The chances that a person will suffer a vascular event ( blood vessel) is a portfolio anyone can manage. It is the risk that a pipe conveying blood in your body will burst or block. This blocking event in the heart is called heart attack(myocardial infarction). It is the leading cause of death in the Western hemisphere. In the brain it can be both ways and is called a stroke( cerebrovascular accident). It can happen in the intestines, the limbs, kidney, the lungs, the eye... any tissue or organ. So how do you make sure a pipe in your body does not break or block. The integrity of the pipework in peoples bodies is what determines how long people live in the Western world.
Know the risk factors and play the game of your life.
1. Some of the factors are already set and there is nothing you can do about it. These are being male, being black and getting old.
2. Hypertension. This makes the pipes less flexible and more rigid thus easier to break. A flaky material gathers along the wall of the blood vessels(pipes) like sludge in hot water pipes reducing the bore of the blood vessels. This is progressive if it is not stopped . The track for blood to pass gets narrower and narrower. Soon pain starts downstream at the organ being starved of blood. Just like you feel pain in the buttocks on a very long journey seated in a car or train when muscles in your buttocks are starved of blood because you are seating on them; your weight compressing the arteries that supply them. This is exactly what happens when the yellow sludge called atheroma blocks enough of a blood vessel and the organ or tissue being supplied has no way to derive the shortfall (like from alternative supply called collaterals). So this is not a bad word after-all. The pain is saying there is tissue damage going on, do something. On the journey you will adjust how you seat and shift your weight but eventually this will not suffice. So with the organ being starved of blood. usually resting will relieve the chest pain or leg pain then as the blockage gets worse resting does not bring relief. Hypertension blocks your vessels and make them rigid . It can cause a blocked vessel anywhere: heart, guts,brain( or a burst vessel) leg,or even arteries supplying the pregnant womb to damage the placenta.
Action: Check your blood pressure every six months if you are forty or above. If hypertensive you need life-long treatment to prevent tissue damage or halt tissue damage if it has already begun.
3.Smoking: Smoking alone is a risk and can burst or block vessels apart from other risks it bears; cancer, respiratory problems , social etc. It will add to any preexisting risk like hypertension, diabetes mellitus,, abnormal blood vessels, clotting disorders, abnormal heart rhythm, prosthetics used to repair blood vessels, and contraceptives. Stopping smoking at any point, even after twenty years of chain smoking, will result in some reduction of risk.
Action.
Stop smoking..
4. Cholesterol: this is the yellow substance that accumulates on the wall of the blood vessels. The more there is in blood the more it will stick to the wall.. Some people have a problem handling cholesterol so they have a risk of their blood vessels bursting or blocking. Some accumulate a lot of it in their body by taking too much. . They exceed their bodies' capacity. Cholesterol has a bad name but it so essential that absolute lack of it equals death. The hormones that make men men, women women, control the amount of salt and water in the body including blood volume and enable people withstand stress are all made from cholesterol. Lab results show LDL and HDL as well as other lipids in the profile. It is useful for persons to know that we want HDL to be high and LDL low. HDL is the "good" cholesterol and "LDL" the bad cholesterol.
People who have defects in both genes that control the level of cholesterol in the blood do not live beyond their third decade. They suffer a blood vessel event. So high cholesterol on its own or in tandem with another factor(s) can cause a blood vessel to burst or block.
Action: Dietary limitation and drugs if cholesterol is high. Eggs and red beef are high in cholesterol. It is good to check the nutritional labeling of food products. Especially when there are health issues.
increase the chances of blood lots forming in leg veins..They can be transported to the lungs where they cause a potentially fatal problem.
Birth Control pills: This can increase the propensity of blood to clot.
Action: Ensure you are well assessed before starting birth control pills and injectables.
Clotting Disorders: Some health conditions and diseases increase the likelihood of blood to clot. These include: after major injury and major surgery, after child birth, being still for a long time (air travel) or bed ridden. There are inherited conditions characterized by blood having a greater propensity to clot, they are called thrombophilias. Also acquired conditions like lupus can be associated with a clotting disorder. A clot will form wherever the innermost layer/lining of the pipe is scratched. It starts small and grows. There is a possibility of the clot being dislodged. If this happens it may cause blockage downstream as the blood vessels divide and become progressively smaller .After a heart attack the innermost layer is damaged in the heart and a clot may well form. So a patient who survives a heart attack is at serious risk of a brain attack( a stroke) or a second heart attack The clot may be trapped in a vessel suffering from atherosclerosis( yellow sludge) blocking it completely. This risk can operate on it's own or jointly with others.
Action: Always take sometime to move if you are on a long flight: you can move your feet up and down repeatedly from time to time, it prevents blood pooling in your legs.Medical personnel take care of the risk that follows giving birth, surgery and injury. There are standard measures for the thrombophilias which a doctor will put in place.
Abnormal blood vessels: Some persons are born with defective blood vessel that are prone to bursting. If such a vessel bursts in their brains they have a stroke. There is not much action that can be taken against this.
Abnormal heart rhythms: When blood is not flowing smooth it tends to clot. Like when a section of the wall of the heart is " beating an egg out of it"
Action: Treat all heart conditions promptly and fully.
Diabetes mellitus: This is a major risk factor. It causes the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of arteries on its own. Can cause hypertension through damage to the kidneys. It is severe on its own but can work jointly with others risk factors.
Action: Screen for diabetes mellitus every six months if forty and above. Start at 30 years if it is in your family. Control of blood sugar is essential here.
These are the risks. It may not be exhaustive but check yourself against the factors discussed here and take action if you need to. Educate someone, refer them to this blog. You may save a life.
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