The main artery is the main blood vessel that delivers blood to various parts of the human body. It originates from the aorta and leaves the body, adhering to the structure of the skeleton, that is, along the bones.
Appointment
The main arteries are large vessels that provide blood flow in the arms, legs, head and internal organs of a person. The large artery approaches the lungs, kidneys, liver, stomach, and so on. All of it is braided by a network of small vessels and capillaries, supplies them with blood, and therefore, oxygen and useful trace elements.
The blood flow in the main arteries is smoothed out and stops pulsating due to the structure of the vessel walls. They consist of elastic fibers, and not smooth muscle, like most other vessels - veins and capillaries. A uniform blood flow is one of the most important functions of the main artery. The mechanism of bringing blood flow to a more or less even rhythm is based on the usual law of hydrodynamics. During systole of the heart muscle, blood is pushed through the aorta under high pressure, and during diastole, the walls of the artery, due to their increased elasticity, take their usual size, pushing the blood further through the vessels. This leads to even blood flow and blood pressure.
Types of vessels
The human circulatory system consists not only of the main arteries. Its normal operation depends on all types of vessels included in it. These are resistive vessels, which are the so-called resistance vessels. This type includes small arteries, venules, veins.
Capillaries are an exchange type of vessels. Capillaries produce a transcapillary exchange between themselves and the cells of all human organs.
Veins belong to capacitive vessels. These are the second vessels after capillaries in mass. In the veins is most of the blood of the human body.
Arteriovenous anastomoses include shunting vessels. They bind small arteries and veins without capillaries - directly.
Of all the listed vessels, the main arteries are the most flexible and elastic. In capillaries, for example, there are no smooth muscle elements at all.
Norms at work
By the arteries of the body, and more precisely by the pulse rate, one can judge the state of a person as a whole and his heart in particular. If the pulse rate exceeds 60-80 beats per minute, then tachycardia occurs. If the strokes are less than 60 per minute, then this is bradycardia.
The pulse is usually measured on the extremities, on the wrists or ankles. There, the vessels come closest to the surface of the body and are easily palpated. By the main arteries of the limbs, one can even determine the presence of arrhythmia in a person, that is, an uneven pulse.
Heartbeat in the artery can be fast or slow, indicating a narrowing of the aortic valve. This situation leads to a drop in pressure during the pulse wave.
Hypertension is usually manifested by a strained pulse. And the opposite situation with blood pressure is called hypotension, on the contrary, it has an unstressed pulse.
The fullness of the pulse depends on the normal functioning of the heart and the elasticity of the vessels. Thus, it becomes clear that pathologies in the arteries can lead to dangerous changes in blood pressure, the state of the heart and all organs of a person.
Symptoms of Arterial Disease
The main arteries pass through the entire body from the brain to the lower extremities, affecting the most important organs. When pathologies occur in the vessels in a person, vivid and completely recognizable symptoms occur. So, for example, a malfunction of the main arteries of the brain can lead to deadly consequences, if you experience unusual and incomprehensible sensations, you should immediately contact a specialist.
Symptoms of pathologies in the blood system are:
- pain in the neck;
- pressure surges;
- headache for no apparent reason;
- dizziness;
- the appearance in the eyes of blackouts, "flies" flickering before the eyes;
- a rumble appears in the ears;
- sharp weight gain;
- nausea;
- numbness in the arms or legs;
- lowering the temperature of the limbs;
- when you change the position of the body, for example, if a person gets up from a chair, his head is dizzy.
Arterial disease
Diseases of the main arteries are numerous and diverse. They can affect the vessels of the neck and cause problems with the brain or affect the arteries of the legs, leading to other conditions. To understand the dangers of each of them, one needs to consider everything separately.
Neck vascular disease
Any deviation in the work of the carotid artery affects the work of the central nervous system. A slight drop in blood pressure can lead to impaired vision, hearing, memory and other dangerous conditions. And vice versa, an increase in pressure inside the cranial box leads to rupture of small vessels, that is, to a stroke. If a person is not provided with emergency medical care at such a moment, then he will surely die. A stroke leads to paralysis, impaired brain activity, and so on.
Atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the head is considered the most dangerous disease. This pathology is characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. They consist of connective tissue formed by lipids, and occur in areas with impaired laminar flow of blood.
Atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the head is caused by atherosclerotic plaques of various sizes and shapes. They can be concentric, covering the entire circumference of the vessel, or eccentric. Atherosclerosis of the main arteries leads to their tortuosity, that is, curvature with the creation of vortices in the bloodstream. It may not be strong and does not affect hemodynamics in any way, but it may be strong, entailing various complications. The main arteries of the neck affected by atherosclerosis are C-shaped, S - shaped and loop-shaped.
Stenosis is a direct consequence of atherosclerosis. This phenomenon is characterized by a narrowing of the lumen of the vessel. The main arteries of the head and neck are quite often affected by this pathology. Moreover, the longer the narrowed area, the harder the form of pathology and, accordingly, the more difficult the treatment.
The main arteries of the head may undergo dissection. This is a consequence of trauma, as a result of which the vessel wall breaks up into layers separated by blood. Such an injury is also called intramural hematoma. The danger of this formation is that it grows within a few weeks after an accident with an injury. And when a person thinks that he has completely passed all traces of a blow or a fall, an intramural hematoma blocks the lumen of the artery, which causes neurological diseases.
The main arteries of the head can destroy aneurysm of the arteries. This phenomenon is extremely rare, but it has several causes. This trauma, a consequence of cystic medial necrosis, fibromuscular dysplasia or aneurysm becomes a continuation of atherosclerosis.
A tumor that blocks the lumen of the artery can occur not only on the inner wall of the vessel, but also on the outer. This pathology is called a chemododectoma. the neoplasm consists of paraganglion cells of the outer layer of the vessel. Such a growth is easy to see with the naked eye under the skin of the neck. On palpation, a pulse is clearly felt under the surface of the tumor. Usually it is benign, but the treatment is only surgical, since it is not accepted to risk the possibility of its change to malignant in medical practice.
Abnormal cell development can lead to fibromuscular dysplasia. A pathology is characteristic of a defeat of the arterial wall itinoma. This in turn causes such dangerous conditions as stroke, hypertension, aneurysm with a dissection of the vessel.
Atherosclerosis of the cerebral arteries may be the result of non-optimal hyperplasia. This condition occurs due to vascular surgery. After a cut of the vessel wall through the blood, smooth muscle cells begin to migrate from their usual environment to neointima with subsequent accumulation in it.
Diseases of the vessels of the lower extremities
The main arteries of the lower extremities, as well as the carotid ones, undergo various diseases. In addition, they have a higher load due to gravity and the risk of injury is also an order of magnitude higher.
Most often, arteries on the legs undergo stenosis. The consequence of a decrease in clearance is ischemia of soft tissues.
Stenosis, as a result of atherosclerosis, has its own specific manifestations. First of all, it is pain and lameness when walking. The skin on the legs becomes either white or darker than other areas on the body. Her temperature changes, and her hair gradually falls out. A patient with stenosis often complains of goosebumps and that his legs are constantly freezing.
In a severe form of the disease, long healing wounds covered with pus may appear on the legs.
Pain becomes a constant companion of a person, and the legs can hurt when walking or at rest, or at the moment of transition from a sitting position to a standing one. If urgent treatment is not started at this stage, the patient begins to develop gangrene with a possible general infection of the blood. And this, as a rule, leads to the death of a person.
Causes of vascular disease
There are many reasons for the development of vascular diseases. There are also a number of reasons for the appearance of the disease. That is, they do not directly cause pathology, but they can affect its possible development.
Of the specific reasons, the following are distinguished:
- Smoking. This habit causes a narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels, through nicotine and carcinogens contained in the smoke of cigarettes.
- Vascular obstruction disturbs alcohol.
- Any disease of a chronic nature affects the state of the vessels.
- Infection, especially of the respiratory tract and bronchi.
- Chronic edema. This condition causes a constant load on the walls of the vessels.
- Injury. Especially often observed stenosis as a result of injury in professional athletes.
- Stenosis can also be inherited at the gene level.
Other triggering factors
Other reasons that can cause vascular disease are addiction to coffee, chronic stress, hormonal imbalance, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and professional activities associated with constant load on the legs.
Diagnosis of vascular disease
Any vascular disease is diagnosed in stages using modern equipment and devices. First of all, the patient is examined by a doctor and answers his questions. During the conversation, it becomes clear that the patient has bad habits and his occupation.
After this, the patient is sent for instrumental examination of blood vessels. The simplest diagnostic method in this case is ultrasound of blood vessels. Further, angiography and scanning of the arteries of the neck and legs using Doppler are used. For a more accurate examination of the arteries, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is used.
Vascular disease treatment
The method of treatment of blood vessels depends on the type of disease, its severity and the individual characteristics of the patient's body. If the damage to the walls of the artery was diagnosed at the initial stage, then conservative treatment with the help of medications, physiotherapy procedures and even alternative methods of treatment is possible. In this case, the patient must be transferred to a special diet. If the situation has become dangerous and the pathology has led to an almost complete closure of the lumen of the vessel, a surgical operation is performed.
Prevention
Prevention of vascular disease can be considered maintaining a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition. You need to quit smoking, stop drinking alcohol and go in for sports. It is also recommended to exclude fatty, fried foods from your diet. It is important to understand that you need to start monitoring health even before the onset of disease.
Conclusion
Diseases of the great arteries are a very dangerous condition. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease, you need to see a doctor. Self-medication in this case can lead to complications or even death of a person. It is important to seek help in time to avoid dangerous consequences.