Atherosclerosis – Symptoms, Causes, prevention and Treatment

The interior of atherosclerosis of the arteries are thickened, hardened and strengthened, whereby the space for the circulation of blood to narrowed or closed. This reduces the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues.
The main symptom is pain, poor organ function and bad general condition. Other consequences are tissue damage, sometimes acute damage caused by the stop formed as a result of blood flow by a blood clot suddenly narrowed areas.

Mechanisms and causes of atherosclerosis
The inner walls of the arteries consisting of an inner layer of endothelial cells (cell surface), and among these, a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis take place in endothelial cells and in this muscle layer. Changes include: A degree of cell proliferation or tumor, gathering of cholesterol and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrin.
The deposits are called atherosclerotic plaque or atheroma. Atherosclerosis is one of several types of thickening and hardening artery. A common name for thickening and hardening of the arteries, "atherosclerosis" is. Often atherosclerosis is also just called arteriosclerosis.
The development of atherosclerosis probably begins by a damage in the endothelium. This damage causes cholesterol and fat in the blood vessel walls to enter and accumulate there. This also induces cells to proliferate. Later also calcium salts are deposited.
Factors that cause endothelial damage and thus atherosclerosis are:-High levels of cholesterol in the blood.High-fat and blood saturated fat in particular.Inflammation in the blood vessels. A sign of such inflammation is the presence of a substance called C-reactive protein.Large amount of oxidizing agent in the blood.High blood pressure.The high-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood serum, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of a molecule of protein and fat or cholesterol. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol or fat from place to place.Diabetes.Old age.Smoking.Men have a slightly higher risk of the disease than women.High contents of the amino acid homocysteine ​​in the blood serum.
Many of these factors are ultimately caused by a bad diet and lack of daily exercise.

Symptoms and consequences of atherosclerosis
Since atherosclerosis can affect all body parts, the symptoms vary. However, the symptoms of the body parts involved:-Reduction of power, tiring easily.Pain, physical activity, so called anoxic pain.Occurring in severe impairment of blood circulation tissue damage or inflammation.
When the heart is affected, the symptoms are:General disrepair.-Anoxic pain from the heart and surroundings by physical activity, called angina.Feeling of not enough air, or breathing problems.
Atherosclerosis clots that close the blood flow. There are several ways this can happen:
The plaque can rupture, so that. A sore in the inner wall of the tank with such a wound the blood coagulates to form a blood clot.Atherosclerotic plaque itself can grow to close a blood vessel.May tear clotted blood in an affected area loosely, swim through the bloodstream to another place and support a blood vessel in the new location.Part of the panel itself can break off and clog another blood vessel.
When the heart is struck by a blood clot, heart tissue is suddenly destroyed, a condition called heart attack, heart failure or sudden death what.
If a blood clot affects brain tissue brain damaged or destroyed, reducing paralysis, unconsciousness, coma or other sudden functional impairments.

The prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis can be prevented, and a portion extending be cured by these measures, most of which are lifestyle adjustments:
-Eat only a small or moderate amount of fat.-Eat only a moderate amount of sugar.Olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, walnut oil and fish:-The fat consumed should be a mixture of different types of unsaturated fatty acids from sources such than his own. Then you have enough mono-unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but not too much of one of them.-Eat lots of fish and some red meat.-Eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables per day.Enough vitamins, minerals and antioxidants power.-Only moderate amount of salt.Stop-smoking.-Getting high blood pressure treated if lifestyle measures do not bring blood pressure down.-Daily exercise fitted for his own condition.Do you stress in daily life and at work.Stressing down and getting enough rest.
High levels of cholesterol that do not respond properly to lifestyle measures, cholesterol-lowering drugs are used, such as HMG-CoA reductase.
By serious local narrowing of an artery, surgery to clean and widen the artery is sometimes performed. Sometimes the artery is replaced with a graft from another part of the body or through an artificial vessel deleted. When this happens in the heart, it is considered a coronary bypass.
Alternative treatment to clean the arteries is an option. There are, for example, a treatment consisting of EDTA charged substance component of the plaque in the arteries. The molecules of this substance can enter around other molecules, for example cholesterol molecules, and carry them. However, there is controversy about the effectiveness of this treatment, called chelation therapy.