Today atherosclerosis is the most common cause mortality among the population developed countries. The main factors in the development of cholesterol plaques: bad condition vascular walls, abuse of fatty foods, smoking, alcoholism, physical inactivity, genetic predisposition, chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, obesity), elderly age and male gender.
Where does cholesterol come from?
Identification high cholesterol will now allow you and your doctor to work together to make changes that subsequently reduce your baby's risk of developing heart disease. If you never ate another bowl of ice cream or another cheeseburger, your body would have enough cholesterol for uninterrupted operation. This is because the liver does enough for healthy body function. The rest comes from the foods we eat.
What are the types of cholesterol?
Although vegetables, fruits and grains do not have cholesterol, these foods are from animals. Egg yolks seafood dairy products. . Cholesterol does not move through the body on its own. It must combine with proteins to pass through the bloodstream to where it is needed. Cholesterol and protein moving together are called lipoproteins.
Cholesterol is a fat and has very important functions in organism. It is included in the structure of all cells and is involved in the process of hormone production. Most cholesterol is produced in the liver, and the rest comes from food. In the human body, it is part of lipoproteins (a complex of fats and proteins), and then transferred from the liver to cells and tissues. Excess cholesterol settles in the liver and is excreted genitourinary system. If this process fails, the integrity and barrier function of the inner layer of blood vessels is disrupted, and atherosclerosis develops.
Two types - low density lipoprotein and lipoprotein high density are the ones that most of us have heard of. Low-density lipoproteins, or “bad cholesterol,” are the primary carriers of cholesterol. This buildup forms plaque, a thick, hard substance that can cause blood vessels to become stiffer, narrower, or blocked. Plaque makes it easier for blood clots to form. If a blood clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, the result may be heart attack or stroke.
Initial changes occur around the age of twenty, and reach a peak at the age of forty, when the plaques become critical and life-threatening. Penetrating through the walls of blood vessels, the amount of cholesterol increases, the vessels narrow, and normal blood flow is impossible. The blood flow to the organs and systems of the human body almost stops, inflammation and blood clots can develop.
Atherosclerosis can also reduce blood flow to other vital organs, including the intestines or kidneys. High density lipoproteins, or " good cholesterol", carry cholesterol from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is processed and sent out of the body, and can even remove cholesterol from existing areas of plaque.
Three main factors contribute to high cholesterol levels. Diet: diet with high content fats, especially saturated and trans fats heredity: having a parent or parent with high cholesterol: associated with both diet and lack of physical exercise. Children who are physically active eat healthy food, Dont Have family history with high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, and overweight have a lower risk of developing high cholesterol.
Symptoms of vascular atherosclerosis
For a long time obvious signs There are no formations of cholesterol plaques, since the vessels compensate for their appearance by bulging outward. However, under the influence of various factors, be it physical activity, hypertension or arrhythmia atherosclerotic plaques lose stability, and cracks and ruptures appear in the vessels. This is how blood clots develop, causing vasoconstriction. At this stage there appear clinical manifestations which the patient may already notice.
How is high cholesterol diagnosed?
Your doctor can help you decide when to get your child's cholesterol levels checked. Screening is recommended for children who. Your doctor may order a simple blood test, usually on an empty stomach, to tell you whether your child's cholesterol is too high. During screening healthy children without risk factors, a non-fasting blood test can be used.
How is high cholesterol treated?
They should be tested again after 3-6 months of lifestyle intervention. For children with additional risk factors, treatment may be considered for even more low levels. Here are 10 ways to help keep your family's cholesterol at healthy levels.
Depending on the localization of cholesterol plaques in certain arteries, the symptoms and clinical picture are different. For atherosclerosis coronary arteries heart disease, angina pectoris or heart attack occurs. If the aorta is affected, then heaviness occurs behind the sternum, pressing pain, radiating to the arms, back and neck. When the kidney vessels are damaged, the patient develops hypertension.
Know your own cholesterol levels—and if they're high, have your kids tested. Choose from a variety of protein foods, including lean meats and poultry, fish, nuts, beans, peas and soy products. Read nutrition facts labels so you can limit your intake of cholesterol and saturated and trans fats. For children over 2 years of age and teens: Limit cholesterol levels to 300 milligrams per day while maintaining saturated fats to less than 10% of calories, avoiding trans fats as much as possible. 
Serve the diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. . His team is also developing new imaging techniques to better predict who might have an associated event.
Fast fatiguability, decreased attention, memory and performance may indicate cerebral atherosclerosis. The progression of the disease is indicated by symptoms such as insomnia and dizziness, and a complication is indicated by a violation cerebral circulation, hemorrhages and thromboses.
Prevention
Prevention of the appearance of cholesterol plaques in blood vessels is the elimination of factors influencing their development. This means that it is necessary to exclude fatty foods from the diet, give up alcohol and smoking, and normalize physical activity and avoid stressful situations.
Why do arteries become narrow? Blocked arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, are the accumulation of fibrous and fatty material inside the arteries and are the main condition that causes ischemic disease heart and other circulatory diseases. Atherosclerosis can affect all arteries, but especially those that supply blood to the heart, arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain, and arteries that supply the legs. This can eventually lead to symptoms such as chest pain or lead to life-threatening conditions such as a heart attack or stroke. Most dangerous result atherosclerosis occurs when plaque ruptures.
Atherosclerosis is an insidious and sluggish disease, and its complications directly threaten health and life. Therefore, a preventive visit to the doctor, observation and testing once a year is a necessary minimum. This is especially true for people whose predisposition to atherosclerosis is a hereditary factor.
Fatty material begins to accumulate in the lining of the artery wall when we are quite young. The material is “foreign” to our bodies and therefore causes inflammation. The artery attempts to clear the inflammation by repairing the tissue by creating a compaction of fibrous material over the fatty core.
Over time, this forms a plaque consisting of fatty material, inflammation and fibrous fabric Around him. This process gradually continues so that more atheroma accumulates, causing more inflammation, resulting in an enlarged plaque. It may take many years for the plaque growth to have a significant effect.
How much human body can be hardy and strong if trained, but it weakens and becomes fragile if the wrong lifestyle is used. Ignorance of what is harmful to health often leads to problems with it. The appearance of a disease such as atherosclerosis is no exception. “Incorrect” lipids play a significant role in its development, therefore, without knowing, for example, what the norm of cholesterol is in women after 50 years, you can get a stroke, which can really be avoided by simply changing your diet.
What are the potential consequences of atherosclerosis? The disease can be silent for many decades. But once the plaque reaches a certain size, the artery can become so narrowed that not enough blood can flow through, which can cause pain or discomfort, typically during exercise. This can occur either in the chest due to lack of blood flowing to the heart, or in calves due to lack of blood flowing to the legs.
Blood flowing over top part plaque can thicken, causing a blockage in the artery, which can lead to a heart attack, or it can be carried downstream, causing a stroke. Isn't atherosclerosis a natural part of the aging process?
The concept of "cholesterol"
Invisible by the human eye The lipid that is found in every human cell membrane is called cholesterol. It is produced by the liver, and then it travels through the blood to all cells. It is multifunctional and is involved in processes such as the production of hormones: both adrenal and reproductive. Also, its “responsibilities” include converting ultraviolet light into vitamin D and taking part in the metabolism of vitamins A, K, D and E.
Atherosclerosis, which causes artery disease, is a very common process. One of the most big factors The risk of developing atherosclerosis is age, so it is more common among people aged 60 to 70 years, although there are many older people who do not have significant atherosclerosis. The first signs of atherosclerosis may appear in early age in people aged 20 to 30 years, but at this stage it often does not cause any problems and can be very a long period when the disease is silent.
What is cholesterol plaque?
The presence of risk factors for atherosclerosis and not healthy image life means you are more likely to get sick at a younger age. The main message is to look at your lifestyle and see if there are any changes you can make to reduce your risk.
Each person has their own level of cholesterol in the blood, but there are still some criteria in terms of gender and age. For example, the level of cholesterol in the blood of women after 50 years is significantly different from its level in a young girl. Lipids are delivered through the blood by lipoproteins, of which there are three types, and not all of them have a positive effect on human health.
Many people with blocked arteries or atherosclerosis do not know they have it until they exhibit symptoms such as angina or claudication. Unfortunately, sometimes the first time someone realizes they have atherosclerosis is when they have an event such as a stroke or heart attack. Yours blood pressure, cholesterol and medical history are all taken to calculate the risk of an event such as a heart attack or stroke.
If you find that you have high risk have an event, you will be advised to make changes to your lifestyle and gain control. You will also likely be advised to take medications such as a statin to reduce your risk. Can atherosclerosis be reversed or slowed down?
- Low density lipoproteins have a bad effect on the human body, they are the causes of cardiovascular diseases.
- High density lipoproteins are natural for the body and bring only benefits to it. One of their functions is to remove “bad” cholesterol from the organs through the liver, where it is broken down.
- Triglycerides form blood lipids. They give a person energy, but if there are too many of them, they lead to obesity.
Thus, in order to know, for example, what is the normal level of cholesterol in the blood of women after 50 years of age, it is better to have a blood test done. This will help you take action in time and avoid serious consequences.
How to get rid of cholesterol plaques?
Living a healthy lifestyle and managing your risk factors is vital important to slow the progression of the disease. The disease is progressing, and, unfortunately, current treatment methods cannot melt it away. However, there are things you can do to slow its progression and significantly reduce the chance of a heart attack or stroke.
For example, the medicine may slow the rate at which fatty material accumulates. The drugs can also stabilize plaque and make it less likely to rupture, so you're much less likely to have a stroke or heart attack. Or, if you have narrowings in multiple coronary arteries, you may be advised to have coronary artery bypass surgery. Likewise, significant narrowings in the legs or pelvic arteries may be treated with angioplasty and stenting or sometimes bypass surgery.
Cholesterol: normal in women after 50 years
Treatment may not be necessary if you take good care of your health. To do this, you need to know the level of cholesterol in the blood. Depending on age, the amount of cholesterol in people's bodies changes. The main role in this is played by the lifestyle they lead. For example, cholesterol, the norm in women after 50 years of age changes due to the onset of menopause, may be elevated precisely because of changes in hormonal levels.
If you have significant disease in one or both carotid arteries in the neck, they are sometimes treated surgically. The known disease arteriosclerosis is referred to in medicine as atherosclerosis or atherosclerosis. This is a disorder blood vessel, which carries oxygenated blood from the heart to oxygenate other organs. This leads to vasoconstriction. Arteriosclerosis is caused by the so-called plaque, which, in turn, may consist of fats, lime, Bluetegrine and connective tissue.
Over the years, it attaches to the walls of the vessel, allowing it to pass less and less less blood. This process can begin in adolescence, when a person consumes a lot of fat and sugar-rich foods and does not exercise enough. Ion heart disease, heart attack, stroke and are thus one of the leading causes of death in Germany. Other consequences may be diseases of the coronary arteries, peripheral arterial diseases, narrowing of the arteries of the legs and, consequently, loss of limbs.
Changes in lipid metabolism may be due to various factors, for example, during pregnancy, cholesterol levels rise, and this is normal, with cardiovascular diseases it is elevated, and this is not considered normal. Therefore, of course, it is possible to determine the normal level of cholesterol in the blood of women after 50 years of age. The table with indicators used by doctors, however, is still somewhat arbitrary.
Cholerestin turns into fatty foam cells, which then cause plaque on the vessel walls over time. In addition, other factors are at risk for arteriosclerosis. First of all, smoking, high blood pressure, increased level cholesterol, diabetes, lack of exercise and obesity can cause this form of clogged blood vessels.
Information from the practice of natural healing by Rene Graber. That's right, atherosclerosis is actually called atherosclerosis, as it rather describes the repair of blood vessels. Doctors actually call it even more correctly, like atherosclerosis, but, of course, these are “Latin subtleties”, because the problem is the same.
Cholesterol plaques on the face
Atherosclerosis is a disease that develops unnoticed, most often affecting men over the age of forty, and women four times less often. The consequences of atherosclerosis are: serious illnesses such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Today they pose the main danger to human life, since according to statistics they occupy first place in mortality in all countries, regardless of the level of development. Cholesterol plaques are the main structure of atherosclerosis and represent dangerous damaging factors of the disease.
Education mechanism
The occurrence of plaques is associated with a violation fat metabolism. It has been proven that one of the components of fat metabolism is the process of formation and utilization of lipoproteins and triglycerides. They are produced at night by liver cells from animal fat received with food, enter the bloodstream, reach cellular level, where they participate in building tissue structure, synthesis of hormones and vitamins. The remains are returned to the liver for destruction. As the name suggests, lipoproteins are compounds of fat molecules and protein. The fat part is the well-known cholesterol.
Scientists have discovered three fractions of lipoproteins that play a role in the development of atherosclerosis: high density, low and very low density.
If it accumulates too much a large number of lipoproteins (either a lot of fat came from food, or the liver is not able to process), their harmful effect on the vascular wall begins. Moreover, high-density lipoproteins have positive influence, and low - serve building material for cholesterol plaque. The names “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol” have taken root.
What is cholesterol plaque?
For a plaque to appear, two conditions are necessary:
- imbalance of fat metabolism;
- damage to the inner wall of the vessel.
Normally, a certain balance is maintained between “good” and “bad” cholesterol, with high-density lipoproteins predominating. With atherosclerosis, the proportion of protein-fat complexes of low and very low density increases.
Minor damage appears on the intima (inner lining) of large and medium-sized arteries. Especially often in places where blood vessels branch. Scientific evidence links them to a viral infection. For influenza, acute respiratory disease, herpes on the lips and wings of the nose, viruses are found not only on the external mucous membranes, but also in the blood vessels. This is proven by parallel data on increased mortality from stroke and heart attack during an outbreak of respiratory diseases. viral infections and flu. Chlamydial infection and cytomegalovirus have the same effect.
- stage of fat stain - at the site of damage vascular wall loosened and swollen, it is protected from external influence by enzymes. When their reserves run out, “bad” cholesterol is deposited in the damaged intima. The duration of this process varies, the existence of a spot with childhood, since under a microscope it is detected in children.
- connective tissue fibers appear and grow in the fatty spot, it becomes denser, but is still loose and soft. At this stage, the cholesterol plaque can be dissolved and the vessel freed. On the other hand, there is a danger of a piece of plaque tearing off, causing a blood clot to form and blocking the artery. The wall at the site of the lesion becomes denser and ulcerated, which promotes rupture and further increases the risk of blood clots.
- Calcium salts are deposited (atherocalcinosis), plaque thickens and grows. Dissolution is no longer possible. Conditions have been created to slow blood flow and accumulate platelets. They form blood clots (thrombus), which causes clinical manifestations. At rapid development acute sudden illness occurs or chronic course with gradual blocking of blood access to the affected organ.
Symptoms caused by cholesterol plaques
The atherosclerotic process affects arterial vessels middle and large size. Venous and lymphatic vessels, and small capillaries are not damaged. The favorite place for the development of plaques is elastic vessels ( major arteries, including the thoracic and abdominal aorta, femoral artery) and muscular-elastic type (carotid artery, vessels of the heart, brain, kidneys).
The presence of cholesterol plaques in the vessels of the heart leads to disruption of the blood supply to the myocardium ( muscle tissue) and causes chronic coronary insufficiency in the form of angina attacks or acute heart attack. The degree of heart damage depends on the area of damage, extent, and the body’s ability to develop additional blood circulation (collateral vessels).
Cholesterol plaques in the vessels of the neck impair the nutrition of all organs located in the head. First of all, the brain, the eyes. This is expressed by a decrease in their functional abilities: memory, vision, thinking process, and learning capabilities. Attacks of headaches with nausea and vomiting, increased blood pressure and development hypertension also associated with atherosclerosis of blood vessels in the brain and kidneys, cholesterol plaques in carotid artery. When a blood clot or part of a plaque suddenly breaks off, acute disorder blood supply - stroke with complete or partial paralysis, disturbances internal organs. Clinical picture depends on the location of the thrombus.
After sixty years of age, patients may experience symptoms of plaque location in thoracic region aorta. Clinically, this is manifested by incessant pain in the chest, radiating to the back. Unlike angina, they do not depend on physical activity or stress. A serious complication is aortic rupture.
In case of defeat femoral artery and blood vessels of the legs, coldness of the legs occurs, lameness that forces one to stop from pain, gangrene of the foot with severe pain and tissue decomposition.
Changes renal artery can completely remove the organ from working condition, which leads to chronic renal failure, accumulation of nitrogenous substances and wastes not excreted in the urine. Malnutrition of the adrenal glands causes persistent uncontrolled hypertension.
Blockage of the abdominal aorta causes abdominal pain, necrosis of intestinal tissue, and pancreas.
The development of early atherosclerosis of the pelvic vessels is detected with a decrease in potency and erectile dysfunction in men.
Cholesterol deposits are possible on the skin of the joints, neck, and chest. Occurs more often in women. However, they are in no way connected with the vessels. The correct name for cholesterol plaques on the face is xanthelasma. They appear as a result of impaired fat metabolism. Some authors even consider them to be a kind of marker of the degree of development of the atherosclerotic process in the body.
Xanthelasmas have a round, flat or lumpy structure, ranging in size from very small to pea-sized. This benign formations. They grow throughout life, are painless, soft to the touch. The location of cholesterol plaques in the eyes is clear cosmetic defect, does not affect vision. Doctors' recommendations for following a diet are the same as for the development of atherosclerosis. Xanthelasma can grow and reappear in a neighboring place. At the request of the patient, cholesterol plaques on the eyelids are removed using cold exposure (cryotherapy), thermocoagulation, laser beam, or surgery.
How to stop atherosclerosis?
Put away cholesterol plaques You can't use medications. Various surgical methods are used for this.
First of all, patients must undergo a complete diagnostic examination, including determination of an extended lipogram, electrocardiographic study, ultrasonography heart, kidney. The capabilities of the brain are studied using computed tomography, electroencephalography. By introducing contrast agents during angiography and magnetic resonance imaging, the location and size of the blood clot in the vessel is determined.
During the operation, the surgeon removes part of the plaque along with the blood clot. The viability of the affected organ and the person himself depends on how quickly to remove cholesterol plaques.
On initial stages diseases (fat stains), drugs such as enzymes are used to dissolve cholesterol plaques, but they must be injected directly into the site of the lesion of the vessel. Such treatment is very complex and is only possible in specialized vascular centers. Therefore, it is much more realistic to think not about how to get rid of cholesterol plaques, but how to prevent their early appearance, about the possibilities of preventing atherosclerosis.
There are two types of causes for the development of atherosclerosis:
- reasons that we cannot influence (age, hereditary predisposition, gender);
- within the capabilities of a person if desired.
It is the second option that should interest people after forty years.
Five areas have been identified in which the role of the individual is important:
- binge eating fatty foods animal origin - causes the body to enter excess “bad” cholesterol, which the liver is not able to cope with;
- lack of active movements - limits the consumption of cholesterol by the body, the disturbed balance of fat metabolism leads to pathology;
- smoking and alcoholism - one of the effects of nicotine and alcohol comes down to toxic damage liver, the organ cannot cope with the processing of fats;
- excess weight - leads to disruption of all types of metabolism, including fat;
- increased susceptibility to stress - the body is constantly under the influence of the hormone adrenaline, this disrupts the adaptive mechanism and causes the accumulation of low-density lipoproteins.
Causes of atherosclerosis
The diet for lipid metabolism disorders should exclude animal fats (fatty meat, lard, butter, cream), sweet and flour dishes, requires a daily intake of at least 0.4 kg of vegetables and fruits. It has been proven that only with the help of a diet for a month the level of “bad” cholesterol can be reduced by ten%.
Exercise stress should be dosed, up to 40 minutes daily. Walking, swimming, and cycling are recommended. Under no circumstances should you engage in strength sports after the age of 50.
Resistance to stress can be developed through auto-training and taking light herbal sedatives.
Statins are widely used among medications that help lower cholesterol. Select the required medicinal product the doctor will help.
