What are the screening tests for atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease and a non-inflammatory lesion of the arteries. Its main symptoms are dementia, persistent pain, and rapid pulse. Many people experience the above symptoms but do not realize their seriousness, which makes the condition worse. If you want treatment, you need to find out what is causing it. So what are the screening tests for arteriosclerosis? Let’s take a look together with the experts.

1. Laboratory examination

There is still a lack of sensitive and specific early laboratory diagnostic methods for this disease. Most patients have abnormal lipid metabolism, which is mainly manifested as increased total cholesterol, increased LDL, decreased HDL, increased blood triglycerides, increased blood β-lipoprotein, increased apolipoprotein B, decreased apolipoprotein A, increased lipoprotein (α), and abnormal lipoprotein electrophoresis patterns. More than 90% of patients show type II or IV hyperlipoproteinemia.

2. Blood rheology examination

Blood viscosity often increases and platelet activity may increase.

3. X-ray examination

In addition to the aforementioned manifestations of aortic atherosclerosis, selective or computerized digital subtraction arteriography can show the luminal stenosis or aneurysm lesions caused by atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, cerebral arteries, renal arteries, mesenteric arteries and limb arteries, as well as the location, extent and degree of the lesions, which helps to determine the indications for surgical treatment and choose the method of surgery.

4. Doppler Ultrasound

It helps to determine the blood flow in the limb arteries and renal arteries.

5. Intravascular ultrasound and angioscopy

It is a method to observe atherosclerotic lesions directly from the arterial lumen.

6. Radionuclide examination

It helps to understand the blood supply to the heart, brain and kidney tissues.

7. Echocardiography

Characteristic changes shown in electrocardiogram and stress test are helpful in diagnosing coronary atherosclerosis.

8. Arteriosclerosis detection

It is advisable to use the values ​​of PWV and ABI measured synchronously in the limbs to determine whether there is arteriosclerosis, and then use Doppler to determine the location of the disease. Popular domestic arteriosclerosis instruments include the VBP-9 arteriosclerosis detector.

9. Others

Limb impedance mapping, brain impedance mapping, as well as electroencephalogram (EEG), brain X-ray, computerized X-ray, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help determine the function of the limbs and cerebral arteries and the extent of brain tissue lesions.

After reading the arteriosclerosis screening method introduced above, if anyone has symptoms of arteriosclerosis, they must go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible. We should also take protective measures in daily life. For example, if the patient's blood lipids are still higher than normal on the basis of a reasonable diet and moderate physical exercise, we can use some lipid-lowering drugs as recommended by the doctor.