Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels - symptoms

Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels is a serious disease that leads to a gradual worsening of the central nervous system, the risk of developing mental disorders and stroke. In this pathology, intracranial and extracranial vessels that feed the brain are affected.

What happens in atherosclerosis of the cerebral vessels?

The disease begins with the fact that the walls of the arteries are impregnated with cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance contained in blood, a certain content of which is necessary for the normal vital activity of the body. However, an increase in its concentration in the blood and deposition in the form of insoluble spots on the walls of the arteries is the beginning of the atherosclerotic process.

Then begin to form the so-called atherosclerotic plaques. This process takes place in three stages:

1. The stage of fat spots, strips - deposition on the inner shell of the walls of the vessels of lipids.
2. Liposclerosis - formation in the field of fat spots of connective tissue and formation of a plaque. The surface of the plaque can ulcerate, crack, cracks fibrin and platelets. From the plaque can break away small parts, which, with blood flow, enter the smaller vessels of the brain and clog them.
3. Atherocalcinosis - the deposition of calcium salts (lime) and compaction of plaque. The plaque gradually increases and can completely clog the lumen of the vessel.

As a result of the formation of plaques, the blood supply deteriorates, the parts of the brain lose oxygen and useful substances. If blood vessels appear in the brain, then necrotic spots, cysts and scars form on the brain tissue. Due to the dystrophy of nerve cells, normal mental activity is disrupted.

Causes of cerebral artery atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis of cerebral arteries (cerebral, trunk) develops due to a violation in the body of fat metabolism. The risk factors for this disease are:

• smoking;
• alcohol abuse;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• obesity;
• diabetes;
• hyperlipidemia;
• arterial hypertension;
• increased coagulability of blood;
• stress;
• mature age.

Signs of cerebral artery atherosclerosis

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels are very diverse, and not all of them can manifest immediately. The following clinical manifestations are characteristic:

• headache of varying intensity and duration;
• dizziness;
• noise in the ears ;
• sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep, frequent night awakenings, nightmares, drowsiness during the day);
• increased fatigue, decreased ability to work;
• decreased memory;
• aggravation of character traits;
• excessive anxiety, suspicion;
• lack of coordination;
• unclear speech, etc.

As a rule, at first a patient with atherosclerosis experiences only occasionally appearing symptoms, associating them with fatigue, long-term exposure in a non-ventilated room, etc. This is mainly dizziness, headache, noise in the ears, forgetfulness. Further, these signs are amplified, new manifestations of the disease are added to them - depressiveness, speech impairment, trembling of hands, unsteadiness of gait.

Progression of the disease leads to the emergence of a stage of decompensation, in which a person can no longer do without outside help. Memory and thinking abilities deteriorate considerably, difficulties with self-service arise. With this condition, the risk of stroke increases, which occurs as a result of complete cessation of blood flow due to occlusion of the vessel with an atherosclerotic plaque.