These 3 symptoms in your body may indicate that your blood vessels are "hardening"

Mr. Jiang, 47 years old, is the vice president of a company. He is under great pressure at work and sits in the office for long hours almost every day. Overtime and social engagements are commonplace. He has a history of smoking for more than 20 years.

Two months ago, Mr. Jiang suddenly found that his right foot became cold and his first toe was painful without any cause. The toenails on both sides grew abnormally and he had difficulty walking. After walking about 200 meters, he would experience burning and pain in the sole of his right foot.

The symptoms will improve after a period of rest.

At first, Mr. Jiang thought that his legs and feet were not as flexible as they should be due to his old age, so he did not take it seriously and did not take any treatment measures.

But recently, the pain in my right toe started to intensify, and it was so painful that I couldn't sleep at night.

His family was very worried about his condition, so they accompanied him to the hospital for treatment.

After color Doppler ultrasound examination of the arteries of both lower limbs, the report indicated:

1. Mild sclerosis of the large arteries of the bilateral lower extremities and formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the bilateral popliteal arteries;

2. Insufficient blood supply to bilateral posterior tibial arteries and right anterior tibial artery.

After diagnosis, the doctor finally confirmed that it was lower limb arteriosclerosis.

Doctors remind you: If you experience cold legs and feet without any cause, you should be alert to the occurrence of arteriosclerosis.

Especially if your legs and feet feel cold from time to time and cannot be warmed up, you should pay more attention and seek medical attention in time to identify the cause.

When we are born, our blood vessels are like new water pipes, smooth, unobstructed and moderately flexible.

However, as time goes by and the blood vessels are used for longer periods of time, they will inevitably accumulate deposits and slowly harden, just like water pipes. Over time, arteriosclerosis will occur.

If the cerebral blood vessels are blocked, it will cause cerebral infarction; if the coronary arteries are blocked, it will induce myocardial infarction; if the renal arteries are blocked, renal failure will occur; if the lower limb arteries are blocked, foot gangrene will occur, and in severe cases, it may induce sudden death.

According to surveys, the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases in my country has reached 230 million.

Every year, the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases is as high as 3 million, with an average of one person dies from cardiovascular diseases every 10.5 seconds. The most common underlying disease among cardiovascular diseases is arteriosclerosis.

If your body shows these 3 symptoms, it means your blood vessels have become hardened.

01

My chest hurts when I walk fast

Once atherosclerotic plaques form in a person's coronary arteries, they will protrude into the lumen of the human blood vessels, causing stenosis of the lumen.

When a person is not doing any exercise, the body generally does not have any discomfort. However, during the process of walking, the amount of exercise increases and the heart's oxygen consumption increases, which can lead to relative incomplete blood supply to the coronary arteries, and then cause heart pain.

If the symptoms are mild, the patient only needs to stop and rest immediately and the symptoms will disappear quickly.

02

Dizziness when turning the head

When the carotid artery narrows to a certain extent, blood supply to the brain will be blocked, resulting in insufficient blood supply.

Therefore, when turning the head, there will be obstruction of the posterior circulation, leading to dizziness or even vertigo.

Those with mild symptoms may experience transient symptoms, while those with severe symptoms may develop into cerebral infarction.

03

Cold, numb, or painful legs and feet

The legs and feet are far away from the heart, so if the blood supply is not good, they naturally cannot warm up.

If the lumen of the lower limb arteries is narrowed due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the distal blood supply is insufficient, the legs and feet will become cold.

In the initial stage of the disease, patients often feel cold limbs on one side, and the skin temperature feels slightly lower than normal. This can be relieved to a certain extent by adding clothes or as the temperature rises.

However, as vascular lesions worsen, the skin temperature gradually drops. Even wearing more clothes or raising the ambient temperature cannot relieve the symptoms and may develop to both sides.

The higher the narrow part, the larger the area of ​​cold legs.

In addition to cold legs and feet, patients may also experience leg soreness and weakness after walking, as well as numbness and pain in the feet.

If atherosclerosis continues to develop and causes severe stenosis and occlusion of the blood vessels in the lower limbs, it may even cause necrosis of the lower limbs.

Arteriosclerosis favors these five types of people

Although as we age, our blood vessels will age like people, and we will gradually develop wrinkles and gray hair, vascular hardening is inevitable.

However, data show that the blood vessels of this generation of young people are really becoming harder and harder... Among people aged 30-39, the rate of arteriosclerosis is as high as 59.7%; among people aged 40-49, the rate of arteriosclerosis is as high as 63.7%.

These 5 types of people are more likely to suffer from arteriosclerosis:

1

Patients with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia

Dyslipidemia is one of the most important risk factors for arteriosclerosis.

These people should strictly control their blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids, especially diabetic patients should pay more attention. It is recommended to control fasting blood sugar at 7mmmol/L, and hypertensive patients should try to control blood pressure below 130/80mmHg.

2

People with bad eating habits

Such as long-term high-fat, high-sodium diet.

A high-fat, high-sodium diet is an important cause of arteriosclerosis. In addition to changing bad lifestyle habits, these people should also have regular physical examinations and pay attention to their physical condition.

3

People with abnormal lipid metabolism

Abnormal lipid metabolism can easily cause lipid deposition in the vascular endothelium, leading to atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, etc.

4

Long-term smokers or passive smokers

Smoking can increase the incidence of arteriosclerosis by 2-6 times.

5

Long-term sedentary people

Sitting for long periods of time and lack of physical exercise can lead to increased blood lipids.

How to prevent vascular arteriosclerosis?

01

sports

Do more aerobic exercises in your daily life, such as jogging or hiking, yoga, Tai Chi and other moderate-intensity exercises.

For the elderly, walking and Tai Chi are the first choice, and it is recommended to perform them in several sessions for 1 hour a day.

During exercise, blood circulation throughout the body will increase, and blood vessels throughout the body, especially those in the brain, will be dilated in a timely manner. Platelets attached to the blood vessel walls can also be flushed in a timely manner, thereby preventing cerebral arteriosclerosis.

02

Light diet

Eat a low-salt, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, eat less fatty meat, liver, kidneys and other animal offal, and choose vegetable oil as much as possible.

You can eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, apples, oranges, kiwis, etc.

These fruits and vegetables are rich in various vitamins and plant amino acids, which have the effect of softening blood vessels and timely renewing the vascular endothelium and endothelial cells, thereby preventing cerebral arteriosclerosis.

03

Good living habits

Try not to smoke, drink less, avoid fatigue and staying up late, relax more, keep a calm mind, develop regular work and rest habits, etc., which can better prevent the progression of arteriosclerosis.

04

Weight control

Men should keep their waist circumference below 85cm, and women should keep their waist circumference below 80cm.

If you suspect that the lower limb arteries are blocked, you can make a preliminary judgment by feeling the pulse of the foot:

1. Feel the dorsalis pedis artery, which is located in the front of the ankle, at the intersection of the line connecting the inner and outer malleolus and the gap between the first and second toes. If the arterial pulse weakens or disappears, you need to be alert.

2. Feel the posterior tibial artery, which is located in the depression behind the medial malleolus. If the arterial pulsation is weakened or disappears, and combined with the medical history, symptoms and local segmental blood pressure conditions, it can be preliminarily determined whether arterial stenosis or occlusion exists.

Of course, if you want to further confirm the location of vascular lesions, you need to do arterial color Doppler ultrasound, arterial CT (CTA), and, if necessary, arterial angiography.

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