The main artery is the main blood vessel that delivers blood to various parts of the human body. It originates from the aorta and goes through the body, adhering to the structure of the skeleton, that is, along the bones.
Destination
Main arteries are large vessels that provide blood flow in the arms, legs, head and internal organs of a person. A large artery goes to the lungs, kidneys, liver, stomach, and so on. All of it is entwined with a network of small vessels and capillaries, supplies them with blood, and hence oxygen and useful microelements.
The blood flow in the main arteries is smoothed out and ceases to pulsate due to the structure of the vessel walls. They consist of elastic fibers, and not smooth muscle, like most other vessels - veins and capillaries. Uniform blood flow is one of the most important functions of the main artery. The mechanism for bringing blood flow to a more or less even rhythm is based on the usual law of hydrodynamics. Duringsystole of the heart muscle, blood is pushed out through the aorta under high pressure, and during diastole, the walls of the artery, due to their increased elasticity, take on their usual size, pushing the blood further through the vessels. This leads to smooth blood flow and blood pressure.
Vessel types
The human circulatory system consists not only of the main arteries. Its normal operation depends on all types of vessels included in it. These are resistive vessels, which are the so-called resistance vessels. This type includes small arteries, venules, veins.
Capillaries belong to the exchange type of vessels. Capillaries produce transcapillary exchange between themselves and cells of all human organs.
Veins belong to capacitive vessels. These are the second largest vessels after capillaries. The veins contain most of the blood in the human body.
Arteriovenous anastomoses include bypass vessels. They connect small arteries and veins without capillaries - directly.
Of all the listed vessels, the main arteries are the most flexible and elastic. In capillaries, for example, there are no smooth muscle elements at all.
Working Standards
By the arteries of the body, or rather by the pulse rate, one can judge the state of a person in general and his heart in particular. If the pulse rate exceeds 60-80 beats per minute, then tachycardia occurs. If the beats are less than 60 per minute, then this is bradycardia.
Pulse is usually measured on the limbs, on the wristsor ankles. There, the vessels are closest to the surface of the body and are easily palpable. By the main arteries of the limbs, you can even determine the presence of an arrhythmia in a person, that is, an uneven pulse.
The pulse in the artery can be fast or slow, indicating a narrowing of the aortic valve. This situation leads to a drop in pressure during the pulse wave.
Hypertension is usually manifested by a tense pulse. And the opposite situation with blood pressure is called hypotension, on the contrary, it has a relaxed pulse.
The fullness of the pulse depends on the normal functioning of the heart and the elasticity of the vessels. Thus, it becomes clear that pathologies in the arteries can lead to dangerous changes in blood pressure, the condition of the heart and all human organs.
Symptoms of arterial disease
The main arteries run through the entire body from the brain to the lower extremities, affecting the most important organs. When pathologies occur in the vessels, a person has bright and quite recognizable symptoms by diagnosticians. So, for example, disruption of the main arteries of the brain can lead to deadly consequences, if unusual and incomprehensible sensations appear, you should immediately contact a specialist.
Symptoms of pathologies in the blood system are:
- neck pain;
- pressure surges;
- headache for no apparent reason;
- dizziness;
- the appearance of blackouts in the eyes,"flies" flashing before the eyes;
- a buzz appears in my ears;
- dramatic weight gain;
- nausea;
- numbness in arms or legs;
- decrease in limb temperature;
- when changing the position of the body, for example, if a person got up from a chair, the head is very dizzy.
Arterial disease
Diseases of the main arteries are numerous and varied. They can affect the vessels in the neck and cause brain problems or affect the arteries in the legs, leading to other conditions. To understand the danger of each of them, you need to consider everything separately.
Neck vascular disease
Any deviation in the work of the carotid artery is reflected in the work of the central nervous system. A slight drop in blood pressure can lead to impaired vision, hearing, memory, and other dangerous conditions. And vice versa, an increase in pressure inside the cranium leads to rupture of small vessels, that is, to a stroke. If a person is not provided with emergency medical care at such a moment, then he will surely die. A stroke leads to paralysis, impaired brain activity, and so on.
The most dangerous disease is atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the head. This pathology is characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. They are made up of connective tissue made up of lipids and occur in areas with impaired laminar blood flow.
Atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the head is caused by atherosclerotic plaques of various sizes andforms. They can be concentric, covering the entire circumference of the vessel, or eccentric. Atherosclerosis of the main arteries leads to their tortuosity, that is, curvature with the creation of eddies in the bloodstream. It may not be strong and does not affect hemodynamics in any way, or it may be strong, entailing various complications. The main arteries of the neck affected by atherosclerosis are C-shaped, S-shaped and loop-shaped.
Stenosis is a direct consequence of atherosclerosis. This phenomenon is characterized by narrowing of the lumen of the vessel. The main arteries of the head and neck are quite often affected by this pathology. Moreover, the longer the narrowed area, the more severe the form of the pathology and, accordingly, the more difficult the treatment.
Main arteries of the head may be dissected. This is a consequence of an injury, as a result of which the vessel wall breaks up into layers separated by blood. This injury is also called an intramural hematoma. The danger of this formation is that it grows within a few weeks after the trauma incident. And when a person thinks that all traces of a blow or a fall have completely disappeared, an intramural hematoma blocks the lumen of the artery, which causes neurological diseases.
The main arteries of the head can destroy the aneurysm of the arteries. This phenomenon is extremely rare, but there are several reasons for its occurrence. This is an injury, a consequence of cystic medial necrosis, fibromuscular dysplasia or aneurysm becomes a continuation of atherosclerosis.
A tumor blocking the lumen of an artery may occurnot only on the inner wall of the vessel, but also on the outer. This pathology is called chemodectoma. neoplasm consists of paraganglionic cells of the outer layer of the vessel. Such an outgrowth is easy to see with the naked eye under the skin of the neck. On palpation, a pulse is clearly felt under the surface of the tumor. Usually it is benign, but the treatment is only surgical, since it is not accepted in medical practice to risk the possibility of its change to a malignant one.
Abnormal cellular development can lead to fibromuscular dysplasia. The pathology is characterized by the defeat of itinoma of the arterial wall. This, in turn, causes such dangerous conditions as stroke, hypertension, aneurysm with vessel dissection.
Atherosclerosis of the main arteries of the brain may be the result of neotimal hyperplasia. This condition occurs as a result of an operation on the vessels. After the vessel wall is cut through the blood, smooth muscle cells begin to migrate from their usual environment to the neointima, followed by accumulation in it.
Diseases of the vessels of the lower extremities
The main arteries of the lower extremities, as well as carotid ones, are subject to various diseases. In addition, they have a higher load due to gravity and the risk of injury is also an order of magnitude higher.
Most often, the arteries in the legs undergo stenosis. The consequence of a decrease in the lumen is ischemia of the soft tissues.
Stenosis, as a consequence of atherosclerosis, has its own specific manifestations. First of all, it is pain and lameness when walking. The skin on the legs becomes either white ordarker than other areas on the body. Her temperature changes, and her hair gradually falls out. A patient with stenosis often complains of goosebumps and constantly cold feet.
In a severe form of the disease, long-healing wounds covered with pus may appear on the legs.
Pain becomes a constant companion of a person, and the legs may hurt when walking or at rest, or at the moment of transition from a sitting to a standing position. If urgent treatment is not started at this stage, the patient begins to develop gangrene with possible general blood poisoning. And this, as a rule, leads to the death of a person.
Causes of vascular disease
There are quite a few reasons for the development of vascular diseases. There are also a number of reasons for the appearance of the disease. That is, they do not directly cause pathology, but they can affect its possible development.
From specific reasons, the following stand out:
- Smoking. This habit causes narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, through nicotine and carcinogens contained in cigarette smoke.
- The patency of blood vessels violates alcohol.
- Any chronic disease affects the state of blood vessels.
- Infection, especially of the respiratory tract and bronchi.
- Chronic edema. This condition causes a constant load on the walls of blood vessels.
- Injury. Especially often observed stenosis as a result of injury in professional athletes.
- Stenosis can also be inherited at the gene level.
Other provocativefactors
Other causes that can cause vascular disease are addiction to coffee, chronic stress, hormonal imbalance, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, professional activities associated with a constant load on the legs.
Diagnosis of vascular disease
Any vascular disease is diagnosed in stages using modern equipment and devices. First of all, the patient is examined by a doctor and answers the questions of interest to him. During the conversation, it turns out that the patient has bad habits and the type of his activity.
After that, the patient is sent for an instrumental examination of blood vessels. The simplest diagnostic method in this case is ultrasound of the vessels. Next, angiography and scanning of the arteries of the neck and legs using Doppler is applied. For a more accurate examination of the arteries, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is used.
Treatment of vascular diseases
The method of vascular treatment depends on the type of disease, its severity and the individual characteristics of the patient's body. If the damage to the walls of the artery was diagnosed at the initial stage, then conservative treatment is possible with the help of medications, physiotherapy procedures and even alternative methods of treatment. In this case, the patient must be transferred to a special diet. If the situation has become dangerous and the pathology has led to an almost complete closure of the lumen of the vessel,surgery.
Prevention
Prevention of vascular disease can be considered a he althy lifestyle and proper nutrition. You need to quit smoking, stop drinking alcohol and go in for sports. It is also recommended to exclude fatty, fried foods from your diet. It is important to understand that you need to start monitoring your he alth even before the appearance of diseases.
Conclusion
Diseases of the main arteries are a very dangerous condition. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease, you should consult a doctor. Self-medication in this case can lead to complications or even death of a person. It is important to seek help in time to avoid dangerous consequences.
