At present, there is a routine physical examination in the hospital, which is to check whether there is carotid plaque, and it is clear at a glance to do a vascular ultrasound. Many middle-aged and elderly friends have found carotid plaque and are very worried. I wonder how much this plaque affects the human body. What the hell is this plaque? Do you need treatment? Don't worry, I'll show you the analysis.

First of all, how is carotid plaque formed?

In fact, carotid plaque, also known as atherosclerotic plaque, is the same as arterial plaque all over the body. Because of long-term atherosclerosis, vascular endothelial damage, and with the passage of time, fat cells are deposited on the vascular wall, so it is called atherosclerotic plaque. This kind of plaque is just like bean curd residue or rice residue, so it is called atherosclerotic plaque. The blood vessel wall is just like we used to boil water in a kettle. After long-term use, the scale becomes thicker and thicker. If it is in a narrow lumen, it will narrow the lumen and even lead to blockage.

There are many reasons for vascular plaque, which are as follows: first, long-term hyperlipidemia makes blood vessels soak in fat cells for a long time, which is easy to cause lipid cells to deposit on the blood vessel wall; Second, vascular endothelial injury, because long-term hypertension and diabetes can cause vascular endothelial injury, produce vascular inflammatory reaction, and provide conditions for lipid cell deposition; Long-term high-fat diet, long-term smoking and inactivity will slow down blood circulation, damage blood vessels and aggravate the occurrence and development of atherosclerotic plaques.

Secondly, what effect does carotid plaque have on the body?

Don't make a fuss if you find vascular plaque in your neck. It is an indicator of vascular aging. Whether treatment is needed depends on the size of the plaque. If the plaque is small, it does not affect the blood supply to the brain and does not cause frequent dizziness, as long as all kinds of risk factors are actively controlled to prevent the progression of plaque; However, if the plaque is large, exceeding 70% of the inner diameter of blood vessels, and causing the corresponding manifestations of cerebral blood supply insufficiency, then interventional stent implantation or surgical endarterectomy is an effective treatment.

Third, how to prevent the occurrence and development of carotid plaque?

Since carotid atherosclerotic plaque is a clear indicator of vascular aging, the appearance of cervical vascular plaque means that the blood vessels of the whole body, even the cerebrovascular and coronary vessels, will harden. Because of the exposure of cervical blood vessels, it is easy to check, so it is one of the good indexes to evaluate vascular sclerosis.

For the prevention of cervical vascular plaque, we should start from the following aspects:

1, lifestyle control, strict diet control, low-salt and low-fat diet and reducing fat intake are one of the most effective ways to control atherosclerosis. Secondly, we should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and increase the intake of vitamins to keep the elasticity of blood vessels and reduce vascular injury. Strengthen exercise, promote blood circulation and reduce the deposition of lipid cells on the blood vessel wall.

2. Actively control related diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. It will cause vascular endothelial damage and aggravate vascular inflammatory reaction. Therefore, controlling the occurrence and development of these diseases is of great significance for protecting blood vessels.

3. The necessity of medication. If atherosclerotic plaque is found in blood vessels, accompanied by hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and other factors that are easy to cause vascular injury, then active statin treatment is needed. Statins can control the levels of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, actively regulate blood lipids, raise good high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and at the same time have the functions of antioxidation and anti-free radicals, stabilize atherosclerotic plaques, prevent rupture and protect vascular endothelium.

The appearance of atherosclerotic plaque is actually a warning function, reminding you that your blood vessels are no longer young, and you should pay attention to prevention to prevent serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. For middle-aged and elderly friends, especially those with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and other related diseases, it is very necessary to have an annual ultrasound examination of the neck blood vessels.