Atherosclerotic vascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, and cerebral hemorrhage are common worldwide with a high mortality. Cardiovascular disease is reportedly the leading cause of death around the world.
For people who pursue health and longevity, a young and healthy-functioning blood vessel system is desirable, which will pay the way for a better quality of life.
The hardening of blood vessels
The network of blood vessels is one of the most complex systems in the human body. They can become longer, wider, and aging over time. Studies found that small fatty streaks occur and deposit on the artery wall in childhood. As people grow up, these fatty streaks will develop into plaques that harden arteries and clog down to narrow arteries. This is what we call “Atherosclerosis”. The narrowing of vessels will spread over time to many sites including the aorta, coronary artery, cerebral artery, and renal artery.
The vessel hardening usually takes at least 30 years. However, some poor conditions like high blood pressure, high blood fat, diabetes, obesity, and smoking habits can accelerate this process.
Risk factors for hardening blood vessels
Some common risk factors for atherosclerosis are listed below. Read to see whether you have conditions:
- Often eat fast foods, sweets and fried foods
- Consume a few fruits and vegetables
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- High blood pressure, blood lipid or blood sugar
- Family history for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
- Emotional depression or volatility
- Wheezing, chest tightness or limb numbness after exercise
The more you met the above-mentioned risk factors, the more likely you get vessel hardening.
At present, there is an increasing number of young people with cardiovascular diseases. Some people in their 30s or 40s develop vessel hardening, stroke and heart attack in advance.
How is your blood vessels?
Most atherosclerosis usually doesn’t have any symptoms and people seldom aware of the hardening of vessels, therefore, monitoring the blood vessel conditions is meaningful. The area where symptoms have occurred is usually checked to understand the condition of the blood vessels. For example, patients with coronary heart disease are checked with coronary angiography. People suffering from dizziness will be recommended for the carotid ultrasound.
In addition to the examination, the doctor will predict the occurrence of arteriosclerosis based on body mass index, age, smoking, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid.
Six tips to keep blood vessels young
People who have high blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid should take some antihypertensive, lipid-lowering and thromboprophylaxis drugs, following the doctor’s advice.
If the symptoms for vessel hardening have already appeared, some interventions like making minimally invasive surgery may be necessary to open the narrow blood vessels.
Of course, precaution is always the best choice. Six tips are advised for people of all ages:
- Control blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid
- Exercise regularly
- Have a low-salt and low-fat diet and consume more fruits and vegetables
- Seek for professional treatment
- Quit smoking
- Have a regular medical examination
