inflammatory process in the body;
• Biochemical and immunological blood test;
• Lipidogram to determine the level of fat in the body;
• ECG and ultrasound of the heart;
• Doppler ultrasonography of blood vessels;
• MRI;
• Kinetocardiography;
• Angiography to assess blood flow in the vessels;
• Genetic analysis;
• Consultation of specialists, depending on the identified area of atherosclerosis.

Of course, the whole range of diagnostic measures may not be needed. The examination is based on an individual plan and depends on the stage of development of the disease.

Treatment of stenosing arterial atherosclerosis

In the treatment of stenosing atherosclerosis of the arteries, both medication and non-medication are used.

Usually, a doctor prescribes a complex treatment that includes both directions.

Drug-free treatment

Non-drug treatment involves:

• Bringing body weight back to normal;
• Compliance with a diet, including fish, fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet, excluding fatty, salty and spicy foods. The Mediterranean diet is especially recommended, which reduces the risk of complications by 50%;
• Regular moderate physical activity;
• Rejection of bad habits;
• Avoiding stressful situations.

On the subject: 7 folk remedies for atherosclerosis with proven effectiveness

Drug treatment

Drug treatment includes taking such drugs as:

• Statins - reduce the synthesis of cholesterol in the body and increase the rate of excretion of fats and fat-like substances;
• Inhibitors - absorb cholesterol and prevent it from being absorbed into the blood;
• Sequestrants - "capture" cholesterol and remove it from the body;
• Fibrates - reduce the number of cells of fat-like substances and increase the density of lipoproteins, the function of which is to protect the walls of blood vessels from cholesterol;
• Ezetimibe-SZ and Kumaba - inhibits the activity of a specific carrier protein, without which food cholesterol cannot be absorbed;
• Anticoagulants - required to prevent blood clots from forming
• Omega-3.

Read more: Drugs for the treatment of atherosclerosis

Surgery

With complicated forms and in the absence of the effect of drug treatment, surgical intervention is performed:

• Balloon angioplasty, in which a balloon is inserted into the affected vessel and inflated to increase the lumen of the vessel;
• Stenting, when a special frame is inserted into the vessel cavity, which slows down the development of atherosclerosis;
• Bypass surgery to create an alternative blood pathway to the ischemic area of the organ;
• Open surgery, during which the complete removal of the affected area of the vessel is carried out.

Extracorporeal treatments involve changing the composition of the patient's blood using specialized devices outside the human body.

Reasonable approach to lifestyle and timely seeking medical help will help to defeat stenosing arterial atherosclerosis!

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.