Carotid artery disease

Carotid artery disease

Carotid artery disease surfaces when fatty deposits begin to clog the blood vessels that aid in delivering blood to both the brain and the heart. This blockage can increase your risks of having a stroke because one of the predominant reasons for a stroke is the lack of blood supply to it. If a stroke occurs, your brain is deprived of oxygen which results in your brain cells dying. For carotid artery disease, one of the more prominent signs of its development is in fact a stroke.

Hence, it is important to identify some of its subtle symptoms:

1. Feelings of numbness or weakness all of a sudden in the face or in the limbs, usually occurring on only one side of the body.
2. Difficulty in understanding or comprehending others and having trouble speaking all of a sudden.
3. Trouble seeing from one or both eyes.
4. Dizziness, feeling light headed or loss of balance.
5. A pounding headache occurring all of a sudden without a cause.

Why does Carotid artery disease occur?

It occurs because of plaques that pile up in your arteries. Plaques are clumps of cholesterol and calcium, amongst other things. The arteries become stiff and narrow causing them to have trouble delivering oxygen to your brain in order to perform day to day functions.

Risks factors:

1. High blood pressure. Having a high blood pressure problem can put stress on the artery walls which can weaken them and make them more susceptible to damage.
2. Smoking. Nicotine can be a reason that your arteries become agitated. Other than that, smoking also puts pressure on your heart and lungs which can also increase blood pressure leading to your arteries becoming weaker.
3. Weight and age. As you grow older, your arteries become weaker and more prone to injury. Therefore, those who are elderly are more at risk of carotid artery disease as opposed to young individuals. Moreover, weight also is a very significant factor when it comes to understanding the risk factors of many diseases. If you have unhealthy eating habits and do not exercise regularly then that leads to obesity which will cause diabetes, as well as high blood pressure. Diabetes further lowers your ability to process fats properly which puts your arteries under immense pressure.
4. Family history. If any of your family members have had carotid artery disease before then you are more at risk of it as opposed to an individual who may not have a family history of the disease.

In order to prevent this from occurring, some factors to take into consideration include:

1. Quit smoking
2. Exercise daily and monitor your weight
3. Limit alcohol
4. Keep a healthy diet such as fruits

 Therefore, if you would like to visit a vascular surgeon then we have the best ones available for you. You can find the best Vascular Surgeon in Lahore and the best Vascular Surgeon in Islamabad according to the city you live in.