Symptoms of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis

His symptoms are due the location of the narrowing of the artery, degree and rate of development of the narrowing. The inner surface of the normal artery is smooth and brilliant, while atherosclerotic plaque on the wall of the artery is issued in its clearance and partially narrows it. The clinical course of the disease depends on the rate of development of atherotromability (artery stenosis by Trombus).

So, if for some time gloss arteries Suceed (stenosis is slow), this leads to a violation of blood circulation. In this zone (at the expense of adaptation mechanisms), another blood flow canal is created, enveling the place of lesion. Such new collateral vessels can compensate for (shunt) blood flow around the affected area, providing blood organs and fabrics. If the speed of atherotromability is high, then collaterals do not have time to form and acute pathology arises (for example, it) even against the background of a small stenosis.

Clinical manifestations Atherosclerosis: Previously, there are hair on the head, signs of premature aging (the patient looks older than his years), xantellasma (yellow lipid stains in the field of eyelids) and xanthoma (subcutaneous yellowish color deposition) in the region of extensitive surfaces of the rear of brushes, achille tendon (it is thickened), elbow I. knee joints, "Senile arc" (grayish ring on the edge of the iris), the symptom of the "worm" (visible under the skin the movement of the sclerized artery in the area of \u200b\u200bthe elbow shift at the time of the systolic current of blood in it), the symptom of Gabriel (abundant hair growth in ear sinks), symptom Franca is a vertical groove on the ear urine (during localization on the right ear, the right coronary artery is affected) and the corresponding clinical symptoms, according to the localization of atherosclerosis.

Often use the term " generalized atherosclerosis"But the damage to the vessels occurs, as a rule, unevenly in humans of different ages In the pathological process, different vessels are involved and the defeat does not have the same degree of severity (from the point of view of the doctor, atherosclerosis - the local disease) in the early stages of atherosclerosis often affects the aorta, in particular the abdominal aorta (this lesion is the most difficult) to identify the aortic damage atherosclerosis serves "first Calling ", indicating that the process will soon affect other departments of the arterial bed.

In addition to the abdominal aorta The most difficult atherosclerosis occurs during the defeat of the aortic arc, the area of \u200b\u200bthe bifurcation of the iliac artery and the zones of dishelling and intercostal arteries usually the lower limbs are amazed atherosclerosis to a greater extent than the top

Frequent clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis - Episodes of Ischemia or OX with an increase in ST or without any (Trombus partially closes the clearance of a coronary artery), stable angina, ischemic stroke (due to the complete closure of the brain artery thrombus), TIA (transient episode of CNS ischemia, lasting less than 24 hours), pathology peripheral arteries lower limbs.

It is cholesterol plaques in vessels most often become causes of diseases of cardio-vascular system. According to statistics, the mortality rate in Russia from these diseases is 800 per 100 thousand people.

  • Factors leading to an increase in the risk of atherosclerosis
  • Changes in plaques occurring over time
  • Clinical manifestations
  • Plaques B. cervical department
  • Diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques
  • Treatment of plaques

The occurrence of plaques is due to sedimentation on the walls of the vessels of low-density lipoprotein complexes containing lipids and cholesterols that they carry. These compounds possess a weighty molecular weight, which contributes to the deposition of them on the walls of the vessels.

Plaques not only overlap clearance, but also have a negative effect on the structure of the vascular wall. In the emerging sediments on the walls there is a growing connective tissue, causing its seal, sclerosis, thereby making the vessel wall of the required elasticity. Calcium deposits lead to a hardened plaque. This causes the deformation of its wall and reduces the lumen of the vessels up to its full overlapping.

Atherosclerotic plaques pose a threat to further life! Their diagnosis and treatment must be timely.

There is still no single hypothesis of atherosclerosis. The most common:

  • Lipoprotein infiltration is the primary accumulation of lipoproteins.
  • Autoimmune - violation in work immune system, resulting in the fact that macrophages and leukocytes attack the cells of their own organism, infiltrating the vessel wall.
  • Viral - primary factor is the virus lesion of the endothelium.

Factors leading to an increase in the risk of atherosclerosis

The most dangerous reason is smoking. The effect of nicotine on the vessels is extremely negative. It causes damage to the wall, the narrowing of the vessels than further provoking the development of plaques. Among other factors should be noted as follows:

  • Hyperlipoproteinemia.
  • Diabetes.
  • Hypertension.
  • Stresses, overvoltage, chronic fatigue.
  • Hydriathine, sitting work.
  • Hereditary factors.

Currently, the risk of developing the disease is estimated on the Score scale, which was developed by European scientists. Each person can learn the size of the risk for himself on the website of the European Cardiology Society.

In addition to provoking atherosclerosis development factors, there is a system of protection against it. It takes part of HDL transporting cholesterol into the liver, thereby providing its metabolism. The cells of the immune system, or rather, the substances they produce are involved in the complex regulation of the process of atherogenesis, i.e. Atherosclerosis development.

Changes in plaques occurring over time

In the later stages of the disease, violations in the coagulation system of blood are noted. The plaque is formed on the site of the lipid stain, and the endothelium damage does not occur. In the course of the development of the disease, endothelius microyers may appear, leading to the activation of platelets and their attachment to the rupture. As a result, thrombus arises. In addition, these blood cells accelerate the development of fibrosis in the vessel affected by atherosclerosis. Most often, such small blood clots are solved independently, without giving any symptoms. In this case, the integrity of the epithelium is restored.

The thrombus formed on the damaged surface of the plaques can be broken and falling with blood flow into other vessels, less caliber, causing severe lesions!

At this time, vessels begin to appear in the ball, the vessels are growing like a tree branch. For a plaque, it does not pass without a trace. First, an additional source of hemorrhage appears, because Such vessels are fragile and easily damaged. Secondly, the big blood flow creates favorable conditions For the influx of white blood cells, leukocytes.

Outdiction in plaques reaches sometimes bone density, due to the fact that calcium is postponed in them, osteocalcin and other proteins are also appear, which are usually contained in bone tissue.

Clinical manifestations

In practice, doctors most often observed the inconsistency of clinical manifestations occurring in the body. For example, symptoms can be pronounced, but the defeat of the vessels is minimal.

Symptomatics corresponds to the defeat of a particular blood basin. Ischemic heart disease develops due to oblusting atherosclerotic plaques of the system of coronary arteries. The strokes or ischemia of brain tissues arise due to the defeat of the cerebral arteries. Thrombosis of the arteries of the limbs are manifested by a mixed chromota.

Most often, the development of plaques has characteristic localization. The favorite place is the bifurcation of the arteries, in these places the blood flow is changing, it becomes uneven, which leads to the development of the plaques.

Plaques in the cervical

Atherosclerotic plaques in the neck vessels - quite frequent phenomenon. The vessels in this department are susceptible to defeat, besides, they are quite thin and experiencing constant pressure from loads

Due to the small caliber of vessels, the symptoms of a person begins to notice much earlier than with atherosclerosis of larger arteries. The walls of the vessels of the cervical and so thin, but at the expense of the processes described above are still stronger.

The main symptomatics in this case is observed from the brain side:

  • Headaches.
  • Dizziness.
  • Sleep disorders, right up to insomnia.
  • Dementia, reduced intellect.
  • The emergence of mental disorders.

Also, when plaques in the cervical department, there is a decline of strength, fatigue, reduction of memory, sensation of gravity in the neck and head.

Diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques

Taking into account the long-term death of the disease, it is extremely difficult to diagnose it in the early stages. With the help of the regular annual survey, it is possible to suspect the presence of damage to the vessels and begin treatment.

In many polyclinics there are many opportunities in order to diagnose the disease. A competent doctor will tell you how to find out the nature of the defeat of the vessels, to identify the cause and appoint the therapy.

The most popular and informative methods for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis are recognized by MRI and ultrasound examination of vessels. Unfortunately, in some cases, even these methods do not have a sufficient range for accurate diagnosis, especially in the initial stages of the disease.

The survey should be complete and taking into account the complaints of the patient!

Appeal to the specialist will help you find ways how to check the vessels for cholesterol plaques in them. In addition to the above tool methods, not forget about biochemical analysis Blood capable of identifying violations of lipid exchange in the earliest stages.

Treatment of plaques

Unfortunately, completely dissolve the plaques in the walls of the vessels is not possible. Especially, this concerns the occasions of the existing plaques. Praying or dissolving such formations is simply impossible. It should be understood that the main goal of treatment is the relief of symptoms and the impact on provoking factors. When trying to remove plaques, various complications may occur, for example, thrombosis.

If the question of whether cholesterol plaques is cleaned, there is a strict answer - no, then the task of searches for other methods of treatment arises. There are several methods.

First, stenting coronary arteries, which is surgical intervention In order to restore the lumen in the clogged artery. The operation is carried out in a special operating room under the control of X-rays. The clearance of the vessel is maintained using a special cylinder introduced into the required vessel. Finding into it, the balloon is expanding, thereby revealing the stent. A certain frame is formed in the vessel. It is worth remembering that currently the stents are covered with special medicinal compositionwhich does not dissolve, but a prophylactic effect on atherosclerotic plaques.

Another method is aorticoronary artery shunting, the purpose of which is set to create a collateral relative to the clouded bed of blood. In other words, another vessel is artificially created bypassing atherosclerosis. The normal blood supply to the organ is thus restored, clinical manifestations are reduced, and the patient feels relief.

The main group of medication prescribed for the treatment of atherosclerosis over the years is statins. They provide improvement in the quality of life of patients, an increase in life expectancy. The most important thing is that they help reduce the level of harmful cholesterol, stabilize the level of total cholesterol, prevent the emergence of new and slow down the growth of existing plaques.

Thus, after the transfer of possible methods of treatment of atherosclerosis, it can be seen that the plaques cannot be dissolved, but nevertheless there is an opportunity to restore normal blood circulation in the affected arterial basins.

Symptoms and treatment of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis in medicine is called a disease in which the systemic damage to the blood vessels (arteries) of large and medium diameter due to deposits on their inner surface of lipids occurs. According to statistics provided by the Institute of Therapy, it is this pathology that causes death in 3% of all cases recorded in the world. At the same time, young people have such a diagnosis posthumously recorded in 2%, in the elderly - in 25%, in people in old age up to 39% of cases.

According to the same statistics, the atherosclerosis of the vessels is the cause of myocardial infarction, strokes, ischemic Disease and other deadly dangerous pathologies of the human cardiovascular system. Over the past decade, this pathology is diagnosed 1.5 times more often, which indicates a rapid deterioration in the state of health of the population of the planet. The age statistics deteriorates - the disease is more often fixed in young people.

What is atherosclerosis - the stages of pathology

Atherosclerosis disease amazes predominantly large main vessels human organism: Sleepy and cerebral artery, renal, hearty and abdominal aortes. There is a change in the disease. exchange processes, in which there is an excessive accumulation of heavy cholesterol and? -lipoproteide against the background of a decrease in the number of phospholipids and proteins. The result of such an imbalance becomes a systematic change in vascular walls passing through several stages. As they occur, the following changes occur:

  1. The stage of lipid (fat) stain, at which swelling appears on the surface of the vascular wall and breaking the epithelium. At this stage, the damage to the vessels is not deadly, moreover, it is practically not amenable to diagnostics, since the deposition of lipids on damage is located on the inner shell of the arteries in the so-called intima. The localization of lipid spots is predominantly in the ramifications of the arteries.
  2. Stage of liposclerosis or the growth of lipomatous plaque due to the active formation in the area of \u200b\u200bconnecting tissue lesion. At this stage, such neoplasms are easy to eliminate, since the preparations for the treatment of atherosclerosis are easily dissolved still soft plaques. On the other hand, it is at this stage of the development of the disease that there is a high probability of a fragment of a fragment with the subsequent blockage of the enlightenment of the arteries. For this stage atherosclerosis, a change in the physical characteristics of the vascular wall is characterized - it becomes less elastic and easily exposed to trauma.
  3. Stage of atherocalcinosis or seal atherosclerotic plaque due to saturation of its calcium salts. At this stage, pathological changes reaches their peak - deposits grow and limit the blood flow due to the deformation of the vascular walls. At this stage, atherosclerosis of the arteries is expressed by the formation of necrosis or gangrene foci on the limbs and organs that feeds the damaged vessel.

In addition to the changes described, the main cause of atherosclerosis can be infected with herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, epithelium cell mutation blood system, hereditary pathologies provoking lipid exchange changes. Despite the initial causes of atherosclerosis, the disease in any case passes all the steps described above.

Risk factors and groups

Experts identify several groups of the population for which atherosclerosis risk factors are most relevant:

  1. By age - faces over 40-50 years.
  2. By gender - men are more susceptible to the disease than women.
  3. Heredity - the risk of atherosclerosis is higher in those whose relatives have such a diagnosis.

Listed factors are insurmountable and cannot be changed by a person. In medicine, it is given the definition of "unreasted."

The second group of factors provoking the occurrence of atherosclerosis is called potentially eliminated. These include systemic pathologies, resulting in changing the functions of the cardiovascular system. Their negative impact can be avoided if the patient will receive drugs recommended by the doctor.

Conditionally eliminable factors include:

  1. Arterial hypertension.
  2. Dyslipidemia or increasing blood cholesterol.
  3. Incicacy of infectious agents.
  4. Diabetes.
  5. Obesity.

The disposable factors of atherosclerosis are predominantly not healthy image Life and bad habits: smoking, alcoholism, hypodynamine and unbalanced nutrition. They provoke the occurrence of diseases that, in the absence of therapy, are complicated by atherosclerosis. Such factors significantly accelerate the progress of the disease and increase the risk of death from atherosclerosis.

Symptoms of the disease

The clinical signs of atherosclerosis appear only with the active progression of the disease, when the clearance of the blood vessel is narrowed by 50 or more percent. In general, symptoms depends on which vessels were subjected to pathological changes.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis aorta

In the event that the pathological process occurs in the aortic arc and its branches, symptomatic hypertension occurs in patients. This type of atherosclerosis is accompanied by the syndrome of insufficient blood circulation of the brain and the upper shoulder belt. The disease is accompanied by the following symptoms and clinical manifestations:

  • an increase in systole indicators against the background of normal or reduced distolis indicators;
  • headaches and dizziness;
  • fainted states;
  • paresthesia and a sense of weakness in the hands

If the processes hitting the vessels began in the abdominal aorta, the main symptoms of atherosclerosis consist in the weakening of blood ripples in the femoral and popliteal arteries, violating the work of some internal organs (More detailed symptoms will be considered further).

Since treated atherosclerosis, with similar phenomena, it is not immediately not immediately, the disease may be complicated by aneurysm of various sections of aorta. At the same time, the following symptoms arise:

  • with the defeat of the ascending part of the aorta - long-lasting or squeezing chest pains, arising and fading gradually;
  • when defeating the aortic arc - hoarseness, breathing difficulties, larynx displacement;
  • with the defeat of the descending area of \u200b\u200bthe aorta - pain in the chest and back, the feeling of squeezing the esophagus.

The latalization of the aorta is accompanied by intense pain in the chest, in the opposite region. The patient has suffered from lack of air and severe weakness due to critical reduction arterial pressure.

The latalization of the aorta is considered deadly phenomenon. It is less than 50% survival with it, and only under the condition for the timely provided medical care.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of mesenterial vessels

With the damage to the mesenterical vessels, it is important to recognize the typical signs of pathology on time, as this type of atherosclerosis is manifested clinically similar to exacerbation. peptic disease. Objectively, the patient can be observed:

  • bloating;
  • lack or significant weakening of the peristaltics;
  • soreness when trying to palpate the upper part of the abdomen;
  • minor tension abdominal wall.

The main symptoms of the atherosclerosis of the abdominal vessels consist in pain arising after meals. Differential pathology can be different from the lack of effect from taking drugs intended for normalizing digestion. In this case, the reception of nitroglycerin quickly stops the attack.

With untimely therapy, atherosclerosis of this species ends suddenly arising from thrombosis, which is accompanied by wandering or localized pain in the stomach, stool delay, vomiting with an admixture of bile and blood. The incorrect diagnosis and late treatment can lead to intestinal gangrene.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of the renal arteries

Under damage to the renal artery, the disease is accompanied by a steady increase in blood pressure. The clinical course of atherosclerosis is smooth, without sharp exacerbations. In the event of thrombosis of the renal vein of the patient, pains in the lower back and abdomen may be disturbed, signs of dyspepsia.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of foot vessels

Atherosclerotic changes of the lower extremities are manifested by the mixing chromotype syndrome, paresthesia and a feeling of cold in the limb. With an external examination of the legs, the following features of the disease can be revealed:

  • weakening pulsation;
  • trophic ulcers on the fingers, the legs or heel;
  • pale of skin;
  • thinning and dry skin.

The veins thrombosis arising against the background of atherosclerotic changes leads to increased soreness and the appearance of highly enlarged veins on the legs.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of brain vessels

With such a disease, like atherosclerosis, the classification involves the defeat of cerebral vessels. This type of disease is expressed by significant deterioration in the functioning of the central nervous systemWhat is expressed:

  • reduced performance;
  • worsening attention and memory;
  • reduced intelligence;
  • sleep violation;
  • dizziness.

Also patient can disturb headaches. There are significant changes in mental state. This subspecies of atherosclerosis is dangerous in such a complication as a stroke.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of coronary arteries

With damage to the coronary arteries, the patient complains of pain behind the sternum, a feeling of weakness and fatigue. During the exacerbation of the disease, there is a sense of numbness in the left hand, shortness of breath. The attacks are accompanied by fear of death, turbidity or complete loss of consciousness. The danger of this type of pathology consists in a high risk of fatal outcome due to myocardial infarction.

Diagnosis of atherosclerosis of vessels

When contacting the clinic, the attending physician collects history and finds out the patient's complaints, on the basis of which it is already possible to make an initial picture of the disease. To clarify the diagnosis, the following types of diagnostics are applied:

  • auscultation of coronary vessels;
  • blood measurement;
  • laboratory blood tests;
  • aortography and coronary artwork;
  • angiography;
  • UPRD and ultrasound.

Additionally, consultation of a cardiologist, a neuropathologist or psychiatrist may be required.

Methods of disease treatment

The main treatment of atherosclerosis of blood vessels is to receive medicines and changing the lifestyle of the patient. First of all, the patient is prescribed a complex of drugs, the action of which is aimed at reducing cholesterol in the blood and a decrease in the hypoxia of tissues (especially with the damage to coronary and cerebral vessels). At the same time apply:

  • nicotinic acid preparations in the form of tablets and injections;
  • sequesters of bile acids;
  • statins;
  • fibrats.

The listed groups of preparations from atherosclerosis are prescribed in accordance with the presence of indications and contraindications, and the dosage is calculated individually.

Improve the patient's condition can also a strict diet that implies a decrease in the number of animal fats. Power must comply with the principles of therapeutic table No. 10c. With the uncomplicated course of the disease, diet No. 5 is used.

With a high probability of occlusion of affected vessels, surgical treatment is shown in patients:

  • endarterctomy - open surgical intervention;
  • endovascular therapy - minimally invasive operations on arteries.

During these procedures, installation of stents or dilatation of artery with the use of balloon catheters occurs. During the damage to coronary vessels, an aortocortonary shunting is carried out.

Prevention measures

Atherosclerosis is extremely rarely diagnosed in people whose history is not aggravated by the diseases associated with the metabolism. Nevertheless, even they enter the risk group, as it is possible to prevent atherosclerosis only when the norms of a healthy lifestyle are observed. It is possible to significantly reduce the risk of the occurrence of this ailment by refusing to harmful habits, normalization of nutrition and an increase in physical activity. If there is a progressive atherosclerosis, it is recommended to strictly comply with the recommendations of the doctor regarding the admission medicines.

Intereasoning atherosclerosis: symptoms, causes, types and treatment

  1. Types of disease
  2. Causes of non-defensive atherosclerosis
  3. Symptomatics
  4. Treatment
  5. What doctor to contact?

Necto-separating atherosclerosis is a state at which plaques overlap the clearance of the vessel no more than 50%. The disease is not independent, but is only the stage of development of atherosclerosis. Almost every person aged after 50 faces this pathology.

The danger of a non-defensive atherosclerosis is that in the early stages of development it is very difficult to diagnose, but over time it can lead to complications that will affect various human bodies.

Types of disease

Necto-separating sclerosis can affect any major arteries. The clinical picture depends on the localization and stage of the disease. Several major types of disease can be distinguished, which have the most bright and clear picture, while each of them has their own nuances and features.

Non-defensive atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries

Blengths in the brain enters three basic ways: through a carotid artery, through the left connective artery and through the brachiocephalus trunk. They are responsible for the delivery of blood, and with it nutrients and minerals that are necessary for the body for normal life.

In the case of the blockage of the brachiocephalous artery, cholesterol plaques may occur various pathological processes, and sometimes the death of a person.

Brachiocephalic artery is a great branch of the heart aorta, thanks to which the blood is exactly and continuously enters the brain departments. Medicine uses the term "Willisyevo Ring", which is called this circle of blood circulation.

Violation of work in one part of this circle leads to an increase in the load of other blood vessels, which are beginning to be responsible for the delivery of blood into the necessary organs. Thus, blood vessels are faster and increased risk of stroke.

Brachiocephalic artery is very subject to cholesterol formation, which are located inside Wassel walls. The resulting tubercles interfere with blood movement, slow down or stop it at all.

At the wound stage of the disease, the patient may not be suspected of anything, but the further development of the disease can provoke the occurrence of encephalopathy or stroke.

Symptoms:

  1. Dizziness;
  2. The appearance of noise in the ears;
  3. Weakness of the whole organism. Sometimes the lower limbs are neme;

Non-defensive atherosclerosis aorta

Most often, non-defensive atherosclerosis affects only certain sections of aorta, for example, located in the abdominal or thoracic department. But sometimes, cholesterol plaques cover almost every centimeter aorta.

The disease does not have a bright manifestation, the main signs of the disease can be attributed to:

  • Pain in the field of chest and abdominal cavity;
  • During auscultation, we can mark rough noises in Aorta;
  • Headache, witness voice, cough;
  • Increase systolic pressure.

Non-defensive atherosclerosis of the bottom limb arteries

Necto-separating sclerosis provoke painfulness In the field of hips, butorous muscles and sometimes lower back. But the main sign of the disease is pain in the calf muscles, which is enhanced during physical activity.

At the initial stages, the neast-separating atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower extremities can flow absolutely asymptomatic. Due to circulatory disorders, ischemia occurs, which manifests itself in the cooling of the skin in the field of legs and the change in its color.

With the progression of the disease, blood in the lower departments goes less, as a result, fabric nutrition does not occur, non-heaven wounds arise, developing to gangrene.

4 stages of the development of the disease are distinguished:

Causes of non-defensive atherosclerosis

Factors leading to atherosclerous changes in vessels:

  • Violations of lipid exchanges - occurs when failures occur during the synthesis-disposal synthesis. Cholesterol accumulates and plaques are formed. Most often, this occurs when eating a large number of harmful products and in some somatic diseases.
  • Genetic predisposition to the disease - if someone from the nearest relatives suffers from atherosclerosis, the risk of developing the disease increases many times.
  • Reducing the elasticity of vascular walls - plaques can not entrenched on a flat and smooth surface. The reason for this state is smoking, diabetes, uncontrolled consumption hormonal drugs, sitting work and a sedentary lifestyle.

Symptomatics

Non-defensive atherosclerosis, as a rule, passes asymptomatic, however, specific clinical signs may appear in the launched cases.

At the initial stages of the disease, a person does not suspect the developing inside the pathology. Externally, the disease can manifest itself with increased excitability, nervousness, irritability, headaches, ears noise. The patient at this stage is rarely drawn to the data of the manifestation and the disease continues to progress.

At the stage of clinical manifestations, the disease can be divided into 3 phases: sclerotic, ischemic and thrombonecrotic.

To make a diagnosis of "Necto-separating atherosclerosis" requires a number of procedures:


Treatment

If, according to the result of all diagnostic measures, the diagnosis of "non-defensive atherosclerosis" was diagnosed, then you should not fall in spirit and despair. The modern level of medicine allows a person to conduct a full-fledged lifestyle practically without any restrictions.

Physician can be appointed some medication drugsAmong which antiagregants and anticoagulants are.

Depending on the stage and type of disease, the following means are used:

All drugs should be used only after a full-time consultation of the doctor and carrying out all the necessary diagnostic procedures.

The main role in the treatment is played by the person itself, because the success of therapy depends on his actions. His shoulders lay prophylactic activities that play almost a major role in treatment. Be sure to fulfill the following recommendations:

What doctor to contact?

Almost any doctor can identify atherosclerosis can identify, but it is better to conduct treatment under the control of an experimental cardiologist. He will hold a number of diagnostic procedures, will identify the stage of the disease, prescribed the necessary medications And tell about the rules that need to be observed that the disease does not develop.

For greater efficiency, you can visit a nutritionist who can draw up a nutrition program based on the personal characteristics of a person.

Intelligent atherosclerosis is an unpleasant disease, but it can be defeated if it is strictly observed by the doctor's recommendations and lead a healthy lifestyle.

The symptoms of atherosclerosis appear at the sufficiently late stages of the disease, they depend on the preferential localization of the pathological process, the speed of its progress, as well as the presence of factors that may be burdened clinical current. This, in particular, includes arterial hypertension and an increase in blood clotting.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of the chest and abdominal aorta

There are damage to the chest and abdominal part of the aorta, the symptoms in these diseases will differ significantly.

Thus, with damage to the thoracic part of the aorta, the main clinical symptom of the disease is a gulling or, more often, a baking pain behind the sternum. As a rule, pain reflects in hand and back. At the later stages, when atherosclerotic plaques in vessels become larger, they can slightly deform the aorta, due to which the esophageal is surrounded, which in the clinic may manifest itself in violation of swallowing (symptom of dysphagia). Also a rather characteristic manifestation of the disease under the damage to the chest aorta is the loss of consciousness, which is due to the impairment of hemodynamics in this large vessel and a sharp decrease in blood flow to the brain.

With the defeat of the abdominal part of the aorta, abdominal pain is observed, which may be accompanied by a bloating of the abdomen and other signs of the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. In this regard, it is necessary to differentiate the defeat of the digestive organs and the abdominal part of the aorta in the elderly. To defeat the abdominal aorta, it is characteristic that the pain is expressed quite strongly, while other symptoms of the defeat of the digestive organs are practically absent.

Signs of intestinal vessels

Atherosclerosis of the mesenterical arteries is manifested by such symptoms as pain in the upper half of the abdomen, which, as a rule, occurs when eating and can last up to 3 hours, sometimes pain is short-term and removed by the reception of nitroglycerin tablets. At the same time, the symptoms from the abdomen are characterized by blinking, belching, constipation, with a slight tension of the muscles of the front abdominal wall. But the intensity of pain is large enough, while signs from digestive tract Can be expressed quite weak.

Often, the elderly people in the stomach are chronic, with dyspeptic syndrome as such is not observed. In this case, the treatment of pancreatitis. Gastritis, colitis or any other pathology, which is assumed in a patient, does not result. Whereas the reception of vasodilators makes it possible to eliminate the manifestations of the disease. This is due to ischemia organs and its elimination against the background of taking nitrates or other vasodilators.

Atherosclerosis of the arteries of the kidneys, heart and brain

The damage to the renal arteries is manifested mainly by symptomatic arterial hypertension. In this case, chronic ischemia is observed renal fabricIt leads to activation of the renin-angiotensin system due to an increase in the production of a vasoconstrictor (angiotensin 2). However, the disease begins in old age, a full-fledged examination is rarely carried out, and the reason for the stenosis of the renal arteries is rarely detected, therefore, even if there is a pronounced atherosclerosis, the symptomatic nature of hypertension is rarely established. A hypertensive disease is more often diagnosed.

The main sign of atherosclerosis of the coronary artery is ischemic heart disease. Moreover, the CHD can manifest itself in a variety of forms, ranging from atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis as a consequence of chronic ischemia and acute coronary events, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction. The development of the clinic depends on the degree of stenosis, as well as the stability of the plaques. It is believed that the cause of the development of acute events is precisely the instability of an intravascular plaque, whereas if it is stable, even the narrowing of the lumen does not lead to the development of a heart attack.

The damage to atherosclerosis of the brain vessels is manifested in the form of a discirculatory encephalopathy or an acute violation of the cerebral circulation. Often, the presence of plaques in carotid arteries or their branches can cause and develop symptomatic arterial hypertension due to brain ischemia and violation of the level of blood pressure from the nervous system.

Clinic atherosclerosis of the vascular of the lower extremities

Atherosclerosis of the vascular of the lower extremities is particularly often observed in men with great experience of smoking. The main signs of the disease are pain in the legs, which occurs when walking into a small distance, the puppiness and numbness of the legs arising from a small exercise.

Later there are such signs as pale limbs, trophic disorders and a sharp weakening or a complete absence of a pulse on the arteries of the lower extremities (poning, the artery of the foot of the foot). Ultimately, irrruptible atherosclerosis, which is particularly often observed against the background of diabetes mellitus, can cause necrosis - gangrenes of the lower limb, the only treatment option for the limb amputation.

Symptoms and signs of atherosclerosis

Symptoms of atherosclerosis are characterized by a variety, their specificity depends on the localization of vessels affected by atherosclerotic plaques. During the development of the disease, they allocate asymptomatic and clinically pronounced periods. For a period of asymptomatic flow, a significant level of lipoprotein and / or cholesterol with non-disciphetic (absent) symptoms of the disease. Usually clinical manifestations are noted with a narrowing of the vacuum of the vessel more than half.

The focus should be paid to the symptoms specific for each localization, because the causes of the occurrence of atherosclerosis are the same.

Features of atherosclerosis of the heart and its vessels

The symptoms of the atherosclerosis of the heart are manifested by the type of coronary heart disease and angina, according to the degree of damage to the blood vessels, which provide myocardium oxygen and the necessary useful substances.

The blood supply of the heart muscle occurs with the help of coronary arteries. The damage to the atherosclerotic process with the formation of plaques leads to the IBS. In the stage of ischemia, the disease occurs in the form of angina. In the case of further progression of the disease, the thrombonecrotic stage occurs: on the site of the damaged endothelium there is a tomb laying, violation of vessels and a heart attack occurs. The following stage is fibrinic, is characterized by the formation of connective tissue in the zone of insufficient blood supply - cardiosclerosis.

The symptoms of the atherosclerosis of the blood vessels are identical to the manifestations of the CHA. At the stage of the occurrence of angina patient, the patient feels a burning or gouring pain Behind the sternum, which can spread to the left blade, give in hand or lower jaw. Often, pain attack is accompanied by fear of death, there is a frequent heartbeat increased sweating, high pressure and pallor.

To reduce pain, the patient freezes, breathes superficially and limits movements chest hand. A number of patients have a cough, a shortage of air (suffocity), weakness, nausea and vomiting are not excluded. The attack is removed by taking nitroglycerin tablets. When developing myocardial infarction, intensity breast pain And the duration of the attack increases, nitroglycerin loses the ability to help the patient and its application becomes ineffective - immediate hospitalization is required. In the formation of cardiosclerosis, there are characteristic manifestations and swelling, restriction of physical activity.

It should be noted that atherosclerosis symptoms and treatment are directly dependent. A detailed study and a questioning of the patient contributes to the formulation of an accurate diagnosis and purpose of correct therapy.

Features of the defeat of sleepy and cerebral arteries

Symptoms atherosclerosis sleepy arteries Manifest in later stages of damage to vessels. Features of atherosclerotic lesion are periodic ischemic attacks, the appearance of which indicates an insufficient supply of the brain with oxygen. The manifestations of ischemic attack include:

  • feeling of weakness and stupor;
  • sensitivity disorders, itching or tingling in the lower or upper limb, in some cases in half the patient's body;
  • motor function disorder and control over a specific limb;
  • vision impairment up to his loss (blindness) on one eye;
  • it becomes insensitive,
  • possible seizures of epilepsy.

The duration of such an attack may vary from an hour or several hours before the day, and independently passes. It is necessary to refer to the doctor without delay and do not wait for the next attack. Its appearance should be considered as a late sign of atherosclerosis and a harbinger of stroke. In the case of the duration of neurological manifestations of more than a day, the patient's states should be assessed as a stroke.

Brainal impairment or dysfunction of a certain section of the brain occurs when the corresponding brain vessels are damaged and the symptoms of cerebral atherosclerosis appear. The most characteristic I. frequent signs Serve:

  • frequent pain in the head and depressive states,
  • mental disorders
  • violation of attention and memory processes,
  • coordination problems and weakness in lower limbs,
  • sleep disorders and emotional instability (high stress susceptibility, plasticity),
  • acuity of hearing and vision is violated
  • there is a pathological response of a patient for sound and visual signals, taste qualities changed,
  • increased sweating and redness of the face.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of the brain, as in the case of atherosclerotic damage to sleepy arteries, can be detected by the type of acute attack of brain ischemia. They usually last no more than a day and manifest themselves with paresis and impaired sensitivity of the extremities, blindness, deafness, speech disorders, epilepsy seizures. It occurs with a different frequency - from several attacks per day to 1 time per year, disappear without therapy.

From the side of the highest nervous system, there is a violation of intellectual processes and a reduction in mental abilities. Character changes are often observed, the patient becomes a capricious, touching, picky, flows into the state of depression.

In the absence of treatment, the symptoms of atherosclerosis of the brain vessels are progressing with the development of senile dementia. This state refers to irreversible processes. Over time, the burden of lesion increases and decreases higher Functions brain.

No less serious symptom of atherosclerosis of the brain vessels in the later stages is a stroke. The violation of the blood supply to a certain section of the brain leads to the death of its tissues, by analogy of the heart attack of the heart muscle, is characterized by high disabilities and mortality.

Atherosclerotic damage to the aorta and its departments

The symptoms of atherosclerosis aorta indicate the most frequent and characteristic place of "habitat" atherosclerosis. He can hit a completely aorta all over or some of her sites. Specificity of signs is determined by localization and degree of damage.

Atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta can not manifest much. It is often often observed the development of atherosclerosis of the chest aorta with a parallel lesion of coronary and brain vessels. The characteristic symptoms include the presence of burning pain in the chest area and dizziness, it is observed difficulty in the process of swallowing and an increase in systolic pressure. Also marked early gray, in the zone of the sinks enhanced hair growth, the appearance of wen on the face, the light strip along the outer edge of the iris.

Atherosclerotic lesion abdominal department Aorts as well for a long time It remains unnoticed. Abdominal ischemic pain is coming to the forefront of all signs of atherosclerosis, the cause of which is the violation of the blood supply to the abdominal organs. The pain is characterized as an attacking, noving and not too intense, without a clear localization, arises after eating and passes on its own after a few hours. Disorders of digestion are noted in the form of bloating, diarrhea or constipation, lack of appetite and, accordingly, weight loss. The damage to the renal arteries leads to hypertension and the emergence of renal failure.

The heavy consequences of atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta include thrombosis of visceral arteries. The absence of blood supply to the intestinal loops and peritoneum, as well as other abdomen organs, is manifested by significant pain, which are enhanced with time and are not removed by the reception of medicines. The patient's condition deteriorates due to the intake of intestines, peritoneum and other affected organs, the development of peritonitis. The patient must urgently hospitalize and operate, to save the intestine and life.

Atherosclerosis peripheral vessels

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of the vascular of the lower extremities at an early stage of the disease are not manifested until the moment of a significant violation of blood circulation. Signs and symptoms of atherosclerosis include pain in the process of moves and interspersed chromotype - the patient stops when walking, to reduce the intensity of pain. An informative diagnostic sign of atherosclerosis of the lower limbs is the absence of a pulse on their arteries.

The lack of blood supply to the legs causes pain in physical exertion, the pallor and thinning of the skin of the lower extremities, the nails are deformed and become fragile, the muscles are atrophy, the trophic ulcers are formed with the risk of gangrene.

4 stages of arterial failure of the legs are isolated. In the I stage, discomfort and pain occur with significant physical exertion - hiking at a distance of more than 1 km. In stage II, overcoming 200 m causes pain. Restriction by pain symptoms of patient movement up to 25 m and even in the state of rest is characteristic of stage III. On the the last stageIn addition to limited movement, there is a serious trophic violation in the form of an ulcers or the appearance of gangremen on the legs. Damage to the iliac artery and the lower part of the abdominal aorta thrombosis leads to Lerish syndrome - disorder of blood supply to feet and organs of a small pelvis. Atherosclerosis symptoms, in addition to the above, impotence belongs to men.

Thus, learning the signs and symptoms of atherosclerosis, their multifaceted and possible risks And the consequences, if suspected the presence of the disease, you should consult a doctor to eliminate the cause of atherosclerosis, diagnosis and necessary treatment.

Video about how to determine atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a very widespread chronic disease, in which the lesion of large blood vessels is developing - arteries of elastic and muscular-elastic type. On their walls in the form of plaque or plaques, lipoproteins and cholesterol are postponed; The walls themselves lose elasticity. These pathological changes are caused by the narrowing of the enlightenment of the arteries, which leads to a violation of the blood supply to organs and tissues.

Most often, this pathology of vessels is diagnosed in patients of middle and elderly. In men, over 35-40 years old, this disease occurs is somewhat more common than women. Atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels is one of the most important causes of the development of ischemic heart disease.

Etiology and pathogenesis atherosclerosis

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The main cause of the atherosclerosis of the vessels is the violation of the metabolism of fats and proteins, which leads to the formation of characteristic atheromatous plaques.

The predisposing factors include:

  • frequent psycho-emotional;
  • hereditary (family) predisposition;
  • hypothyroidism (decrease in the production of thyroid hormones);
  • gout;
  • hyperlipoproteinemia (high content in the blood of lipoproteins of low and very low density);
  • high blood cholesterol;
  • hypodynamine (low-wear lifestyle);
  • smoking;
  • abuse of alcoholic beverages.

Note: not proper nutritionIn which a large amount of animal fats and cholesterol comes into the body, it may contribute to the development of the atherosclerosis of the vessels, but the main cause of the disease is not. High density lipoproteins do not provoke the development of atherosclerosis.

At the early stage of atherosclerosis on the intima arteries, stains appear due to the deposition of lipoproteins of low and very low density. Their accumulation is due to conjugation (binding) with the proteoglycanov compounds contained in the intercellular substance. If lipid compounds arrive faster than displayed with macrophages, a plaque is formed.

In atherosclerotic plaques, as the pathology progresses, connective tissue grows, and the walls of the arteries lose elasticity. The result becomes a significant narrowing of the lumen of the vessels (until complete blockage).

Gradually, the plaque becomes less durable, and a vessel is gradually formed on the intima (inner shell), consisting of platelet cells and plasma proteins. At the same time, the clearance of the vessel is further reduced and the risk of fragment of the thromba fragment appears, which, with a blood current, migrates and can completely clog a relatively small vessel. As a result, the flow of blood to the tissue site is completely blocked and focal necrosis develops.

Important: In thrombosis of the vessels that feed on the heart muscle develops a myocardial infarction, and the complication of atherosclerosis of the brain vessels often leads to ischemic stroke.

Pathology develops gradually and can not manifest much for a long time. As a rule, the first signs of violation of the blood supply to one or another organ appear with a very significant narrowing of the lumen of the vessels (on ¾ or more).

Note: The risk of atherosclerosis in women significantly increases during menopause.

Symptoms atherosclerosis

Clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis depend on the localization of the pathological process. In some cases, significant atherosclerotic changes are detected only in the pathological studies. The manifestation of the clinic characteristic of oxygen fasting (ischemia) organs and tissues against the background of a relatively small obturation of the arteries is possible.

Atherosclerosis of the aorta (brain branches) can manifest symptomatic characteristic of the transient brain ischemia. The patient may make complaints about frequent dizziness, and the loss of consciousness (fainting), the fuzziness of speech, violation of the coordination of movements and other signs of transient violations of cerebral blood flow. The frequent outcome of the atherosclerosis of the brain is strokes.

The first signs of atherosclerosis of the chest aorta include burning and pain in the chest area. Early aging and the emergence of seeds, active hair growth in ear shells and "wen" on the skin of the face can also be indirectly evidence of this pathology.

If the arterial branches are affected, according to which the blood enters the lower parts of the digestive tract, necrosis (samples) of the intestinal wall is possible. Also, at thrombosis of mesenteric vessels, t. N. "Abdominal toad", which is manifested by a bloating and colic after meals.

The defeat of the kidney vessels becomes the cause of the resistant (an increase in blood pressure, practically uncommon's therapy) and.

For atherosclerosis of the lower extremities, such a symptom as intermitted chromoty is very characteristic. It is due to the intensive painful syndrome in the field of the heads during walking.

Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the man's reproductive system leads to a violation of the erection.

Diagnosis of atherosclerosis

Frequently, doctors have to deal with already quite serious atherosclerotic changes in vessels, because in the early stages the disease can not manifest much.

Modern techniques allow to reveal atherosclerosis in the early stages, which makes it possible to prevent serious and even threatening life complications.

Diagnostics includes the collection of anamnesis, the general inspection of the patient, auscultation (allows you to identify characteristic systolic noises) and palpation of affordable arteries. If there is reason to assume the damage to the arteries of the legs, it is necessary to determine that. "Capillary Answer."

It gives the opportunity to reveal the level of LDL and plasma cholesterol. The presence or absence of pathological changes in the heart and abdominal organs allows you to judge an ultrasound study.

The most informative diagnostic method is ultrasonic Doppler vessels. This study It makes it possible to objectively assess the dimensions of atheromatous plaques, as well as the degree of blood flow in the stenosis area (narrowing) of the arteries branch.

With the help of bulk sphygmography, it is possible to estimate the degree of stiffness of vascular walls.

To diagnose the state of the corner (feeding myocardium) vessels, such a kind is widely applied. x-ray researchlike coronography. Snapshots allow you to clearly define the localization of plaques.

Treatment of atherosclerosis of vessels

For the treatment of atherosclerosis, various conservative (drug) and radical treatments are applied.

Conservative therapy

The treatment of atherosclerosis aorta must be comprehensive. This species of pathology is often complicated by the thrombosis of the arteries of the abdominal cavity, hypertension and aneurysm of the aorta. Great importance is the right nutrition; To improve digestion, the reception of the pancreas enzymes (Festal, Enzystal, Pancreatin) is shown. Patients are often prescribed such drugs as nitroglycerin and papaverine.

When the first signs of damage to the vessels appear, it is recommended to immediately visit the Vascular Surgeon. The treatment of atherosclerosis of the lower extremities involves physiotherapeutic treatment, as well as coursework infusion therapy. Patients need to abandon smoking. It is advisable to apply biodenders that contribute to the purification of vessels (chitosan, biocallation, etc.).

The treatment of atherosclerosis of the brain is aimed at eliminating factors that contribute to the emergence and progression of pathology. Patients show regular walks and consumption of oxygen cocktails to combat hypoxia.

In the absence of contraindications, optimal physical exertion is recommended - sports walking, running and yoga and swimming. From the diet, it is advisable to completely eliminate animal products containing t. N. "Tug smelting" fats. It is advisable to consume more vegetable fiber. If hypertensive disease is diagnosed, the prescribed medications should be regularly and ensured that the blood pressure indicators are not exceeded 140/90 mm. RT. Art. (if possible).

About 80% of cholesterol is formed in the liver, and only a relatively small volume of its volume comes with an exogenous way (with animal products). To block the biosynthesis of this compound, preparations from the statin group (synthetic or based on natural components) are widely used.

Patients with atherosclerosis are also prescribed sequesters of fatty acids, drugs for nicotinic acid (vitamin PR) and fibrats (athromide, hevlen, etc.).

Nicotinic acid allows you to reduce the level of cholesterol and LDL plasma. Parallel vitamin PP increases the concentration of high density liproteins, which are a factor that reduces the likelihood of the development of atherosclerosis of vessels. Fibrats slow down the biosynthesis of lipid compounds. The sequesters of bile acids contribute to the binding and the speedy excretion of these atherogenic compounds.

Radical treatment methods

Most small-acting, and, at the same time, a very effective method surgical treatment Atherosclerosis of vessels is so-called. Balloon angioplasty. The expansion of the enlightenment of the artery is achieved by introducing a special expanding cylinder into the vessel.

The stenting method involves the installation of a special metal tab (stent), which provides constant dilatation (expanding the lumen).

The presence of a significant lesion may require surgical removal of plaques, replacing the affected vessel portion by autotransplantation or shunting - the creation of new "bypass" paths for blood flow.

Non-media treatment

Non-drug treatment and prevention methods include diet compliance, conducting an active lifestyle and a complete refusal of bad habits. Patients are recommended whenever possible to avoid neuro-emotional overloads and stress.

Special anti-seaterosclerotic diet involves consumption vegetable oils (olive and rape) and a large number of vegetables and fruits, as well as a refusal of bakery products from wheat flour of higher grades (replaced by freezing bread). Meat is advisable to replace fish and other seafood.

Folk remedies for the treatment of atherosclerosis

At the initial stages of the disease, phytopreparations are very effective - fees of medicinal herbs.

Recipes:

  1. Take equal amounts of dried leishes and nettle leaves, leaves and roots of forest and dandelion roots. A tablespoon of collection to pour a glass of boiling water and let it stand for 1 hour. Ready to drink with infusion during the day 1/3 cup before meal.

Afer Dima.

Atherosclerosis has long been called the "Beach of the XXI century". Newspapers, television, doctors of classical and traditional medicine do not get tired of talking about the danger that is taught by this disease. However, despite all these efforts, more than 17 million in the world in the world continue to die from heart disease and vessels. Of these, 13.2% of deaths occur due to the fault of the ischemic heart disease, and 11.9% - due to stroke. According to scientists forecasts, by 2030, 23 million people will die from them every year. To understand the globality of these figures, it suffices to say that the population of Moscow is 12 million. However, the most terrible is the fact that 80% of deaths could be prevented by timely prevention and properly selected methods treatment of atherosclerosis.

Invisible killer

Atherosclerosis is a pathological process that affects the walls of the arteries and lies in the accumulation of lipids in it, the expanding of the connective tissue and the formation of the plaque overlapping the clearance of the vessel. What is surprising, atherosclerotic plaques never arise in the veins.

Atherosclerosis of the vessels is not highlighted by doctors into a separate disease. The diagnosis is made by the circulatory disorders caused by them in various organs, for example, angina, ischemic stroke, brain ischemia.

Cunning atherosclerosis - in its invisible progression. Changes in the vascular wall occur gradually, and only if the absurrence of the vessel overlaps atherosclerotic plaque, characteristic clinical manifestations arise.

The mechanism of development of atherosclerotic plaque

The main participants in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques are the wall of the vessel and blood lipids. The wall of the healthy artery consists of 3 layers: the inner - endothelium; medium - smooth muscle fibers; Outdoor - Adventization (connected wrapper). In the formation of atherosclerotic plaques play the role of endothelium and muscular layer.

Cholesterol and triglycerides (the result of digesting fat received from food) is transferred blood not in free form, but the form of protein complexes that are called lipoproteins. There are various fractions of liproteins.

High density lipoproteins (HDL) have the most small sizeTherefore, it can easily penetrate and also easily leave the vascular wall, so they do not participate in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The dimensions of low-density lipoprotein molecules (LDL) and very low density (LPONP) slightly larger than HDL, so although they can penetrate the artery wall, but not enough to leave it. They are involved in the development of atherosclerosis.

There is a direct relationship between the content of individual fractions of lipoproteins and the risk of development, for example, ischemic heart disease (coronary atherosclerosis). The higher the level of the LDL, the higher the risk of getting sick, the higher the concentration of HDL, the less likely to develop atherosclerosis.

A detailed mechanism for the formation of plaques from the point of view of pathophysiology can be found in the topic "Atherosclerosis" in Wikipedia. Simplified pathogenesis of atherosclerosis looks like this.

In the norm of the endothelium artery is absolutely smooth, homogeneous throughout, its cells are located a dense layer, thereby preventing the penetration of blood components into the wall of the vessel. However, under the influence of damaging factors, endothelial cells lose their impexability and LDL begin to penetrate the endothelium, gradually accumulating in it. In the future, there is a growing medium shell Arteries, muscle cells begin to migrate in endothelium. Pretty complex changes, they begin to synthesize the connective tissue fibers, which become the basis of atherosclerotic plaques. Over time, it increases in size so much that it can overlap the clearance of the arteries.

Who risks most

As noted above, the healthy endothelium artery does not allow the LDL to accumulate inside it. But with various diseases and states, there is damage to the inner layer of the arteries, which launches the mechanism for the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Based on this, doctors highlighted the risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. None of them isolated is not capable of provoking the beginning of the disease, they always act in aggregate. These include:

  • an increase in the level of atherogenic lipid fractions - cholesterol and LDL - in the blood;
  • increased blood pressure (with an increase in diastolic pressure for every 7 mm above the normal risk of atherosclerotic changes of vessels increase by 27%);
  • smoking (in smoking heart disease and vessels are observed 2-3 times more often than people who do not have this habit);
  • obesity ("fat men" risk their hearts and vessels 2-2.5 times more people with normal weight);
  • diabetes mellitus (in men suffering from this disease, cardiovascular diseases occur 2-4 times more often than in the overall population, in women this figure is 3-7 times);
  • lifeline lifestyle (sitting);
  • alcohol abuse;
  • the floor (due to the features of the hormonal background in men, atherosclerosis is developing 10 years earlier than in women);
  • age (most often clinically manifested in people after 60 years).

Herredity is of great importance - patients whose parents have suffered a myocardial infarction, fall ill 2 times more often than those whose relatives did not have this pathology.

Clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis

According to the degree of obstacle the blood flow by artery, atherosclerosis is divided into non-defensive and stenling.

Intelligent atherosclerosis occurs when the vessel clears overlap less than 50%. It can be compared with a bomb with deferred triggering. After all, it is practically coented by clinical manifestations, and under normal conditions the patient can feel completely healthy. But with suddenly arising overloads, for example, a sharp leap of blood pressure, emotional experience, physical exertion, requiring increased blood supply, organs (heart, brain) does not receive it due to decreased artery lumen. This can cause a myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke on the background, seemingly complete health.

Singing atherosclerosis occurs when the clearance of the arteries is blocked more than half. This causes a significant lack of blood supply in the affected organs and gives pronounced clinical symptoms.

Depending on the affected blood vessels allocate:

  • atherosclerosis aorta;
  • atherosclerosis of the heart;
  • atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries or cerebral;
  • peripheral atherosclerosis, including the defeat of the foot vessels;
  • soil atherosclerosis;
  • menitary atherosclerosis, striking intestinal vessels;
  • generalized or multifocal atherosclerosis.

Generalized atherosclerosis is the simultaneous damage to the vessels of several anatomical regions.

Aorti defeat

Aorta's characteristic of atherosclerosis are burning pains from the inside of the sternum, which can spread into the neck, shoulders, back, lower chest, epigastric area. With an atherosclerotic process in the thoracic aorta, there may be hoarseness of the voice, difficulty of swallowing, and for damage to its arcs are characterized by dizziness, fainting, transient disorders of arbitrary movements (paresa). In atherosclerosis of the abdominal part of the aorta, intermittent lameness develops, impotence in men, zray, pale the legs, the appearance of trophic ulcers in the footsteps.

Defeat of the heart

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is an anatomical and physiological basis of ischemic heart disease, the individual forms of which are: angina, myocardial infarction and sudden heartfill. In most cases, the arteries of the left ventricle are affected in most cases, which performs the main pump function and provides normal blood circulation. Therefore, with an extensive myocardial infarction in this area, the work of the heart muscle is dramatically violated, which entails inevitable death.

Defeat cerebral vessels

Brachiocephalous trunk, or brachiocephalous artery (BCS) is a major arterial vessel, extinguishing almost at right angles from the aorta and branching on the right overall carotid and right connective artery. Thus, he bloodsmire all brain, head cloth and upper shoulder belt. The most important biological role that these blood vessels performs, makes atherosclerosis of the BCA the most important diagnostic and therapeutic problem of neurology.

Clinical manifestations will depend on how atherosclerosis of brachiocephalous vessels originated. Intereasoning atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries is manifested by noise in the ears, dizziness, noving head pains, insomnia, weakening of short-term memory (patients do not remember what happened yesterday, but the events that occurred many years ago) are well).

Singing atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries is manifested by trombosis of brain vessels with stroke development.

Especially dangerous in terms of prediction atherosclerosis of sleepy arteries, which manifests itself with transient ischemic attacks (TIA). Tia - acutely arising from the impairment of blood circulation in the brain, accompanied by neurological manifestations, which last to 24 hours. If these violations remain more than 1 day, the diagnosis is made as a stroke. Tia is accompanied by the following symptoms:, dizziness, vomiting, headache, transient visual impairment, speech, weakness in one half of the body (paresis).

Atherosclerosis of the extraced departments of brachiocephalic arteries develops in the right plug-in artery, blood supplying base of the brain, shoulder muscles, top of the back and chest. The main clinical manifestations are dizziness, hearing thoughts, equilibrium impairment (riding gait), headaches, visual disorders, chilleness and numbness in the right hand, atrophy of the muscles of the upper limb, trophic ulcers, dry gangrene fingers.

Peripheral atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis of the feet of the legs is manifested by muscle weakness, intermittent chromota (sharp painful convulsions in the calf muscles arising during walking and passing after a minute respite), angularity, numbness in the lower extremities, trophic skin disorders in the footsteps, heads, up to the development of gangrenes.

Kidney atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis of the renal arteries is the cause of renal hypertension.

Mesenterial atherosclerosis

The manifestations of atherosclerosis of the intestinal arteries are pain in the aircraft region 1 hour after eating, stool disorders (constipation or diarrhea), vomiting, bloating. A serious complication of atherosclerosis of mesenteric vessels is a bowel infarction.

Diagnostic methods

The diagnosis of atherosclerosis in some cases is not easy, the following techniques will deliver the correct diagnosis:

  • general analysis of blood and urine;
  • biochemical analysis of blood with the definition of individual lipid fractions, glucose;
  • analysis of the condition of the coagulation system of blood (coagulogram);
  • measuring blood pressure;
  • inspection by the eye doctor to identify changes in the eye day;
  • Ultrasound of the heart, vessels, internal organs, as well as if necessary, Doppler study arteries;
  • angiography, including electron beam and magnetic resonance.

A complex of diagnostic measures depends on the anatomy of the arrangement of atherosclerotic changes.

Treatment

The treatment of atherosclerosis can be divided into 3 large blocks: non-drug, medicated, surgical. Non-drug treatment includes food during atherosclerosis (diet), avoiding harmful habits, extension of physical activity, stress control.

An important role in the treatment and prevention of sediments of cholesterol places is played by a diet with atherosclerosis of vessels. The basic nutrition principles include: decline in fats to 30% of the daily energy needs; Replacing animal fats for vegetable; an increase in the menu of fresh vegetables, fruits, greenery rich in food fibers (carrots, apples); Maximum reduction in consumption of oily, flour, food, sweets, confectionery; low-grade diet salt with existing hypertension; Refusal of alcohol.

Medical methods used in the treatment of atherosclerosis include such anti-lipid drugs such as statins, fibrates.

Surgical methods are used with pronounced stenosis of the artery or its complete blockage atherosclerotic blushing. It is used x-ray storage dilatation and installation of the stent.

The effectiveness of preventive measures and treatment in patients on inpatient treatment It also depends on the nursing process during atherosclerosis. Nurse Provides care for patients, conducts conversations about the importance of adherence to the diet in atherosclerosis, explains the importance of constant reception of anti-lipid drugs, conducts educational work among the relatives of the patient.

Although atherosclerosis of vessels belongs to chronic diseasesIt can be kept under control by early diagnosis and prevention measures that help eliminate risk factors. Clean vessels - health for many years!

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