See the essence through the phenomenon, the same is true for preventing cerebral infarction

In daily life, whether it is cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction, the most fundamental reason is atherosclerosis. As we age, the arteries gradually harden, lose elasticity, and plaques are present on the inner wall. But is this inevitable? The fact is that as long as we protect the arteries, we can reduce the possibility of cerebral infarction. Atherosclerosis is divided into the following three types:

The first is atherosclerosis, which mainly occurs in large and medium arteries throughout the body, including the aorta, carotid arteries, cerebral arteries, coronary arteries, renal arteries and arteries of the limbs, etc., and is most common in coronary heart disease and stroke.

The second is arteriosclerosis, such as glomerular arteriosclerosis, which is closely related to hypertension;

The third is calcification of the middle layer of the arteries, which also occurs in the aorta and becomes more common with age, but it does not cause arterial stenosis and has little significance for clinical intervention.

Among arteriosclerosis, carotid artery plaques are the most vigilant. As the disease progresses, the plaques on the arterial wall grow larger and larger, which can cause the carotid artery lumen to narrow or even completely block. Sometimes carotid artery plaques suddenly rupture and form blood clots, causing the lumen to occlude rapidly, which often leads to serious consequences. Carotid atherosclerosis can lead to stroke, and the risk of disability and death is extremely high, so it should not be taken lightly.

There are many causes of carotid artery sclerosis, including aging, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity (commonly known as "general's belly"), lack of exercise, lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet, mental stress, heavy drinking, etc. In my country, high blood pressure, smoking, high blood lipids and diabetes are the four most common causes of arteriosclerosis.

The prevalence of arteriosclerosis increases with age. Many elderly people have carotid plaques during brain CT scans. Because of this, some patients think that it is normal for elderly people to have carotid plaques and it is no big deal. In fact, this is a misconception. Carotid plaques are a type of disease and a gradual process. They will not cause stenosis until they develop to a certain extent, thus leading to cerebral ischemia. It is not that they can be ignored if the degree is mild. On the contrary, acute cerebral infarction is often more common in patients with 40%-60% carotid plaques and must be taken seriously. Therefore, scientific intervention is necessary to avoid cerebrovascular diseases.

The most scientific and economical way to prevent arteriosclerosis is to change bad living habits and control various risk factors. For example, lose weight by increasing exercise and controlling diet, quit smoking immediately, limit drinking, and eat a healthy diet. If you have high blood pressure, high blood fat, or diabetes, you should actively treat it under the guidance of a doctor to prevent these risk factors from damaging the arterial system.

Studies have found that as long as active and reasonable prevention and intervention measures are taken, more than 90% of arteriosclerosis can be avoided. Some people have high blood pressure and high blood lipids, but they are unwilling to take antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs because they are worried about the side effects. This is a big mistake. As long as the drugs are used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs are very safe, and the risk of side effects is very low. On the contrary, since high blood pressure and high blood lipids are very harmful, if they are not treated, the consequences will be very serious. So please remember that you should treat when you need to treat and take medicine when you need to take medicine.

The treatment measures after the discovery of plaques vary from person to person. If the plaque is small, there is no obvious stenosis of the carotid artery (stenosis degree <50%), and there are no symptoms of cerebral ischemia, the plaque itself does not need to be treated. The main treatment measures are to control blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, quit smoking, and control weight for a long time. This is an effective measure to prevent the growth of plaques.

If the plaque is large and the carotid artery stenosis does not exceed 50%, but is accompanied by mild symptoms, it is necessary to immediately use drug treatment under the guidance of a doctor and persist in treatment for a long time. If the carotid artery stenosis exceeds 50% and is accompanied by symptoms, it should be treated immediately. For patients with carotid artery stenosis exceeding 70% or stenosis of 50% but with clinical symptoms, the incidence of cerebral ischemic events within 2 years is as high as 26% or more, even with effective drug treatment. Therefore, it is recommended to consider surgical treatment.

When the carotid artery stenosis is completely occluded, surgical treatment should be performed as soon as possible. In the case of complete occlusion, stripping and stenting are no longer possible, and cerebral vascular bypass treatment should be performed.

As a patient, you must listen to the doctor, take medication accurately and long-term according to the doctor's instructions, and have regular check-ups. The development of the disease is usually uncontrollable. You must always pay attention to your lifestyle habits.