In the modern world there are a huge number of different diseases. In this article, I would like to touch upon a topic such as atherosclerosis: what it is, what types of this disease can be, and how you can fight it.
About the concept
Before you understand what this disease means, you need to decide on a concept. So, atherosclerosis, what is it? This disease is of a chronic nature. It is characterized by the fact that atherosclerotic plaques (accumulation of fats, proliferation of connective tissue) form on the walls of blood vessels, which narrow the lumen of the blood vessels and also interfere with the normal passage of blood, which leads to damage to various organs.
The causes of the disease
The causes of the disease are also important. If a person has found in this list that directly concerns him, it is worth the alarm, because now he is at risk. It is also worth saying that causes are divided into two huge groups: mutable and immutable. Immutable causes are those that cannot be changed with the help of various medications or because of the patient’s desire. First of all, this is the age of the person. The risk of developing this disease increases with age, you need to be especially careful in this regard from the age of 45-50.
The second factor is gender. There is statistics that says that men have this disease 10 years earlier, and by the age of 50 there are 4 times more men with this disease than women. However, from around the age of 50, the situation has changed, and patients become equally divided. The reason for this is the change in the female hormonal background, that is, the onset of menopause in women.
Well, the last factor in the development of this disease is a genetic predisposition. People who have close relatives with this disease should be extremely attentive to their health. Considering such a problem as atherosclerosis - what it is and why this disease occurs - you need to pay attention to mutable causes. The first one is smoking. This habit increases the likelihood of this disease at times, and if a person is already sick, then the rate of development of the disease increases significantly. The second reason - obesity, unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle - all these factors can affect the onset of this disease. The third reason is the presence of a certain disease that can trigger the occurrence of atherosclerosis. So, this is arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia (impaired metabolism of fats), as well as various infections.
Symptoms of the disease
Understanding the concept of “atherosclerosis”, what it is and how this disease occurs, it is important to pay attention to such a moment as the symptoms, due to which a person can determine whether he has this disease. So, it is worth saying that the symptoms of this disease can be extremely diverse, because it depends on the degree of development of the disease and vascular damage. That is why it is better to view the symptoms separately, depending on what kind of disease is present in a person. It can be diffuse, cerebral or multifocal atherosclerosis, etc.
Aortic Atherosclerosis
So, atherosclerosis of the aorta. What it is? It is worth saying that this is the most common disease among all types of atherosclerosis. It is characterized by the fact that various parts of the aortic wall are affected. Since the aorta is thoracic and abdominal, atherosclerosis is classified according to the same principle. Depending on the type of disease, the symptoms will be different. So, for example, atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta for a long time does not make itself felt, and the patient does not even suspect his illness. The insidiousness of the disease is that the first symptoms mainly appear at a fairly mature age, at about 60-70 years, when the destruction of the aorta reached its maximum limit, and often the consequences are irreversible. Dizziness, often burning pains in the sternum, and an increase in systolic pressure may appear.
The next type is abdominal aortic atherosclerosis. What it is? This disease is concentrated in the final section of the aorta and also often may not make itself felt for a long time. As for the symptoms, it can be digestive problems, abdominal pain, weight loss, renal failure, and arterial hypertension. A life-threatening complication of this disease is visceral artery thrombosis, which is designed to supply blood to the intestines.
Cerebral atherosclerosis
We go further. Now I want to consider such a variety of the disease as cerebral atherosclerosis. What it is? This disease is one of the most serious, because the vessels of the brain are affected, its blood supply worsens and the whole body suffers from it. As for the symptoms, they are most often expressed in headaches, dizziness, very fatigue is possible even with the most insignificant loads on the body. Such psychological signs as irritability, a tendency to tearfulness, and resentment for the simplest reasons also appear. However, the most striking sign of this disease is memory loss. But it will not be complete, a person without problems will be able to tell in great detail what happened to him twenty years ago, but he will not be able to remember what has been happening around him over the past five minutes.
Diffuse atherosclerosis
A complication of atherosclerosis is diffuse atherosclerosis. What it is? This disease is most often called cardiosclerosis, when the heart muscle is affected. As for the symptoms, they are similar to heart failure. This is all the insidiousness of this disease. As for the symptoms, it can be shortness of breath, dry cough, muscle weakness. Various edema is also possible (especially for the legs), pain in the right hypochondrium, as well as changes in the skin (deformation of the nails, hair loss, skin pigmentation).
Multifocal atherosclerosis
There is also such a variety of this disease as multifocal atherosclerosis. What it is? This disease is characterized by the fact that not one area is affected, but several. This creates some vascular pools with which doctors need to work. Most often, the treatment of this disease is performed through surgical intervention.
Atherosclerosis of the brachycephalic arteries
BCA atherosclerosis - what is it? With this disease, problems occur in the brachycephalic column (its arteries), which supplies blood to the brain, as well as the right side of the shoulder girdle. Among the most common symptoms are: frequent dizziness, which can occur with sudden head movements, as well as with a slight decrease in blood pressure. The surest way to diagnose this disease is an ultrasound examination of the shoulder girdle, which will give the main answer to the question whether this disease is.
Generalized atherosclerosis
It is worthwhile to understand such a concept as generalized atherosclerosis. What it is? It is worth noting that this disease is a complex lesion of atherosclerosis of various sections of human vessels. So most often it begins with aortic atherosclerosis, then the disease develops in any direction that she “likes”. That is, I want to say that the insidiousness of this disease lies in the fact that it is unpredictable, and in some people the disease develops according to one scenario, in others - in a completely different way, affecting completely different parts of the body or organs.
Multiple Atherosclerosis
The last form of this disease is disseminated atherosclerosis. What it is? But this is rather not a variety of the disease, but its special symptom, which develops against the background of cerebral arteriosclerosis. If this disease is not treated, dementia may develop - unfortunately, an irreversible condition, it is simply impossible to recover from it today.
Prevention
Everyone knows that it is better to prevent the onset of the disease than to fight it. This is especially true for people who are at risk for this disease.
So, in order not to overtake atherosclerosis, it is worth abandoning bad habits, especially smoking. It is it that primarily contributes to the appearance of plaques that clog vessels. Also, people are encouraged to move a lot. It is not for nothing that there is a saying: “movement is life”. Everyone will benefit from at least morning exercises, as well as daily walks in the fresh air. It is also good to engage in any kind of sport. People who lead a sedentary lifestyle need a little exercise. You need to pick up a couple of simple exercises that you need to perform at least every hour. You do not need to spend a lot of time, a couple of minutes of simple movements will be enough.
Of course, overweight people need to lose weight to avoid this disease. The diet should be treated correctly: at first it should not be tough, it is necessary to refuse harmful products gradually. It is also good to arrange fasting days for yourself. One or two a week will be enough. And everyone else is recommended competent nutrition, which eliminates the consumption of fatty foods, namely animal fats, which helps lower blood cholesterol. It is worth abandoning eggs, butter, fatty dairy products. It is also good to increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Treatment
Having understood that "vascular atherosclerosis - what is it", it is worth saying how you can get rid of this disease. So, first of all, you need to consult a doctor who can prescribe competent medical treatment.
However, in addition to this, there is also treatment with traditional medicine. They, by the way, also give excellent results. So what can be done. It is good to drink medicinal juice for atherosclerosis, which can be prepared from three components: carrot juice in a volume of 250 g, beetroot juice - 170 g, garlic - 60 g. The whole mixture is drunk within one day in three meals, regardless of food intake. Special teas work on the same principle. To prepare such a medicinal drink, you need to mix 30 grams of the following herbs: ivy buds, lemon balm and allspice. About 5-6 grams of the mixture are brewed per half liter of boiling water, infused for half an hour, everything is filtered and taken in an incomplete glass three times a day about 15 minutes before eating. Also, various herbs and herbal infusions can be used to treat this disease. Everything will depend on the name of the patient. However, it is worth remembering that the course of treatment is carried out for two months, then you must definitely take a break for about the same period - one and a half to two months. Then you can proceed to the next course. For the treatment of atherosclerosis , garlic, onions, lemon and celery are most often used.