General symptoms of vascular diseases. Problems with the heart and blood vessels: what is the reason, how to prevent

On the this moment the question of how to strengthen blood vessels is relevant for almost every woman. What is the cause of weak blood vessels and what can happen if they are not taken care of? What factors exacerbate the problem? What are the means that strengthen blood vessels? What foods must be in your daily diet?

Signs of problems with blood vessels, when you need to strengthen blood vessels

TO anxiety symptoms, saying that it is worth taking care of your vessels, can be attributed :

Periodic dizziness, often a feeling of weakness;

fainting state;

Tendency to motion sickness in transport;

Poor health and regular weakness in the morning and evening;

Darkening in the eyes and discomfort during abrupt change body position;

Poor health in the heat;

Sharp jumps in pressure;

High weather sensitivity;

Body aches, joint pain;

Often cold and usually cold extremities;

Swelling of the legs and arms;

Tachycardia, rapid pulse at rest;

Knock in the temples.

NameWoman warns: even if none of the above points are about you, the mere appearance of small vascular networks on the skin or the formation of bruises on the thighs should be a signal to make an appointment with a phlebologist - a vascular surgeon (if there are bruises, you should pass clinical analysis blood and make a coalogram, a hematologist will help to understand the causes of your problem).

Do not forget that among the causes of problems with blood vessels, the genetic factor stands apart. Be careful if your relatives have varicose veins, cardiovascular diseases. The risk group includes obese people, pregnant women and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Asymptomatic, but if at risk and present disposing factors to problems with blood vessels already at a young age, it is worth visiting a phlebologist for the first time. As with many other health issues, promptness and forethought are essential. If you have problems, contacting a specialist in time, you can go through more easy way treatment. You can make an appointment with a doctor phlebologist in many medical centers, and on the websites of the respective companies to get acquainted with the proposed methods of treatment. So, for example, among the services of the network of centers "Esteti Club" is presented as laser treatment varicose veins, which does not have a recovery period, as well as sclerotherapy and miniphlebectomy: http://estetik.ru/.

An indifferent attitude to the state of one’s vessels, the lack of timely measures to strengthen them is fraught with rosacea, microhemorrhages, varicose veins veins and arterial atherosclerosis. In addition, the load on the heart increases significantly. People who wondered too late how to strengthen blood vessels often experience ischemia.

Most common causes vascular problems:

Sedentary lifestyle (and the worst habit for healthy legs is the “foot on the leg” position), as well as high loads on the legs if you spend most of the day standing (in this case, NameWoman strongly recommends that you consider wearing compression stockings);

Smoking and alcohol abuse;

Constant stress;

Taking oral contraceptives;

genetic factor.

Bad effect on the condition of the walls of blood vessels and insufficient sleep. It is noted that after several sleepless nights to restore blood vessels ten hours of sleep for five days will help.

The issue of strengthening blood vessels is especially acute for people who are overweight, have a tendency to be overweight, as well as those people who have begun to fight for their figure or are rapidly losing weight due to illness, stress or other reasons.

With the appearance of additional kilograms and volumes, our body is forced to rebuild the system of small vessels. The growing tissues of the body need to be supplied with nutrients and oxygen, and additional blood vessels serve this purpose. But in order to support them all, it is also necessary nutrients, which the body usually does not have enough. As a result, old capillaries weaken, and the walls of new blood vessels are initially very thin.

For every additional 10 kg to our body weight, an additional 15 km of vessels are required. Here's another reason why fat people you need to strengthen blood vessels, and losing weight is not allowed to sit on starvation diets, depriving themselves of nutrients.

The risk of vascular problems increases 1.5 times in women with a waist circumference of more than 94 cm, and in men - more than 102 cm.

How to strengthen blood vessels

First of all, try to eliminate the causes of the problem listed above. healthy image life and daily routine are required. Remember that nothing is more important than your health. You should also take care of special meals and physical stress.

Physical activity is desirable to coordinate with the doctor. Hiking and swimming are most useful for strengthening blood vessels. Classes should not be exhausting, but tonic, so it is enough to give them up to half an hour 4 times a week or only 15 minutes every day. Yoga will give a healing effect to both the body and the spirit.

Taking care of strengthening the vessels on the legs, it is necessary to critically evaluate your shoes. High heels are not good for you. The best solution for your health is to vary the height of the heel (very low, high, medium) throughout the day, spending most of the time in shoes with a heel between 4-6 cm.

Vascular strengthening drugs should ideally be prescribed by a doctor. Experts often recommend ascorutin, dihydroquerticin. The reviews on detralex are mostly very positive, this drug improves blood circulation, strengthens the walls of blood vessels and is usually prescribed during the hot season, when the legs swell especially often. Gingko biloba may be recommended to you, but be sure to pay attention to all contraindications to medications and recommendations for taking them. When choosing folk remedies to strengthen blood vessels, it is also advisable to consult a specialist.

Folk remedies to strengthen blood vessels

To improve blood circulation and normalize work circulatory system, to strengthen blood vessels in traditional medicine, such natural preparations as infusions and decoctions of motherwort, succession, chamomile flowers and red clover, mint and lemon balm, rose hips or hawthorn, rowan berries, bay leaf, valerian root, lingonberry leaves.

Pouring cold water- the best answer to the question of how to strengthen the vessels in the legs. Carry out the procedure in the evening. Make the water almost cold and run a jet of water over your legs from the bottom up.

In our articles, we have repeatedly advised readers of one simple exercise for healthy legs. Strengthen blood vessels, improve blood circulation and even reduce the number of meshes and stretch marks on the legs will help next action: lie on your back, raise your arms and legs up, shake your limbs finely. Ideally, this should be done within five minutes. Start with a minute or do the exercise with short breaks. For a tangible effect, you need to do this every day in the morning after waking up. You can do this more often - your body will thank you even more.

More and more often, people have problems with the vessels of the brain: the symptoms of such diseases can seriously ruin life, interfere with active pastime. What is the reason for such problems? They may be associated with age-related changes. With age, the vessels become less elastic, brittle. Cholesterol plaques that accumulate on the walls of blood vessels disrupt blood flow. Also, vascular problems can be a consequence of the disease.

Symptoms

Quite simply, problems with the vessels of the brain are detected: the symptoms of such problems are typical. The doctor can make a primary diagnosis at the first examination, after listening to the patient's complaints. Consider the most common vascular diseases:

Hypertension;
Varicose veins;
Atherosclerosis;
Thrombophlebitis and so on.

Problems with the vessels of the brain can be expressed by the following symptoms:

In some cases, these signs may not indicate vascular problems but about other diseases. For example, about cardiovascular diseases. The exact cause of the symptoms that have arisen can only be identified with the help of an appropriate examination. It can be, for example, computed tomography.

Prevention

Problems with the vessels of the brain are the rule rather than the exception. They often appear with age. Vascular diseases may not be very disturbing in their first stages, and therefore often a person begins treatment only when the disease is already running. For this reason, it is important to be examined in time and monitor your health.

Is it possible to somehow prevent or delay vascular disease? Yes, and plays the first role in this proper nutrition. Increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet. Eliminate fried and spicy food, animal fats. Animal fats are recommended to be replaced with vegetable fats. Be sure to include fish products in your menu, olive oil, pearl barley, grapefruit, nuts, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic. All these products have a positive effect on the condition of blood vessels.

But there are also products that directly carry out preventive action. For example, following products protect blood vessels from the appearance of blood clots:

Ginger;
Cinnamon;
Green tea;
Melon watermelon;
A pineapple.

Proper nutrition is not all that you can do to prevent vascular problems. The most important role is played by an active lifestyle, playing sports. The state of blood vessels is negatively affected by lack of sleep, stress, and a nervous lifestyle. For this reason, it is so important to lead a calm and measured life, work productively and fully relax.

Treatment

There is only one course of action if you have problems with the vessels of the brain: treatment should be carried out in a clinic, under the supervision of a doctor. Treatment can be supplemented with folk methods, but this is only an auxiliary measure, the possibility of which must be discussed with the doctor.

Needs to be diagnosed. Treatment will not give any result if the cause of the problem is incorrectly found. The examination will help to find the root of the disease and direct medical measures in the right direction.

Your doctor will most likely prescribe the following medications:

Medicines that have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism;
sedative medications;
Drugs that promote vasodilation;
Drugs that relieve spasm;
Anticoagulants;
Tranquilizers and sedatives.

Among folk methods can be noted infusions of herbs, medicinal tea. Also auxiliary means in the treatment of blood vessels, therapeutic exercises can become.

From where problems with blood vessels arise and how to avoid them tells Igor Zatevakhin, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Surgical Diseases of the Russian State Medical University.

"AiF": - Vascular diseases are considered the scourge of our time. How inevitable are they?

FROM.:- Vascular diseases are something that almost everyone comes to with age. Atherosclerosis underlies most vascular pathologies. 70% of strokes and heart attacks are associated with damage to the arteries by atherosclerotic plaques. Mortality from cardiovascular vascular diseases one of the highest - up to 52%. Vascular disease is worse than cancer. Cancer can be cured by operating on the patient in a timely manner. No one has yet been able to save a person from atherosclerosis, and no one knows the cause of its occurrence. It is believed that it is caused by metabolic disorders, hereditary predisposition and bad habits (smoking, physical inactivity, fatty food). Although there are sick young, thin, mobile - and with atherosclerotic plaques. There is an assumption that intracellular viral infection may be the basis of atherosclerosis.

"AiF": - Are there external signs, according to which a person can suspect atherosclerosis?

FROM.:- When defeated coronary vessels there are pains in the heart. First during exercise, then at rest. If atherosclerosis occurs in the carotid arteries, vision and hearing deteriorate, dizziness and temporary disturbances occur. cerebral circulation- a person seems to be out of reality for a while. If the process affected femoral arteries- when walking seizes caviar. If there are suspicions, you should consult a doctor and do blood tests for cholesterol and lipids.

Exercise instead of pills

"AiF": - Many patients believe that surgery is inevitable in case of vascular diseases.

FROM.:- In advanced cases, surgical intervention is really inevitable. In the rest - the later a person gets on the surgeon's table, the better. With the help of modern medicines, the disease can be long years restrain without complications.

"AiF": - Vascular diseases require admission a large number drugs with a wide range of contraindications. Can diet and exercise compensate?

FROM.:- At the initial stage of the disease, the right diet can even eliminate the need for vascular protectors. Most effective remedy- Refusal of fats of animal origin. Preference should be given to plant foods, low-fat varieties fish and low-fat dairy products. Physical activity - pill number 1 for vascular diseases. Exercise stimulates the development of blood vessels. Even if the main vascular highway is narrowed, by-pass ways begin to develop during exercise and the patient's condition improves.

"AiF": - ethnoscience for vascular tone recommends a visit to the bath and red wine in moderation.

FROM.:- Red wine has nothing to do with vascular tone - it is rather useful for maintaining the immune system. Despite the fact that the alternation of cold and hot is traditionally considered gymnastics for blood vessels, I cannot recommend the bath to everyone. A visit to the bath is associated with a large loss of fluid, this leads to thickening of the blood. And even a short-term thickening of the blood against the background of narrowed vessels or atherosclerotic plaques can cause thrombosis.

Doctor - yes, positions - no

AiF: - Your clinic has a department of endovascular surgery, which is called the medicine of the future...

FROM.:- Endovascular Surgery - modern direction in angiology, which allows, under x-ray control, through a puncture, to introduce instruments into the lumen of the vessels to restore the affected arteries. In particular, with the help of special cylinders, the pressure in which can reach 16 atmospheres, the atherosclerotic plaque is destroyed and the blood flow is restored.

In case of pulmonary embolism (when a thrombus formed in the veins migrates through the vessels and enters the pulmonary artery through the heart - this disease most often ends in death), a temporary filter is installed in the inferior vena cava, which catches it. This section of angiosurgery requires a specialist to master both the surgical and radiological methods. And this is a new challenge in the training of vascular surgeons. Weakness vascular surgery- prevention. Each clinic should have an angiologist. But there is no such position! So it turns out that doctors save people. instead of treating them.

To fully perform its functions, the human brain needs an uninterrupted supply of blood that delivers oxygen and nutrients to its departments. Blood moves through the vessels: arteries and veins.
If their walls become thinner and covered with "cholesterol plaques", then blood circulation, and, accordingly, the nutrition of the brain worsens. It is from this factor that problems with the vessels of the head and symptoms characteristic of them.

The main signs of pathology

The initial stage of vascular diseases is always asymptomatic, hence many patients turn to the doctor with an already complicated and advanced pathology. Problems with the vessels of the head and neck are their blockage and narrowing, in medical practice the disease is called stenosis.

Pathology has three stages of development, each of which is characterized by certain symptoms:

1 stage: fast fatiguability, occasional mild dizziness, increased drowsiness, difficulty concentrating.
Stage 2: memory impairment, inability to concentrate on anything, headaches, unsteady staggering gait.
Stage 3: dementia, inability to control one's own actions and reflexes, including defecation and urination.

At the advanced stage problems with the vessels of the head completely eliminated is no longer possible. After prolonged starvation, brain cells die, this process is irreversible.

Treatment Method

With stenosis of the cerebral vessels, the patient needs a long-term, and sometimes lifelong complex treatment. A doctor may prescribe statins or fibrates (drugs that lower cholesterol and destroy its plaques), vitamins, vasodilators, antispasmodics, and diet therapy.
Having an idea of what could lead problems with the vessels of the head, their symptoms should by no means be ignored. Many brain pathologies can be treated only at the earliest stages.

How does the heart change?
Symptoms of cardiac pathology
Diagnostics
What happens to the vessels
Clinical manifestations of vascular pathology
Diagnostics
What happens in the brain
Why are the kidneys affected?
conclusions

High blood pressure, which is the main manifestation of hypertension, has Negative influence for the whole body. But there are organs that suffer in the first place. Their defeat leads to the development severe complications life-threatening. These targets include: the heart, brain, kidneys and blood vessels.

How does the heart change?

Changes occurring in the heart are associated with the fact that with arterial hypertension the body is forced to work in unusual conditions. With increased pressure, the heart muscle contracts harder to push blood into the aorta, where the pressure is also high. The heart rate increases.

In this case, one speaks of an increase in afterload. Muscle fibers, which are forced to function in this mode constantly, begin to increase in volume. Myocardial hypertrophy develops. At first, target organs suffer little. First, concentric diffuse hypertrophy of the left ventricular myocardium is formed. All walls of this cardiac chamber thicken evenly. In 1/3 of cases, asymmetric hypertrophy is recorded, when there is a predominant increase rear wall or interventricular septum.

Gradually, the mass of the myocardium increases. Connective tissue grows - fibrosis develops. The diastolic function of the left ventricle suffers. The heart muscle cannot relax normally, its elasticity is lost. The left atrium has to work with a vengeance to fill the lower ventricle with blood. The pressure in the atrium itself increases, which leads to an increase in end-diastolic pressure. In this case, one speaks of an increase in preload. Gradually, the cavity of the left ventricle increases. Eccentric hypertrophy of the myocardium of the left ventricle develops. In this case, the growth of cardiomyocytes is observed not in width, but in length. There is a clinic of heart failure.

Left ventricular systolic dysfunction may develop, the main manifestation of which is a decrease in ejection fraction. This again leads to an increase in end-diastolic pressure and progression of left heart failure. At the same time, congestion in the pulmonary circulation is characteristic. Over time, insufficiency of the right parts of the heart joins, and symptoms of stagnation are observed in a large circle.

With arterial hypertension, not only heart failure can develop. Damage to the heart can lead to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle. Several important points can be made here.

Per rapid growth cardiomyocytes and an increase in the heart muscle do not have time to grow the vessels that feed the myocardium. Cells experience hypoxia due to insufficient oxygen supply. The discrepancy between myocardial oxygen demand and its supply (ischemia) first manifests itself during exercise, and then at rest.
Cardiac (coronary) arteries are located under the outer shell of the heart (epicardium), partially immersed in the muscle layer. small vessels, blood-supplying parts of the heart, located deeper (subendocardial), pass through the thickness of the myocardium. With hypertrophy, these vessels are compressed, which leads to poor blood supply to the corresponding tissues.
Diastolic dysfunction of the heart, which has developed as a result of arterial hypertension, leads to malnutrition of the myocardium. Its blood supply is possible only during diastole (relaxation). And if the muscle cannot relax, then the vessels remain squeezed by the muscle fibers. Accordingly, cardiomyocytes do not receive nutrition.
In hypertension, the formation of substances that increase vascular tone: endothelin, angiotensin II. From this, the blood flow in the altered heart muscle worsens even more.

Symptoms of cardiac pathology

The defeat of target organs, in particular, the heart, manifests itself with a long course of the disease. Nonspecific symptoms hypertension can be stabbing, pressing pains in the region of the heart without irradiation. There may be a feeling of discomfort. Such unpleasant manifestations are more often observed with unusual high pressure, during crises and are not stopped by nitroglycerin.

With significant myocardial damage and the development of hypertrophy, symptoms characteristic of coronary disease hearts. These are pressing pains behind the sternum, with possible irradiation to the lower jaw, in left hand, in the subscapular region. Such pains disappear after taking nitrates (nitroglycerin).

Shortness of breath is the first sign of left ventricular heart failure. It appears first under load, and then at rest. Characterized by swelling in the legs, tachycardia, palpitations. Physical activity is poorly tolerated. There is rapid fatigue, general weakness. The progression of the disease leads to the appearance of attacks of cardiac asthma, the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal and pleural cavities.

Changes in the myocardium lead to the appearance of arrhythmias. It could be extrasystoles. If they are singular, then great danger no. But when there are a lot of extrasystoles, more severe rhythm disturbances may occur. Myocardial hypertrophy against the background of hypertension may contribute to the development atrial fibrillation. And this is dangerous in terms of the formation of blood clots and severe thromboembolic complications.

The most dangerous complication is the development of myocardial infarction. This emergency requiring immediate hospitalization. To save their lives, such patients often undergo operations to restore coronary blood flow: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement (PCI).

Diagnostics

To clarify the degree of damage to target organs, special studies. To assess the condition of the heart are usually prescribed:

Electrocardiography. This type of study allows you to identify left ventricular hypertrophy, rhythm and conduction disturbances, myocardial infarction.
ECG stress test. It can be physical activity, taking some medicines, transesophageal electrical stimulation. Such a study is necessary to identify transient arrhythmias caused by physical activity. A test is also carried out if myocardial ischemia is suspected.
Echocardiography. Using this method, it is possible to identify the consequences of increased blood pressure in the form of hypertrophy of the heart muscle. This is indicated by the mass index of the left ventricular myocardium more than 115 g/m2 in men, and more than 95 g/m2 in women. You can see an increase in the cavities of the heart and traces of myocardial infarction.
As additional diagnostic methods, stress echocardiography, MRI, myocardial scintigraphy with stress can be used.

What happens to the vessels

With an increase in blood pressure, blood vessels, mainly arteries, suffer. They undergo significant structural and functional changes. They can be detected already in the early stages of the disease. All vessels suffer: coronary, cerebral, peripheral and visceral, providing blood supply to internal organs.

Characteristic transformations occur in the wall of arteries:

Hypertrophy of the muscle layer develops, which is accompanied by a decrease in the lumen of the vessel and an increase in the rigidity of the arterial wall. This is accompanied by an increase in total peripheral vascular resistance.
Under influence high blood pressure plasma proteins penetrate into the walls of the arteries and hyalinosis (protein degeneration) develops. Sclerotic changes occur. It also reduces the elasticity of the vascular wall.
Hypertension is often accompanied by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic plaques form in the walls of blood vessels, especially large ones. This leads to a narrowing of the lumen and disruption of regional blood circulation. Thrombi often form at plaque sites as a result of a decrease in the antithrombotic function of the endothelium (the inner lining of the vessel).
The altered wall of the arteries becomes more sensitive to the effects of vasoconstrictor factors that circulate in the blood. These are angiotensin II, catecholamines (adrenaline and norepinephrine), endothelins and many others. Due to this, a high vascular tone is constantly maintained.

Clinical manifestations of vascular pathology

For a long time, vascular changes are asymptomatic. But gradually, in addition to complaints from such target organs as the heart, brain and kidneys, with arterial hypertension there are signs of changes in peripheral arteries and retinal vessels.

These patients may experience pain in the legs when walking. This is the result of insufficient blood supply to the muscles. Over time, trophic changes develop with the formation of ulcers and even gangrene. On palpation, the pulse may not be determined.

With the progression of the disease, irreversible changes affect the vessels of the retina. Vision is significantly reduced and its fields are narrowed.

Diagnostics

Timely detection of initial changes in target organs is important. To clarify the state of the vessels, the following diagnostic methods are used:

Determination of pulse pressure, especially in elderly patients. A significant difference between systolic and diastolic pressure (more than 60 mm Hg. Art.) indicates an increase in vascular stiffness.
Determining the speed of the pulse wave also gives an idea of the state of the arterial vessels. Normally, this figure should not exceed 10 m / s.
Via duplex scanning brachiocephalic vessels, you can determine the wall thickness of the carotid arteries - the intima-media complex. Its value exceeding 0.9 mm is an unfavorable sign. Atherosclerotic plaques can also be found in the carotid arteries. It is possible to carry out duplex study vessels of the kidneys, iliac-femoral arteries.
There is such an indicator as the ankle-brachial index. It helps to detect atherosclerosis of peripheral arteries. O pronounced changes in the vessels indicates a decrease in the index less than 0.9.
Examination of the fundus vessels during ophthalmoscopy reveals signs of hemorrhages, exudates and edema of the optic nerve papilla.

What happens in the brain

Damage to the brain is due to a change in its vessels, especially of medium and small caliber. Violation of blood circulation leads to the development of hypertensive encephalopathy. The main symptoms of this pathology:

decrease in working capacity;
memory impairment;
sleep disorders;
fast fatiguability;
diffuse headaches;
noise in ears;
dizziness.

The development of acute encephalopathy is possible with hypertensive crisis. At the same time, acute headaches appear, aggravated by the slightest movement. Nausea and even vomiting are possible. Disorders of consciousness and vision may be observed. Often there are complaints of numbness of half of the face, lips, limbs.

by the most dangerous complications are:

acute thrombosis cerebral vessels with the development of ischemic stroke;
transient circulatory disorders - transient ischemic attacks;
rupture of blood vessels with hemorrhage in the brain.

Diagnosis is based on the study of target organs such as blood vessels using duplex scanning. If necessary, computed or magnetic resonance imaging is performed. This allows you to identify asymptomatic cerebral infarctions, small hemorrhages, lacunar infarcts. White matter changes may be detected, indicating the development of encephalopathy or transient ischemic attacks.

Why are the kidneys affected?

Not the last place among the target organs is occupied by the kidneys. As a result of disease progression characteristic changes exposed renal arteries, and, accordingly, glomeruli. Part of the nephrons ceases to function. There is their desolation and atrophy. Kidney tissue is replaced by connective tissue with the development of nephrosclerosis. A primary wrinkled kidney is formed, which cannot normally perform its function.

Chronic kidney failure. The term currently used is chronic illness kidneys (CKD). There are 5 stages of the disease. The classification is based on the definition of speed glomerular filtration(SKF) and quantification protein content in the urine.

The negative effect of high blood pressure manifests itself first in the form of microalbuminuria, when 30 to 300 mg / l of albumin is present in the urine. Subclinical changes in the kidneys correspond to stage 3 CKD. GFR is in the range from 30 to 60 ml / min / 1.73 m2 according to the main calculation formulas. Identification of stage 4 CKD, when GFR is less than 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 and protein loss is more than 300 mg/day serious problems in organism.

In addition to the main assessment methods functional ability kidneys (GFR and the study of protein in the urine), to clarify the diagnosis can be used ultrasonography of these organs, which helps to identify congenital anomalies and other changes. The study of microscopic urine sediment consists in determining the number of blood cells, cylinders and salts. Determine the level of uric acid, which is an additional risk factor for kidney damage.

conclusions

The main task of the doctor is to identify changes in target organs at an early stage. This is necessary to choose the right treatment tactics and prevent the development of irreversible consequences. If this moment is missed, then the disease will rapidly progress, bringing the person closer to the sad end.

Modern medicine offers effective ways lowering pressure, helps fight myocardial hypertrophy, atherosclerosis. There are medicines to improve circulation. At integrated approach the quality of human life can for a long time stay high.

Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels

Atherosclerosis of the MAH (main arteries of the head) is usually experienced by people over 40 years old, but cases of this disease in patients are now becoming more frequent. younger age. The disease is extremely dangerous, because. due to blockage of blood vessels, the brain receives less nutrients. If left untreated, the patient may develop a stroke, which in 70% of cases leads to disability.

General information about the disease

Atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the head is the most common disease of the brain. With this disease, muscular-elastic vessels suffer from atherosclerotic plaques. Deposits form in the inner lining of the artery, which creates a certain danger to human health. Connective tissue begins to grow, and the walls calcify, which leads to a narrowing of the vascular lumen.

This disease develops in people after 20 years. Men face it earlier when they reach 50-60 years. In women, atherosclerosis of this type begins to develop after 60 years. The main danger of the disease is that in the initial stages it may not give any symptoms. Violation of hemodynamics can be detected at the onset of atherosclerosis, when the extensibility of the vessels decreases. In some patients, the vascular walls are stretched and atherosclerotic expansion can be diagnosed.

Why does cerebral atherosclerosis occur?

Currently, doctors have identified more than 200 causes that provoke the development of atherosclerotic disease of the cerebral vessels. The most significant factors affecting blood circulation are smoking, hypertension, lack of physical activity and obesity. It is they who provoke the deposition of cholesterol plaques, and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in both sexes. Also, potential factors provoking this disease include:

diabetes;
constant stress;
problems in the work of the endocrine system;
malnutrition;
problems with the absorption of glucose into the blood;
changes in the body caused by age.

The pathogenesis of the development of the disease itself is very complex and only half understood. The main role in the development of the disease, in addition to provoking factors, is played by the features of transport with the metabolism of fats and their complexes associated with proteins. Also affects the rate of development of atherosclerosis functional disorders inner lining of the artery.

to atherosclerotic disease main vessels predisposition in 90% of patients is genetic. For such people, psycho-emotional stress is considered the most dangerous. Under the influence of cortisol and other hormones, neurohumoral mechanisms are activated. They change the structure of the vascular walls, which leads to the formation of plaques.

How does the disease develop?

Atherosclerosis of extracranial vessels occurs 5 times more often than intracranial. If the disease progresses strongly, patients may experience destruction of both types of vessels. Most often, the internal carotid artery suffers from the disease. Any discomfort the patient does not experience it, therefore it is important to implement the diagnosis of pathology in a timely manner. Atherosclerotic plaques affecting the brain and cervical arteries have the following distinctive features:

They contain a lot of collagen and are carotid.
They contain a huge amount of lipids of a fibrous structure, so stenosis in patients is more pronounced.
They are heterogeneous in their structure.

These plaques are destroyed as a result of a hematoma caused by the impacts of flowing blood, or under the action of saturated lipids. In both cases, the patient may experience stroke and ischemic attacks.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of the main arteries

At first, with damage to the vessels of the brain, the patient will not experience any discomfort. The stronger the ischemia becomes, the brighter the symptoms of the disease begin to appear. Their severity is affected by the localization of damage, i.e. which vessels were affected by the disease. TO common manifestations diseases include:

headache;
noise in ears;
sleep problems;
decrease in short-term memory.

The problem is this symptomatology characteristic of many problems with the functioning of the brain. Some patients begin to change personality. They suffer from outbursts of aggression, tearfulness and all sorts of anxiety states.

Diagnosis of the disease

Atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease can be detected using MRI. If this method diagnostics cannot be used due to implants, then they are prescribed computed tomography. The disadvantage of the last diagnostic method is the absence in the pictures of the places where cholesterol plaques. The doctor will only see problems with any specific vessels or disorders in the brain. Also, the following methods can be used for diagnosis:

It is the ultrasound of the cervical vessels that makes it possible to detect atherosclerotic plaques if MRI is contraindicated for the patient. Before all tests, you should stop taking medications and products that increase blood pressure.

How is atherosclerosis of the brain treated?

As with any other pathology, there are conservative and surgical methods of treatment. Conservative methods include medication, physical education, massage. Medical therapy includes the following medications:

reducing blood viscosity;
enhancing blood flow in collateral vessels;
reducing the level bad cholesterol in organism;
anti-inflammatory;
preventing the formation of blood clots.

You cannot prescribe these pills on your own, because. without complete examination the patient will not be able to determine the factors influencing the development of pathology in him, and will only make himself worse. If during the diagnosis the doctor revealed that the vessel has narrowed by more than 50%, the patient is referred for a consultation with a vascular surgeon. A person may be prescribed a carotid endarterectomy in the following situations:

Stenosis of the carotid arteries over 90%.
More than 70% arterial stenosis accompanied by neurological symptoms;
The rapid development of narrowing of the carotid type and other forms of this narrowing, accompanied by various pathologies.

The operation will not be performed if the patient has damaged cerebral hemispheres and there are pathologies of the central nervous system. The essence of the operation is that the affected area of the vessel is removed. Surgical intervention of this type is extremely dangerous, so it is carried out in the absence of the body's response to conservative methods treatment or in a critical condition of the patient. Sometimes during the operation they create bypass routes of blood flow when they see that the body cannot cope with this naturally or there is a critical lack of blood supply to the brain.

Possible complications: stroke, brain failure

Lack of blood circulation is extremely dangerous for brain function. Segments damaged as a result of atherosclerosis will not be able to recover. At the beginning of the development of the disease, this causes forgetfulness and slight distraction, but then can lead to a stroke. Of course, the general condition of the body and the presence of a genetic predisposition affect the rate of development of the disease.

Another disease that can provoke atherosclerosis is brain failure. Plaques grow very quickly, because. have a heterogeneous structure. The more of them in the vessels, the more hemorrhages in the brain. As a result, this causes a persistent violation of blood circulation.

Prevention of atherosclerosis

Measures to prevent plaque formation are common to all types of the disease. Must be abandoned bad habits including overeating and smoking. You need to control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. People who are overweight should get rid of it.

Physical education is compulsory for all patients. With the right lifestyle, further progression of atherosclerotic brain disease can be prevented. With large-scale circulatory disorders, it is necessary to stimulate the development of roundabout blood inflows in the following ways:

Regular diverse muscle activity. This means that you must not only go to gym and exercise with free weights, but also perform exercises for balance, coordination, go to the pool, etc.
Tracking stool regularity. should be taken periodically saline solution to force cholesterol out of the intestines along with feces.
Systematic treatment of all concomitant diseases.
Gradual decrease in the amount of sugar in the blood. Despite the fact that the normalization of body weight and a change in nutrition is impossible without giving up sweets, their consumption should be reduced gradually. With a sharp rejection of sugar, blood flow will worsen, which will provoke attacks of ischemia.

It is imperative to follow the doctor's orders. You should not try to treat yourself with herbs and other folk remedies or replace the prescribed pills with them, because. thus, you can seriously worsen your condition.

Features of treatment and symptoms of arachnoiditis of the brain

Arachnoiditis of the brain, the symptoms of which are not specific, is a complex inflammatory disease arachnoid an organ that develops against the background of an allergy, an autoimmune process, or a viral (bacterial) infection. Most often it occurs in young patients. Complex forms of the disease are accompanied by a violation of a person's ability to work and lead to disability.

general description

There are several meninges: soft, arachnoid and hard. It is the middle of them that does not enter the part of the convolutions. Under this shell, spaces filled with cerebrospinal fluid. For their association is the cavity of the fourth ventricle.

The arachnoid is not supplied with blood vessels. Thanks to her, the brain is fixed in the cranial cavity. This shell has a high degree of permeability. If an infection, a virus appears in the human body, the brain is damaged due to trauma, then the arachnoid membrane becomes inflamed, arachnoiditis of the brain develops. She becomes thick, cloudy.

Accompanied by arachnoiditis cyst formation. Also, adhesions are fixed between the vessels and the shell, interfering with the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. Symptoms of the disease are general and focal. Often they depend on the type of disease.

The arachnoid membrane never suffers on its own, since there are no blood vessels in it. The inflammatory process often moves here from other parts of the brain. Arachnoiditis contributes to the increase intracranial pressure, resulting in the development of dropsy of the brain. This complicates the diagnosis and treatment of pathology.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Cerebral arachnoiditis is most often provoked by bacterial or viral infection. However, the cause of its development may be a brain injury. In general, the following causes of the disease can be distinguished:

viral pathologies: chickenpox, measles, influenza;
abscess or neoplasm in the brain;
inflammatory processes: meningitis, encephalitis;
diseases of the ear, throat, nose: sinusitis, tonsillitis, otitis;
hemorrhage under the arachnoid;
bruise or trauma to the brain (moreover, arachnoiditis in this case develops a few months later, when adhesions appear in the affected area);
chronic intoxication of the body due to alcohol abuse, heavy metal poisoning;
violation of the functionality of the endocrine system;
a strong decrease in immunity;
myelitis (its complications).

Other factors are also capable of provoking cerebral arachnoiditis: constant overwork, difficult conditions labor. In some cases, the etiology of the disease remains unclear.

Classification and symptoms of the disease

There are several types of arachnoiditis:

True. The cause of this pathology is an autoimmune process or allergic reaction. Typically, this form of arachnoiditis is considered common, as it can affect the upper cellular layer of the cerebral cortex. This lesion is quite rare, in only 5% of cases of all diseases of the meninges.
Residual arachnoiditis is provoked by trauma or infection that has affected the nervous system. The result of this pathology is the appearance of adhesions and cysts filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

The disease can also be classified according to the predominant changes in the subarachnoid space:

Cystic arachnoiditis. Grow between the shells fibrous tissue, which provokes the formation of cavities filled with CSF.
Sticky. In this case, an effusion is formed, due to which loose adhesions develop. They interfere with the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid.
Mixed. This is a combination of symptoms and features of the two previous types of arachnoiditis.

If we take the localization of the pathology as the basis for the classification, then it happens:

Diffuse (extensive). It is diagnosed in most cases, since the inflammatory process extends to almost the entire membrane, and also affects neighboring tissues. The symptomatology is expressed vaguely. There are cerebral signs provoked by a violation of the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid.
Limited. Such arachnoiditis is rare, because the arachnoid membrane does not have clear boundaries, so inflammation affects most of it.
Convexital. Arachnoiditis extends to that part of the membranes that is located on the outer surface of the brain. Its course is considered to be easier. However, it is accompanied epileptic seizures, disorders emotional sphere, paralysis and paresis.
Basal. It is localized at the base of the skull and affects the brainstem, nerves, and cerebellum. Here vision is disturbed, and from two sides. First, the fields of view change to some colors (red and green). In addition, there is an intense headache, impaired function of the oculomotor nerves. When examining the fundus, it shows atrophy of the optic nerve.
rear cranial fossa. There is a wide variety of symptoms here. With damage to the nerves of the skull, hearing loss, damage trigeminal nerve. If the inflammation affects the cerebellum, then there is a disorder of coordination and motor skills of movements. The patient also has a pronounced hypertensive syndrome.

The last classification parameter is the rate of development pathological process. Here are the types:

Spicy. If arachnoiditis develops very quickly, then the patient's temperature rises greatly, appears profuse vomiting. However, this form of pathology can be cured quickly, without serious consequences.
Subacute. Pathology is constantly progressing, then aggravating, then fading. With arachnoiditis of the brain, the symptoms increase slowly. Asthenia appears first, great weakness and fatigue, moderate headache, problems with the emotional background, increased irritability.
Chronic. Over time, the inflammatory process progresses, and a person shows focal and cerebral signs. For example, the headache intensifies, nausea and vomiting are noted, and the eyes begin to hurt. The patient develops tinnitus, the tips of the fingers turn blue. He constantly wants to drink, there is a high sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds.

The patient often has sleep disturbances, memory disturbances, anxiety appears. There are other symptoms: sensitivity to weather changes, heavy sweating, excessive urination, loss of smell (complete or partial).

Features of diagnostics

Before starting treatment for arachnoiditis, the patient must be carefully examined to accurately determine the type of pathological process. For this, it is necessary to carry out the following studies:

x-ray of the head (allows you to determine intracranial pressure, but is not considered a highly effective method);
electroencephalography;
echoencephalography;
MRI or CT (the reliability of these methods is very high, because they allow not only to determine the presence and localization of cysts, but also their structure);
lumbar puncture (makes it possible to determine the level of pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid);
blood test (detects the presence of inflammatory process in organism).

The patient will also need to consult an otolaryngologist and an ophthalmologist. The attending physician is obliged to collect a complete anamnesis, which should indicate whether the patient had injuries in the recent past, which chronic pathologies he has. Diagnosis should be differential, because the above symptoms can give other diseases (brain tumors).

Traditional treatment

Treated arachnoiditis in a hospital neurological department. In this case, not only medical, but also surgical methods of therapy are used. The patient needs to take pills for a long time. The patient is prescribed the following drugs:

Antibacterial: Kanamycin. It is best to take newer drugs that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Antibiotics are used not only in the form of tablets. They can be entered into The lymph nodes located at the back of the neck.
Antiviral.
Antiallergic: "Dimedrol", "Claritin", "Suprastin".
Means for resorption of adhesions: Rumalon, Lidaza.
Diuretic: "Furosemide", "Diakarb" - necessary for strong rise intracranial pressure to reduce the amount of fluid in the body.
Antiepileptic: "Finlepsin", "Carbamazepine". It may not be possible to completely get rid of this complication, but the patient's quality of life will be improved.
Steroid anti-inflammatory drugs: "Dexamethasone", "Prednisolone" - are used for acute forms arachnoiditis. The courses of treatment with such drugs are short.
Neuroprotectors: Cerebrolysin, Nootropil.
Antidepressants and tranquilizers.
Vasodilator drugs: "Cerebrolysin", "Trental", "Kurantil" - will make it possible to improve blood circulation in the brain.

With an increase in intracranial pressure, the patient is given a solution of magnesium sulfate. Also applies intravenous administration potassium iodide. In order to eliminate adhesions and improve CSF circulation, air can be blown into the subarachnoid space. The use of antioxidants is also recommended.

Before using any drugs, it is imperative to find the source of infection. During the treatment of arachnoiditis of the brain, it is necessary to use means that strengthen the patient's immunity. Here you will need multivitamin complexes, as well as a full menu.

If conservative therapy does not help, the attending physician prescribes surgical intervention. Most often, brain shunting, removal of adhesions and cysts is performed.

Features of folk therapy

You can treat arachnoiditis at home, but before that you need to consult a doctor. Naturally advanced stages of the disease folk remedies cannot be eliminated. If the pathology has not yet gone too far, then the following recipes will be useful:

Burdock leaf. It must be tied to the head and changed every 24 hours. This plant will eliminate excess fluid in the cranium.
Sequence flowers. After collecting the raw materials, it must be dried. Next 1 tbsp. l. plants are brewed with a liter of boiling water. It will take half an hour to insist. You need to drink such a kind of tea during the day. On the second day, it will no longer be so useful.
Turnip roots. After collection, they must be washed well and dried for fresh air. Further, the raw materials need to be ground through a meat grinder and grind into powder. It should be taken three times a day before meals, half a teaspoon. The course of treatment of the disease lasts 3 months.

Treatment with folk remedies does not give an immediate effect. It must be long and precise.

Prognosis, complications and prevention of the disease

If the treatment was chosen correctly for arachnoiditis, then the prognosis for life and health is favorable. However, this is not always the case. With improper therapy of arachnoiditis of the brain or a late visit to the doctor, pathology can deprive a person of his ability to work, make him disabled. For the patient, the areas of activity are significantly limited: he cannot climb to heights, work with movable mechanisms, drive vehicles, work in enterprises where there is a lot of noise, toxins, and low temperatures.

Arachnoiditis can have serious consequences:

persistent decrease in vision;
epileptic seizures;
complete blindness;

As for the prevention of arachnoiditis of the brain, then all the recommendations of specialists should be followed:

timely eliminate all inflammatory and infectious foci in the body;
during epidemics of influenza or SARS, it is necessary to be careful;
brain injury should be avoided;
it is important not to delay a visit to the doctor if a person has a headache for more than a week, and general well-being worsens;
can not be supercooled;
it is important to strengthen your own immunity with the help of vitamin complexes;
you need to eat right.

Arachnoiditis of the brain is a severe inflammation of the arachnoid membrane, which spreads to the surrounding tissues, is accompanied by a deterioration in blood outflow, a change in the state of the vascular walls (they become permeable).