Atherosclerotic changes in the vascular system of the body can be observed at any age, but most often this pathology affects a category of people over 40 years old. Atherosclerotic formations occur in almost any vessels of the body, however, a persistent predisposition to these pathological processes is characteristic of the main arteries of the legs. This phenomenon in medical practice is defined as obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities.
Distinctive features
The main distinguishing feature of such a disease in humans is the formation of atherosclerotic growths in the lumens of the main arterial vessels of the lower extremities. These formations are called cholesterol plaques and consist of atheromatous contents located in the overgrown connective tissue.
Cholesterol is a substance that is produced in the body from fats and carbohydrates. It comes in two varieties: useful and harmful. It is harmful cholesterol that enters the body along with food of animal origin, after which, advancing through the vessels with a blood stream, attaches to their walls. Hence, the formation of cholesterol plaque originates. Similar cholesterol in consistency resembles wax, as it has a dense and sticky structure. However, the cholesterol plaque is even denser, because calcium molecules contained in the blood can stick to it. Gradually, the atherosclerotic vessel begins to lose elasticity, and cholesterol plaques significantly narrow its lumen. This pathological condition of human vessels is called atherosclerosis, which in some cases is a deadly disease.
Stages
Consider the main stages of obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities. Vessels affected by atherosclerosis can completely clog over time. There are two stages of this disease: the first is vascular stenosis, when its lumen is narrowed, the second is occlusion, which means its complete blockage. How does obliterating atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities manifest itself?
Symptoms of the disease
At the initial stages of the occurrence of atherosclerosis of the vessels of the legs, this ailment may not manifest itself at all, but in cases of development of chronic forms of pathology, oxygen starvation of tissues devoid of blood flow begins, natural regeneration processes become difficult, which eventually leads to their necrosis.
In most cases of the development of this disease, damage to the vessels of the lower extremities occurs, and this process develops very quickly, since the main load is on the legs. Another factor that contributes to this is the severity and density of cholesterol, which drops down along with the flow of blood.
The main signs of the disease
Obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities is characterized by such signs:
- Feeling of coldness in legs. Patients constantly complain that their lower limbs are freezing, even in the warm season.
- Lameness passing by itself after a short rest.
- Swelling of the lower extremities.
- Painful sensations that can be observed even with short physical exertion.
- Localization of pain in the calf muscles.
- Slow growth of toenails.
- The hairs on the lower extremities begin to fall out, and the skin becomes very pale and dry.
- During the adoption of the horizontal position of the body legs sharply turn pale.
- Atrophic phenomena in the calf muscles. In these areas, the legs can lose weight significantly.
- The development of signs of sexual impotence in men, which is directly related to insufficient blood supply to the pelvic organs.
- At severe stages of the disease, the formation of trophic ulcers.
Symptoms with a diagnosis of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities "develops unevenly, even if the disease progresses. It depends on the lifestyle of a person, as well as the individual characteristics of his body. Men are most often exposed to obliterating atherosclerosis, however, a similar disease can also occur in women. Atherosclerosis can occur even at an early age, when the metabolic processes associated with the processing of lipids are disturbed in the human body. Another common factor provoking the occurrence of this disease is diabetes.
The main causes of atherosclerosis of the extremities
Elderly age is the main factor in the development of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities. This is due to the fact that the vessels wear out very much with age and lose their contractility, and the cholesterol accumulated during life has already managed to form dense deposits on the vascular walls.
The main factors for the occurrence of obliterating atherosclerosis of the vessels of the legs are:
- Excess weight. In this case, people have a violation of fat metabolism in the body and a large load or lower limbs.
- Improper nutrition, when a person eats a large amount of animal fats, which contribute to the formation of cholesterol plaques.
- Varicose vascular disease. This disease also contributes to congestion in the vessels of the lower extremities.
- Pathologies of the development of the pelvic organs, as well as diseases of these organs.
- Elderly age.
- Frostbite and other leg injuries when the structure of the vessels is disturbed.
- High physical activity on the legs.
- Inadequate physical activity. Vascular pathologies can also develop with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Heredity. There is a certain percentage of patients whose direct relatives had a similar illness.
- Hormonal imbalance in the body. Decreased production of certain hormones can trigger the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
- Diabetes.
- Hypothermia, when the vessels of the lower extremities experience constant narrowing.
- Smoking, which reduces the elasticity of the vascular walls.
The consequences of this pathology can be deplorable, since in cases of complete blockage of the vessels of the legs, trophic ulcers can develop, as well as the death of certain areas, for example, toes. The consequence of this process is the amputation of fingers or an entire limb. How does obliterating atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities develop?
Development process
There are several main stages of the emergence and development of this vascular pathology. In the initial stages, it can be asymptomatic or manifest as aching pain in the legs with heavy loads. With the development of obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities, human symptoms are increasingly worried. He begins to feel heaviness in his legs and discomfort when walking or while performing certain exercises. The next stage of the disease is characterized by persistent pain during even small distances. In this case, the pain does not go away even at rest. The last stage, the most difficult, is manifested in the form of trophic ulcers, and in the complete absence of blood flow in the lower limb, this process can lead to gangrene and, therefore, amputation of the leg.
Varieties
Obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities can form not only in the region of the lower leg, which depends on the individual characteristics of the body. In connection with these, several varieties of this disease are noted. These include:
- Atherosclerotic changes in the femoral-popliteal segment.
- Changes in the aortic-iliac segment.
- Occlusion of the tibial region.
- The area of the popliteal-tibial segment of arteries.
- The distal part of the thigh, as well as the popliteal part of the arteries, when the patency of the vessels in the shin area is preserved.
- Occlusion of all vessels of the thigh, as well as the lower leg, when blood flow is preserved in individual veins and arterial branches.
- Multilevel lesions of the arterial system.
Segmental obliteration of blood vessels is a violation of blood flow in certain sectors, which is the most common form of occlusion when blood flow blocks around the thigh. Photos of obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities show the severity of the disease.
Diagnostic methods for determining the disease
In this case, only a doctor should prescribe diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. It is strictly forbidden to self-medicate this disease, since the risks of limb loss due to the use of inadequate therapy are too high.
After the patient complains of symptoms of atherosclerosis of the vessels of the legs, the specialist, as a rule, prescribes the following diagnostic procedures:
- Rheovasography is a technique that allows you to evaluate the nature of blood flow in the arteries of the lower extremities. A procedure of this type is being carried out using special equipment, which today is available in almost every medical institution.
- Dopplerography is a type of ultrasound diagnosis, in which it is possible to identify foci of atherosclerosis, establish the size of the lumen of blood vessels, the presence of obliteration or occlusion.
- Infrared thermography is a method that is based on measurements of thermal radiation, which, as a rule, is reduced in places of insufficient blood circulation.
- Physical testing using physical activity methods when determining the degree of patient fatigue.
- Arteriography is a specific study, which is an x-ray performed after the introduction of a special contrasting substance into the patient's blood. Using this technique, you can easily diagnose patency of vessels or their blockage.
In addition to instrumental methods for diagnosing the state of vessels of the lower extremities, there are certain laboratory studies that help to study the full clinical picture of the disease. Based on the results of the tests, you can determine the blood sugar level of the patient in order to exclude the presence of a disease such as diabetes mellitus, which is the cause of atherosclerotic changes in the vessels. Through analysis, the level of cholesterol and lipids in the blood is also detected.
Treatment of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities
Methods of conservative treatment of this disease of the arteries are aimed at restoring their patency. These include the following activities:
- A complete rejection of bad habits, as well as the normalization of the diet.
- Stabilization of body weight.
- Organization of regular physical activity.
- A medication that helps relieve spasms of blood vessels and dissolve existing atherosclerotic barriers to blood flow.
- Refusal to eat animal fats.
- Physiotherapeutic methods, for example, electrophoresis using novocaine, darsonvalization, magnetotherapy, ozone therapy, hyperbaric oxygenation and many other procedures.
- Medicines to normalize metabolic processes in the body. Drug treatment of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities can be very effective.
- The use of multivitamin complexes to increase the overall muscle tone.
- Local treatment accelerates the healing of trophic ulcers in cases where they exist.
- An effective method of treating the disease is pneumopressotherapy, which is a special massage of the lower parts of the human body using high blood pressure. This method helps to restore the elasticity of the vascular walls.
Consider the alternative treatment of obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities.
Folk methods
Treatment of atherosclerosis of the lower extremities can be carried out using applications. These procedures contribute to the resorption of sclerotic plaques in the vessels, which greatly facilitates the patient's condition. For applications, use the infusion of the following herbs: sage, string, chamomile, plantain and St. John's wort. All ingredients are mixed in equal proportions, then take 1 tbsp. l Collect and pour 250 ml of hot water. The liquid is infused for several hours (the longer the better), then filtered.
Before applying the application, it is required to rub the diseased leg and wash it with laundry soap in warm water. When heated to 37 ° C, the infusion is moistened with a piece of medical gauze, squeezed and wrapped in a limb, from the groin to the heel. Sheets of compress paper are laid on top of the gauze and secured with a strip of cotton cloth. The course of the application is determined by the severity of the disease. The average duration of the procedure is 21 days, after six months the treatment needs to be repeated.
To improve the skin condition of a sore leg, it is recommended to rub with a mixture of olive and sea buckthorn oils (in equal proportions) immediately before applying the application. The oils are rubbed into the skin very gently and with a thin layer 1 time per day. The duration of such treatment depends on the condition of the skin: usually it is from 7 to 20 days.
If you diagnose this disease in the early stages of its development, a cure is quite possible, but it is necessary to eliminate the factors that can aggravate it. After treatment, you must adhere to the rules of a healthy lifestyle and undergo regular preventive examinations by a doctor. Treatment of atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities is not limited to this.
Surgical Therapies
In cases where the methods of conservative treatment of this disease do not give a positive effect, operational methods are used to combat it, as well as with the consequences that it can cause. Vascular surgeons are involved in these activities. Depending on the stage of development of atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities, several types of surgical methods are distinguished, which include:
- Balloon angioplasty - an effect in which a special balloon is introduced into the lumen of the vessels, which expands the artery.
- Bypass surgery - the creation of artificial bypasses for blood flow near the site of obliteration or blockage of arteries.
- Stenting - placing inside the artery of special materials that provide blood flow through the vessel.
- Autodermoplasty of the skin - used for lesions of trophic ulcers of large areas of the legs.
- Arterial prosthetics - replacement of some sections of blood vessels with artificial materials.
- Endarterectomy - removal of the affected vessel.
- Amputation of a limb. It is produced in the most difficult cases, for example, with the development of gangrene.
Treatment of atherosclerosis obliterans of the vessels of the lower extremities should be timely. Recently, a relatively new method of treating such diseases has often been used, in which exposure is made using laser equipment. Such surgical interventions are absolutely painless, and after them a person does not need a long rehabilitation.
Conclusion
Atherosclerosis obliterans of the arteries of the lower extremities is very common, especially among men, so doctors recommend after 40 years to limit the consumption of foods containing large amounts of animal fats, which form the so-called "bad" cholesterol, which is deposited on the arterial wall and provokes the development of disorders. We examined the symptoms and treatment of atherosclerosis obliterans of the arteries of the lower extremities.