What are the causes of atherosclerosis

As people pay more and more attention to diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction, the demand for understanding atherosclerosis has also become higher, and people have gradually begun to pay attention to atherosclerosis. More and more people want to understand the causes of atherosclerosis so as to effectively prevent themselves from suffering from atherosclerosis.

Arteriosclerosis is a vascular disease that occurs as people age. It usually occurs in adolescence, worsens and becomes diagnosed in middle or old age. It affects more men than women. In recent years, the disease has gradually increased in my country and has become one of the main causes of death among the elderly. The most important causes of arteriosclerosis are the three risk factors of high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and smoking. Other factors may include obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise, stress, old age, family history, and bad temper.

(1) Hypertension: Long-term impact of high-pressure blood flow on the arterial wall causes mechanical damage to the arterial lining, making it easy for blood lipids to deposit on the arterial wall, forming fatty plaques and causing arteriosclerosis and stenosis. If blood pressure is not controlled, the incidence of myocardial infarction will increase by about 2 to 3 times, and that of cerebral stroke by about 4 times.

(2) Hyperlipidemia: Excessive amounts of fat in the blood are more likely to deposit on the inner walls of blood vessels to form plaques, causing arteriosclerosis and stenosis.

(3) Diabetes: Diabetic patients will have problems with fat metabolism. The proteins that transport fat in the blood (called lipoproteins) will denature, and during the transportation process, fat will easily deposit on the inner wall of the blood vessels to form fatty plaques.

(4) Smoking: Nicotine, carbon monoxide and other substances in cigarettes can damage the inner wall of the arteries. The damaged inner wall of the arteries can trap cholesterol, causing platelet accumulation and forming fatty plaques. At the same time, smoking can cause coronary artery contraction and spasm, reducing blood flow.

(5) Lack of exercise: Exercise can increase high-density lipoprotein and reduce low-density lipoprotein, helping the body excrete excess cholesterol from the bile duct and intestines, and preventing excess cholesterol from depositing on the inner walls of blood vessels. In addition, exercise can promote blood circulation, increase blood vessel elasticity, lower blood pressure, consume excess calories, reduce the proportion of body fat, increase the proportion of muscle, and thus reduce weight. Therefore, people who lack exercise are prone to atherosclerosis.

(6) Obesity: People who are obese or overweight have increased cardiac workload and are more likely to have abnormal blood lipids, thereby increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Obesity can easily lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance syndrome.

(7) Excessive stress: Stress will increase the secretion of adrenaline, which will cause high blood pressure, faster heart rate, and damage the inner walls of arteries.

(8) Family history: refers to genetic factors that cause some people to inherit arteriosclerosis at an early age. The reason is still unclear. Some people have severe hypercholesterolemia, which accumulates in the blood and then promotes the occurrence of arteriosclerosis. Some suffer from early-onset hypertension or are prone to thrombosis.

Atherosclerosis may not be very common in our lives, but it is still necessary for us to understand some diseases, especially the causes of the disease. After the above introduction, we all have a very clear understanding of the cause of atherosclerosis. In the future life, everyone must seriously prevent this disease.