Cardiovascular system >>>> Vascular angiopathy

Vascular angiopathy.

Vascular angiopathy (synonym: vasopathy of blood vessels) develops as a result of neuro-humoral and trophic disorders of the state of the vascular wall. Violations of this kind lead to vascular dystonia, paresis, vasospasm, change the qualitative characteristics of the vascular wall (increase its permeability, reduce elasticity, cause proliferative processes of vascular tissues), which entails narrowing of the lumens of blood vessels, hemorrhages, oxygen starvation of tissues, creates favorable conditions for the development of vascular atherosclerosis or tissue necrosis.

Vascular angiopathies are classified depending on which vessels are affected: microangiopathy (small vessels, capillaries) and macroangiopathy (large vessels of the extremities, vessels responsible for the blood supply to the heart).

The most common cases of angiopathy occur with damage to the vessels of the retina of the eye, the vessels of the kidneys, the vessels of the lower extremities, which develop as a result of diabetes mellitus (diabetic angiopathy). Also described is hypertensive angiopathy (hypotonic angiopathy), manifested against the background of hypertension (hypotension). There is Morel's angiopathy, which affects the blood vessels in older people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

The causes of vascular angiopathy have many prerequisites:

Congenital anomalies in the structure of the vascular wall;
Systemic diseases (diabetes mellitus, autoimmune vasculitis);
Mechanical and toxic injuries;
Diseases of the blood;
Violations of the nervous regulation of the vascular wall;
Hypertension or hypotension.

Signs of vascular angiopathy are manifested in frequent bleeding for no apparent reason:

nosebleeds,
the presence of blood in the urine,
telangiectasia,
trophic tissue disorders (necrosis, gangrene),
visual impairment up to its loss,
Gastrointestinal bleeding.

A common symptom of vascular angiopathy is pain in the extremities, leading to impaired gait (intermittent claudication).

To diagnose angiopathy, it is necessary to conduct a number of hardware studies: angiography, MRI of tissues, ultrasound of blood vessels.

Treatment of vascular angiopathy is based on improving vascular microcirculation, taking drugs that regulate blood rheological characteristics (in particular blood clotting), angioprotectors (phleboprotectors), antispasmodics. In cases of diabetic angiopathy, insulin therapy is performed. In hypertensive or hypotonic angiopathy, blood pressure is corrected. Some vitamins (ascorbic acid, rutin) are considered good angioprotectors.

Vascular angiopathy is dangerous due to atrophic changes in tissues, the blood supply of which is provided by the affected vessels, which leads to necrosis, gangrene and amputation.