Is subclavian artery plaque a symptom of arteriosclerosis?

Most people know that if you want to observe whether you are sick, you can look at your eyes, your tongue coating, or the color changes on your face. In fact, to observe whether your body is sick, you can observe the subclavian artery. Many people have plaques in their subclavian arteries. For this symptom, it is necessary to consider that it may be related to the early symptoms of arteriosclerosis. For this, everyone needs to understand in detail the cause of the subclavian artery plaque and clearly understand the symptoms of arteriosclerosis.

According to your description, it is caused by arteriosclerosis. The main manifestations are thickening, hardening and loss of elasticity of the arterial wall. It can cause angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and myocardial fibrosis.

(ii) Most cases of aortic atherosclerosis have no specific symptoms. Percussion may reveal a widening of the dull aortic area behind the sternal manubrium; the second heart sound in the aortic valve area is hyperactive with a metallic tone, and there is a systolic murmur. The systolic blood pressure is elevated, the pulse pressure is widened, and palpation of the radial artery may be similar to a tachycardia. X-ray examination may show that the aortic knot bulges to the upper left, the aorta is dilated and twisted, and sometimes calcium deposits can be seen in sheet-like or arc-shaped plaques.

Aortic atherosclerosis can also form aortic aneurysms, which are most common in the abdominal aorta below the opening of the renal arteries, followed by the aortic arch and descending aorta. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are often discovered during physical examinations when a pulsating mass is found in the abdomen. A murmur can be heard in the corresponding part of the abdominal wall, and the femoral artery pulsation may be weakened. Thoracic aortic aneurysms can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, dysphagia, hemoptysis, paralysis of the vocal cords due to compression of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, tracheal displacement or obstruction, compression of the superior vena cava and pulmonary artery, etc. X-ray examination shows that the corresponding part of the aorta is enlarged; aortic angiography can show fusiform or saccular aneurysms, two-dimensional ultrasound imaging, computerized X-ray tomography, and magnetic resonance tomography can show tumor-like aortic dilatation. Once an aortic aneurysm ruptures, it can be rapidly fatal. Atherosclerosis can also form dissecting aneurysms, but they are less common.

(III) Coronary atherosclerosis can cause angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and myocardial fibrosis, which will be described in detail in the next section.

(IV) Cerebral ischemia caused by cerebral atherosclerosis can cause symptoms such as dizziness, headache and fainting. Cerebral artery thrombosis or rupture and bleeding can cause cerebrovascular accidents with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, vomiting, sudden loss of consciousness, limb paralysis, hemianopsia or aphasia (see "Acute cerebrovascular disease" for details). Brain atrophy can cause dementia with symptoms such as mental disorder, abnormal behavior, decreased intelligence and memory and even complete change of personality (see "Mental disorders associated with cerebral arteriosclerosis").

(V) Renal artery atherosclerosis is not common in clinical practice, but it can cause refractory hypertension. People over 55 years old who suddenly develop hypertension should consider the possibility of this disease. If there is renal artery thrombosis, it can cause pain in the kidney area, urinary retention, and fever.

(6) Mesenteric artery atherosclerosis may cause symptoms such as indigestion, decreased intestinal tension, constipation and abdominal pain. When thrombosis occurs, there will be severe abdominal pain, bloating and fever. When the intestinal wall is necrotic, it may cause symptoms such as bloody stools, paralytic ileus and shock.

(VII) Arteriosclerosis of the limbs is more common in the lower limbs, especially the leg arteries. Due to blood supply disorders, the lower limbs become cold, numb and intermittent claudication, that is, numbness, pain and even cramps in the gastrocnemius muscles occur when walking. The pain disappears after resting, but reappears when walking again. In severe cases, there may be persistent pain, and the pulsation of the lower limb arteries, especially the dorsalis pedis artery, is weakened or disappears. If the arterial lumen is completely blocked, gangrene may occur (see "Occlusive arteriosclerosis").