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Atherosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis is a disease
Arteriosclerosis is a disease characterized by thickening of the arterial wall and narrowing of the arterial lumen due to plaque formation, leading to various problems. As for whether arteriosclerosis can be prevented and treated, the answer is definitely yes. This can be achieved by maintaining good lifestyle habits. Regular exercise, quitting smoking, and controlling blood pressure and blood sugar with medications under a doctor’s guidance, as well as appropriate use of statin medications, can effectively prevent and treat the onset, progression, and worsening of arteriosclerosis.
How to prevent arteriosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease related to aging, poor lifestyle habits such as smoking, and metabolic abnormalities such as hyperlipidemia or diabetes. Atherosclerosis can be effectively prevented. To prevent atherosclerosis, the following should be adhered to: First, maintain good lifestyle habits, exercise regularly, quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and eat less spicy and greasy foods. Second, control blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar levels. When issues such as elevated blood pressure and lipids arise, it is necessary to use medication under the guidance of a doctor.
Arteriosclerosis has what manifestations?
Arteriosclerosis symptoms vary depending on the affected organ. Coronary arteriosclerosis primarily manifests as angina, while cerebral arteriosclerosis mainly results in cerebral embolism, potentially causing symptoms such as hemiplegia. Chronic cerebral ischemia can lead to cerebral atrophy and progress to vascular dementia. Aortic arteriosclerosis often displays no specific symptoms. Renal arteriosclerosis can cause refractory hypertension, and if a renal artery thrombosis occurs, it may lead to pain in the kidney area, oliguria, and fever. Chronic kidney ischemia can lead to kidney atrophy and progress to renal failure. Mesenteric arteriosclerosis can cause symptoms like indigestion, decreased intestinal tone, constipation, and abdominal pain. Arteriosclerosis in the limbs, often seen in the lower extremities, can cause symptoms such as coldness in the legs, numbness, and the typical intermittent claudication.
Arteriosclerosis is divided into several stages.
Arterial atherosclerosis sequentially manifests as three major types: lipid spots and stripes, atheromatous and fibrous atheromatous plaques, and complex lesions. According to the process of its occurrence and development, it can be subdivided into six types. The first type is lipid spots, which are small yellow spots on the arterial intima that gradually develop into the second type, lipid stripes, where some yellow stripes appear on the arterial intima. Then there is the third type, pre-lesional plaque, where more lipid droplets appear extracellularly. The fourth type is the atheromatous plaque, where lipids accumulate excessively and form lipid pools, and the intimal structure will be damaged. The fifth type is the fibrous atheromatous plaque, which is the most characteristic lesion of arterial atherosclerosis. The sixth type is a complex lesion, representing a severe condition.
The difference between arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis is the most common and most important among a group of vascular diseases called arteriosclerosis. The common characteristics of various arteriosclerosis include thickening, hardening, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the arterial walls. The characteristic of arteriosclerosis is that the affected arterial lesions start from the intima, with various lesions coexisting, including local accumulation of papyraceous and complex carbohydrates, proliferation of fibrous tissue, and formation of plaques due to calcification, along with gradual degradation of the arterial media. Secondary lesions include intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque rupture, and local thrombosis formation. Modern cellular and molecular biology techniques show that arteriosclerotic lesions are characterized by migration of macrophages, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, and abundant formation of fibrous, collagen, elastic fibers, and proteoglycans as connective tissue matrices, as well as intra- and extracellular lipid accumulation. Because the lipid accumulation in the intima appears yellow and mushy, it is called arteriosclerosis. Although arteriosclerosis is only one type of arteriosclerosis, it is commonly referred to simply as arteriosclerosis due to its frequent occurrence and significant clinical relevance.
Risk factors for arteriosclerosis
The etiology of atherosclerosis is not yet fully understood, but the main risk factors include age and gender. The older the age, the higher the probability of occurrence, and the probability in men is higher than in women. Abnormal blood lipids, with the main treatment target being low-density lipoprotein, hypertension, smoking, glucose tolerance abnormalities, and obesity are all possible risk factors. Additionally, we cannot ignore family history; if there is a history of early-onset coronary heart disease in the family, then this risk factor is also very high. Moreover, personality is related, with Type A personalities being more prone to atherosclerosis. Dietary habits are also related; patients who often eat high-calorie, high-animal-fat, high-cholesterol foods are prone to develop the condition. There are also patients taking oral contraceptives, who are likely to develop atherosclerosis.
Can arteriosclerosis be treated with moxibustion?
Arteriosclerosis can be treated with moxibustion. Moxibustion is a traditional disease treatment method in Chinese medicine, which can treat many diseases clinically. For patients with arteriosclerosis, moxibustion therapy can improve some clinical symptoms caused by arteriosclerosis. However, one should not rely solely on moxibustion for the treatment of atherosclerosis, as the mechanism of atherosclerosis is due to the disorder of lipid metabolism and the hardening of arterial walls caused by increased blood lipids. Treatment should include medication and dietary adjustments such as low-salt, low-sugar, and low-fat diets, and avoiding fatty meats, animal offal, and seafood high in cholesterol.
The difference between arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are two different concepts. Arteriosclerosis is a type of vascular disease within arteriosclerosis, but atherosclerosis is more commonly significant clinically. Hence, it is customarily referred to simply as arteriosclerosis, generally implying atherosclerosis. The causes of arteriosclerosis are numerous, but they share common characteristics including thickening, hardening, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the arterial walls. Atherosclerosis is characterized by lesions starting in the innermost layer of the artery, involving local accumulation of lipids, complex carbohydrates, fibrous tissue proliferation, and calcification forming plaques, along with a gradual degeneration of the innermost layer. The lipid accumulation gives the inner layer a yellowish, porridge-like appearance, hence the name atherosclerosis.
How is arteriosclerosis treated?
The treatment of arteriosclerosis includes general preventive measures, pharmacological treatment interventions, and surgical interventions. General protective measures include reasonable dietary practices, appropriate physical exercise, proper arrangement of work and life, maintaining a pleasant mood, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, and controlling some disease-related risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, etc. The main pharmacological treatment focuses on lipid-lowering and antiplatelet medication. For some patients with symptoms of angina pectoris, such as symptoms of target organ damage, treatment may involve dilating the blood vessels. Interventional treatment indications are now relatively broad. For some who are not suitable for interventional procedures, surgical treatments can be considered.
Causes of Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis, the most common and important type of arteriosclerosis, is characterized by thickening and hardening of the arterial walls, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the lumen. The causes are currently considered to be related to several factors, including age and gender, with older males being more prone. Patients with abnormal blood lipids, hypertension, smokers, those with diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, obese patients, and those with a family history are all more likely to develop arteriosclerosis. Due to the incomplete certainty of the causes, its prevention and control are also managed through multiple factors.