Currently, pathologies of the cardiovascular system are more common. Among them, you can often find a disease such as atherosclerosis, which leads not only to a deterioration in the well-being of patients, but also poses a serious threat to their life.
How to assess the risk of developing atherosclerosis?
Today there is such a thing as an “atherogenic coefficient”.
This indicator is calculated, and is calculated on the basis of data on the total amount of cholesterol, LDL, VLDL, HDL and triglycerides. Atherogenicity coefficient - is an integral indicator that allows you to accurately predict the risk of developing atherosclerosis in humans.
The atherogenic coefficient is determined by subtracting the ratio of HDL to VLDL from total cholesterol.
It is the ratio of high density lipoproteins to very low density lipoproteins that has the greatest effect on the value of the coefficient.
The value of the coefficient should not exceed 2.5-3 depending on age. If, when calculating, the atherogenic coefficient is higher than normal and ranges from three to four, the risk of developing atherosclerosis is moderate, and above four it is extremely high. In the latter embodiment, the development of atherosclerosis can begin in the next few months or even weeks.
If the examined patient has a disease, the value of the indicator can reach up to seven units. In this case, treatment with drugs that lower cholesterol is required.
The atherogenic coefficient is determined by the serum cholesterol content, which depends on the factors of heredity, the presence of arterial hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, adynamia, and prolonged nerve stress.
The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is not fully understood. Today, experts of the World Health Organization have characterized this pathological process as a change in the intima of the arteries with the accumulation of fats, complex carbohydrates, and the formation of connective tissue at the site of direct damage to the vascular endothelium.
Modern research has allowed a more detailed determination of the biophysical and biochemical processes occurring in the intima of the vessels. Penetrating into the endothelium of blood vessels, LDL and HDL cause the development of catabolic cholesterol reactions.
Stage fibrous plaque involves the weakening of the transport of low density lipoproteins into the arterial wall and the activation of catabolic HDL reactions.
Among all diagnostic methods, it is the atherogenic coefficient that allows you to reliably monitor the patient's condition, as well as determine the risk of developing atherosclerosis in him. The latter allows timely preventive, therapeutic manipulations and prevent the development of the disease.
What is dangerous atherosclerosis?
Most often, this disease develops in the vessels of the lower extremities, leading in severe cases to intermittent claudication, which significantly limits the functional state of a person.
The development of plaques in blood vessels (blood supply to the heart muscle) leads to the development of angina pectoris and heart attack, which creates a high risk for the life of patients.
The atherogenic coefficient is also increased in the case when the development of the pathology of the cerebral vessels occurs. The clinical picture in this case is as follows: the patient's memory is deteriorating, eyesight and attention is reduced.
The development of atherosclerosis occurs in almost all people, starting at the age of forty-five. However, the danger of the disease lies in the fact that this pathology is substantially "rejuvenated" and today it is found even in newborn children. Such a process poses a serious threat to the life of the future generation, which is why it is so important to conduct additional research, diagnose and treat atherosclerosis in the initial stages of its development.