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What is Vascular Disease?
Vascular Disease is a condition that affects the blood flow. This may be caused due to blockage, damage or weakened blood vessels i.e. the arteries and veins.Although everyone is aware about the manifestations, diagnosis and management of heart diseases, other vascular diseases are often overlooked as they can present with a wide variety of symptoms and signs and eventually result in increased morbidity. In fact, the magnitude of the problem of vascular diseases in our country is nearly half as that of heart diseases.
Types Of Vascular Disease
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Once the plaque worsens, it completely blocks the arteries that can damage sensitive organs. Lower limb arteries are the most commonly affected and the usual PAD symptoms are associated with leg muscles not getting enough blood. It may cause difficulty in walking first then, painful foot ulcers, infections, and even gangrene, which could require amputation. People with PAD are three times more likely to die of heart attacks or strokes than those without PAD.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a serious condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein located deep inside your body. A blood clot is a clump of blood that’s turned to a solid state.
Deep vein blood clots typically form in your thigh or lower leg, but they can also develop in other areas of your body. Other names associated with this condition may include thromboembolism, post-thrombotic syndrome, and postphlebitic syndrome.
Vascular Malformation
Vascular malformations are rare with some types found in less than 1 percent of the population. If you have one, chances are it developed before you were born—many types of vascular malformations don’t cause symptoms until they are triggered by such events as adolescence, pregnancy, or some major surgery, trauma or injury.
Vascular malformations are a result of the abnormal growth and development of a single type of vessel or a combination of vessels. Over the years, malformations can grow larger and become problematic depending on what type(s) of vessel is involved. They can be harmless and minor or very serious, sometimes even life-threatening.
Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are large, swollen veins that often appear on the legs and feet. They happen when the valves in the veins do not work properly, so the blood does not flow effectively.
The veins rarely need treatment for health reasons, but if swelling, aching, and painful legs result, and if there is considerable discomfort, treatment is available.
There are various options, including some home remedies.
In severe cases, a varicose vein may rupture, or develop into varicose ulcers on the skin. These will require treatment.
Carotid Artery Diseases
Stroke deprives your brain of oxygen. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. Stroke is the most common cause of death and the leading cause of permanent disability in the U.S.
Carotid artery disease develops slowly. The first sign that you have the condition may be a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A TIA is a temporary shortage of blood flow to your brain.
Treatment of carotid artery disease usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and sometimes surgery.
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is the enlargement of an artery caused by weakness in the arterial wall. Often there are no symptoms, but a ruptured aneurysm can lead to fatal complications.
An aneurysm refers to a weakening of an artery wall that creates a bulge, or distention, of the artery.
Most aneurysms do not show symptoms and are not dangerous. However, at their most severe stage, some can rupture, leading to life-threatening internal bleeding.
Types Of Vascular Disease
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Once the plaque worsens, it completely blocks the arteries that can damage sensitive organs. Lower limb arteries are the most commonly affected and the usual PAD symptoms are associated with leg muscles not getting enough blood. It may cause difficulty in walking first then, painful foot ulcers, infections, and even gangrene, which could require amputation. People with PAD are three times more likely to die of heart attacks or strokes than those without PAD.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a serious condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein located deep inside your body. A blood clot is a clump of blood that’s turned to a solid state.
Deep vein blood clots typically form in your thigh or lower leg, but they can also develop in other areas of your body. Other names associated with this condition may include thromboembolism, post-thrombotic syndrome, and postphlebitic syndrome.
Vascular Malformation
Vascular malformations are rare with some types found in less than 1 percent of the population. If you have one, chances are it developed before you were born—many types of vascular malformations don’t cause symptoms until they are triggered by such events as adolescence, pregnancy, or some major surgery, trauma or injury.
Vascular malformations are a result of the abnormal growth and development of a single type of vessel or a combination of vessels. Over the years, malformations can grow larger and become problematic depending on what type(s) of vessel is involved. They can be harmless and minor or very serious, sometimes even life-threatening.
Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are large, swollen veins that often appear on the legs and feet. They happen when the valves in the veins do not work properly, so the blood does not flow effectively.
The veins rarely need treatment for health reasons, but if swelling, aching, and painful legs result, and if there is considerable discomfort, treatment is available.
There are various options, including some home remedies.
In severe cases, a varicose vein may rupture, or develop into varicose ulcers on the skin. These will require treatment.
Carotid Artery Diseases
Stroke deprives your brain of oxygen. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. Stroke is the most common cause of death and the leading cause of permanent disability in the U.S.
Carotid artery disease develops slowly. The first sign that you have the condition may be a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A TIA is a temporary shortage of blood flow to your brain.
Treatment of carotid artery disease usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and sometimes surgery.
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is the enlargement of an artery caused by weakness in the arterial wall. Often there are no symptoms, but a ruptured aneurysm can lead to fatal complications.
An aneurysm refers to a weakening of an artery wall that creates a bulge, or distention, of the artery.
Most aneurysms do not show symptoms and are not dangerous. However, at their most severe stage, some can rupture, leading to life-threatening internal bleeding.
Symptoms?
Vascular dementia symptoms vary, depending on the part of your brain where blood flow is impaired. Symptoms often overlap with those of other types of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
Vascular dementia signs and symptoms include:
- Confusion
- Trouble paying attention and concentrating
- Reduced ability to organize thoughts or actions
- Decline in ability to analyze a situation, develop an effective plan and communicate that plan to others
- Difficulty deciding what to do next
- Problems with memory
- Restlessness and agitation
- Unsteady gait
- Sudden or frequent urge to urinate or inability to control passing urine
- Depression or apathy
Your Vascular System
The vascular system is also known as the circulatory system is made up of vessels that carry blood and lymph throughout the body.
The blood vessels are:
- Arteries: They carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart. The main artery from the heart is called the aorta.
- Veins: They carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.
- Capillaries: They are tiny blood vessels or connections between veins and arteries that distribute oxygen-rich blood to different tissues in the body.
This way the blood vessels carry oxygen and nutrients to the body and take away all the tissue waste.
Lymph vessels carry lymphatic fluid which is responsible for controlling and protecting the fluid in the body.
The Vascular system is important in the proper functioning of all other systems of the body too.
- Digestive System: Digested food is sent to the tissues of the body via blood which is carried by capillaries that pick up those nutrients from the intestines.
- Respiratory System: Blood passed from the heart is oxygenated in the lungs and this oxygenated blood then travels from the heart to the entire body.
- Urinary System: Waste is filtered out from the blood with the help of kidneys that remove it from the body in the form of urine.
- Temperature Control System: Body temperature is maintained with the right flow of blood to each part of the body. With age, if not taken care of, these blood vessels cause certain issues that are related to the vascular system’s healthy running.
As we age, our arteries tend to thicken, get stiffer, and narrow. This is called arteriosclerosis. A form of arteriosclerosis is atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of plaque and cholesterol in large and medium-sized arteries. A narrowing of the arteries from the build-up of plaque can lead to coronary heart disease and can cause a heart attack when this occurs in the blood vessels leading to the heart.
The same situation in the arteries leading to the brain can cause strokes. Narrowing of the arteries in other places, such as your legs, can cause what is called Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD. PAD can lead to pain on walking, ulcers, or eventually end up with an amputation.
Causes
Vascular dementia results from conditions that damage your brain’s blood vessels, reducing their ability to supply your brain with the amounts of nutrition and oxygen it needs to perform thought processes effectively.
Stroke (infarction) blocking a brain artery.
Strokes that block a brain artery usually cause a range of symptoms that may include vascular dementia. But some strokes don’t cause any noticeable symptoms. These silent strokes still increase dementia risk.
With both silent and apparent strokes, the risk of vascular dementia increases with the number of strokes that occur over time. One type of vascular dementia involving many strokes is called multi-infarct dementia.
Narrowed or chronically damaged brain blood vessels.
Conditions that narrow or inflict long-term damage on your brain blood vessels also can lead to vascular dementia. These conditions include the wear and tear associated with aging, high blood pressure, abnormal aging of blood vessels (atherosclerosis), diabetes, and brain hemorrhage.
Causes
Vascular dementia results from conditions that damage your brain’s blood vessels, reducing their ability to supply your brain with the amounts of nutrition and oxygen it needs to perform thought processes effectively.
Stroke (infarction) blocking a brain artery.
Strokes that block a brain artery usually cause a range of symptoms that may include vascular dementia. But some strokes don’t cause any noticeable symptoms. These silent strokes still increase dementia risk.
With both silent and apparent strokes, the risk of vascular dementia increases with the number of strokes that occur over time. One type of vascular dementia involving many strokes is called multi-infarct dementia.
Narrowed or chronically damaged brain blood vessels.
Conditions that narrow or inflict long-term damage on your brain blood vessels also can lead to vascular dementia. These conditions include the wear and tear associated with aging, high blood pressure, abnormal aging of blood vessels (atherosclerosis), diabetes, and brain hemorrhage.
Risk factors
In general, the risk factors for vascular dementia are the same as those for heart disease and stroke. Risk factors for vascular dementia include:
- Increasing age. Your risk of vascular dementia rises as you grow older. The disorder is rare before age 65, and the risk rises substantially by your 90s.
- History of heart attack, strokes or ministrokes. If you’ve had a heart attack, you may be at increased risk of having blood vessel problems in your brain. The brain damage that occurs with a stroke or a ministroke (transient ischemic attack) may increase your risk of developing dementia.
- Abnormal aging of blood vessels (atherosclerosis). This condition occurs when deposits of cholesterol and other substances (plaques) build up in your arteries and narrow your blood vessels. Atherosclerosis can increase your risk of vascular dementia by reducing the flow of blood that nourishes your brain.
- High cholesterol. Elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, are associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia.
- High blood pressure. When your blood pressure’s too high, it puts extra stress on blood vessels everywhere in your body, including your brain. This increases the risk of vascular problems in the brain.
- Diabetes. High glucose levels damage blood vessels throughout your body. Damage in brain blood vessels can increase your risk of stroke and vascular dementia.
- Smoking. Smoking directly damages your blood vessels, increasing your risk of atherosclerosis and other circulatory diseases, including vascular dementia.
- Obesity. Being overweight is a well-known risk factor for vascular diseases in general, and therefore, presumably increases your risk of vascular dementia.
- Atrial fibrillation. In this abnormal heart rhythm, the upper chambers of your heart begin to beat rapidly and irregularly, out of coordination with your heart’s lower chambers. Atrial fibrillation increases your risk of stroke because it causes blood clots to form in the heart that can break off and go to the brain blood vessels.
Prevention
The health of your brain’s blood vessels is closely linked to your overall heart health. Taking these steps to keep your heart healthy may also help reduce your risk of vascular dementia:
- Maintain a healthy blood pressure. Keeping your blood pressure in the normal range may help prevent both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Prevent or control diabetes. Avoiding the onset of type 2 diabetes, with diet and exercise, is another possible way to decrease your risk of dementia. If you already have diabetes, controlling your glucose levels may help protect your brain blood vessels from damage.
- Quit smoking. Smoking tobacco damages blood vessels everywhere in your body.
- Get physical exercise. Regular physical activity should be a key part of everyone’s wellness plan. In addition to all of its other benefits, exercise may help you avoid vascular dementia.
- Keep your cholesterol in check. A healthy, low-fat diet and cholesterol-lowering medications if you need them may reduce your risk of strokes and heart attacks that could lead to vascular dementia, probably by reducing the amount of plaque deposits building up inside your brain’s arteries.
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