The Most Common Vascular Diseases You Must Know About

Our body is a whole network of vessels. Arteries move blood away from your heart while veins return to it. Lymph vessels and lymph nodes remove damaged cells and protect your body from infections and cancer. This is our vascular or circulatory system and any condition that affects is considered a vascular disease. Some of those diseases might require vascular surgery but thankfully we have many top hospitals inHyderabad and other big cities to fight these problems. 

Atherosclerosis              

Peripheral arteries carry blood to your tissues and organs while coronary arteries supply blood to your heart muscles. Both have deposits of fat and other substances called plaque inside their walls. This plaque can build up over time and the blood cannot flow freely. Depending on the where it blocks, you can have different problems. In coronary arteries, it causes heart attack and in the carotid arteries of the brain, you might suffer Transient Ischemic Attack or a stroke. Blockage in kidneys may cause heart failure and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Claudication might be a problem if there is a blockage in legs leading to cramps or sores. You might lose a limb or an organ if the blood supply to any of it is completely blocked. 

Aneurysm

A bulge in any wall of the blood vessel is called Aneurysm. It’s often in Aorta, the main vessel to the heart. You can get an Aortic Aneurysm in your chest and Thoracic Aneurysm in abdominal regions. Small Aneurysms are of no threat but plaque deposits may develop in the affected regions. A clot might also get formed which breaks off and sticks somewhere else. Some Aneurysms might get bigger causing pain in the organs. Sometimes in arteries, they might burst as they are fragile which is very deadly.

Buerger’s Disease

Buerger’s disease most often attacks small or medium-sized arteries and veins of your arms and legs. They get swollen and may get blocked by clots and the blood will be cut off to fingers, hands, toes, or feet. Body parts thus heart even while resting. In severe conditions, fingers and toes might need to be amputated. People with this disease might also have Raynaud’s syndrome.   

Varicose Veins

Veins have flaps called valves, unlike arteries. The valves open for the blood to move through the tubes when muscles contract and when your muscles relax, valves close allowing blood to flow in only one direction. When the valves are damaged, they might not close completely allowing blood to pool as blood then flows in both the directions. Varicose veins bulge like purple ropes and look like bursts on knees, calves, and thighs. These are called spider veins caused by swollen capillaries. Women are affected more than men and it runs in the families. 

Lymphedema

Your lymphatic system doesn't have a pump unlike the systems of arteries and veins. Valves and the vessels and muscle contractions keep the lymph moving in them. When the lymphatic vessels or nodes don’t work, fluid builds up causing swelling called Lymphedema. Primary Lymphedema is rare which is caused during birth. A blockage or interruption in the lymphatic system causes secondary Lymphedema which might happen because of cancer, radiation, deep vein thrombosis, scarred tissues, severe injuries, infections, or surgeries.