Atherosclerosis - Everything About It
Atherosclerosis - Everything About It
 |
Atherosclerosis is one of the serious diseases that threaten human life, and early diagnosis of the disease increases the chance of its treatment before it enters a dangerous stage that harms the heart and threatens human life.
Atherosclerosis occurs as a result of fat deposition and increased cholesterol in the blood, which leads to a narrowing of the bloodstream and reduces its flow to and from the heart through the arteries.
Definition of Atherosclerosis:
When the percentage of cholesterol, fats, and some substances in the blood increases, they accumulate on the walls of the arteries, causing narrowing of the arteries from the inside and preventing blood flow in a chain manner, which causes serious health problems.
Scientific research has shown that the main cause of atherosclerosis is not yet known, especially since the disease can occur without symptoms and continues to develop without the patient feeling it until a problem that directly affects the heart occurs.
Causes of Atherosclerosis:
As we mentioned earlier, the main cause of atherosclerosis is not known yet, but there are many reasons that can contribute to the further development of the disease, such as smoking, increasing blood cholesterol, and an unhealthy diet.
Atherosclerosis Risk Factors:
There are many risk factors that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and its entry into an advanced stage, including the following:
- Smoking.
- Obesity.
- High blood pressure.
- Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity.
- Genetic factors and the presence of a sick history in family members.
- Diabetes.
- getting old.
Symptoms of Atherosclerosis:
Most of the time, atherosclerosis is not accompanied by any symptoms, especially in the beginning, but it appears in a large way when the disease develops and the arteries become severely narrowed or completely blocked.
However, there are some symptoms of atherosclerosis that appear when blockage or narrowing occurs in some arteries feeding some organs of the body, as follows:
- Coronary arteries: And the symptoms are serious, appearing in the form of chest pain, difficulty breathing, and pressure in the chest area, which indicates the occurrence of angina pectoris.
- Brain arteries: Symptoms are in the form of a feeling of extreme lethargy with numbness in one arm, loss of vision in one eye, and drooping of the facial and jaw muscles, which warns of a stroke.
- The arteries of the kidneys: It causes kidney failure and high blood pressure.
- Arteries of the legs: And the symptoms are accompanied by pain in the legs and difficulty in walking and movement.
Complications of Atherosclerosis:
Neglecting atherosclerosis causes serious complications that may lead to death, including the following:
- Brain Attack.
- Heart Failure.
- Kidney failure.
- Foot gangrene.
- Arteries burst anywhere in the body.
Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis:
The early detection of the disease and its speedy diagnosis prevents the occurrence of many serious complications such as heart attack and stroke. Atherosclerosis can be diagnosed through the following:
- EKG test.
- The patient's family and medical history.
- MRI.
- CT Scan.
- Blood Test.
Atherosclerosis treatment:
The treatment of atherosclerosis depends on the use of medicines that prevent the disease from developing, following a healthy diet to avoid high blood cholesterol, exercising, avoiding wrong habits that lead to the disease, such as smoking, etc.
Prevention of Atherosclerosis:
Atherosclerosis can be prevented by following a set of tips and lifestyle changes, including the following:
- Follow a healthy diet based on reducing sweets, foods high in sodium, harmful fats, and fast food that contains harmful fats.
- Avoid smoking for non-smokers and stop smoking in case of smokers.
- Doing sports regularly.
- Regular check-ups of the heart and arteries, as well as blood pressure and cholesterol.
