Cardiovascular system >>>> Sings and treatment of atherosclerosis

Sings and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis affects large and medium-sized arteries, causing the appearance of plaques on the walls of blood vessels, followed by the development of connective tissue at the sites of attachment of lipoproteins. Deposits on the walls of blood vessels cause vascular tissue in such places to stretch and swell, thus compensating for the diameter of the vessel lumen. But, since the elasticity of blood vessels is not unlimited, over time, the gaps in the vessels narrow, which causes impaired blood circulation in various body systems, organs and tissues.

Signs of atherosclerosis may not manifest themselves for a long time, but if there is a tendency to an increase in blood pressure, cardiovascular disorders, headaches, dizziness, increased intracranial pressure, memory impairments, absent-mindedness and other disorders of the brain, it is worth thinking about the development of such diseases like atherosclerosis.

Blockage of blood vessels by atherosclerotic plaques leads to the development of many diseases:

Circulatory disorders of the brain (vasculitis, stroke, glaucoma);
Violations of the blood supply to the heart muscle ( angina pectoris, arrhythmia, heart failure, myocardial infarction);
Violation of blood circulation in the lower extremities (intermittent claudication, gangrene, endarteritis);
Circulatory disorders of the renal arteries (renal failure);
Blocking by atherosclerotic plaques of the mesenteric arteries that supply blood to the intestines ( mesenteric thrombosis );
Atherosclerosis of the aorta.

Diagnosis of atherosclerosis is carried out on the basis of laboratory tests that determine the level of lipids:

Normally, total cholesterol levels should be less than 5.2 mmol / l (less than 200 mg);
Normally, LDL cholesterol levels should be below 3.0 mmol / L;
Normally, HDL cholesterol levels should be above 1-1.2 mmol / L;
Normally, plasma triglycerides should be below 1.2 mmol / L;

To assess the condition of the vessels, dopplerography of the vessels, ultrasound scanning of the arteries are performed.

The risk group includes patients with high blood pressure, overweight, with a history of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases not associated with atherosclerosis.

Treatment of atherosclerosis is a whole range of measures, including:

Decrease or complete elimination of factors provoking the development of atherosclerosis, rejection of bad habits,
Changing nutrition principles,
Weight normalization,
Moderate physical activity,
Medical treatment.

Risk factors for atherosclerosis:

Age (more often atherosclerosis is detected in the period of 40-50 years, but recently this disease has become "younger"),
Male sex (atherosclerosis in men develops more often and earlier than in women),
Genetic predisposition
The presence of metabolic disorders such as hypercholesterolemia and / or hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus, low levels of high density lipoproteins in the blood,
Physical inactivity
Emotional overload.

Nutrition for atherosclerosis must meet several requirements:

Limiting the consumption of animal fats,
Reducing the consumption of simple carbohydrates - monosaccharides (quickly absorbed),
Moderate or reduced salt intake (do not exceed 3-5 grams per day),
Enrichment of the diet with foods containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (vegetable oil, fish and seafood),
Elimination of fried foods from the diet,
Fortification of the diet with foods containing fiber.

How to put into practice compliance with an anti-cholesterol diet :

During cooking, replace butter or margarine with vegetable oil (sunflower, corn, olive),
Eliminate foods containing rapeseed or palm oil,
Replace mayonnaise and sour cream with kefir,
Replace white bread with rye,
Replace habitual fried foods with stews (meat, vegetables),
Eat those dairy products with a reduced fat content,
Replace soft cheeses with hard cheeses (they have a lower percentage of fat),
Replace meat sandwiches with sandwiches with fish and / or vegetables,
Remove sugary drinks from consumption, including carbonated ones,
In the meat diet, focus on the consumption of rabbit, poultry,
Replace potato side dishes with boiled (or steamed) vegetables,
Expand the range of fruits and vegetables consumed (this is fiber),
Forget about the consumption of meat broths or dishes based on them (jellied meat, meat and fish terrines).

You can normalize weight by adhering to certain nutritional principles described above, as well as regulate food intake, correlating it with physical effort, that is, the number of calories consumed per day should be equal to the number of calories consumed by a person per day.

Moderate physical activity involves the development of an individual set of exercises appropriate for age and existing diseases, and repeating this set of exercises daily. Take long walks, if possible, prefer walking to transport.

Drug treatment of atherosclerosis is based on the use of drugs that lower lipid levels. These are drugs of the group of statins, fibrates (derivatives of fibric acid), agents that suppress the absorption (absorption) of cholesterol by the intestine and sequestrants of bile acids, probucol, nicotinic acid, vitamins.