How Diseases Of the Arteries Are Treated

Introduction

The arteries diseases are the most common circulatory problems, affecting the arteries and reducing the blood flow in a specific area of the body. There are few types of arteries conditions, depending on the body area where the arteries are affected, as for example the coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, or the carotid artery disease. For example, the peripheral artery disease is diagnosed when your extremities, usually the legs, are not receiving enough blood flow as they should have.If you need to treat, or you just want to know how arteries diseases can be treated, here is some information that can help you with this.

Step 1

 

A correct diagnosis is the key for having successful results on the treatment of arteries diseases. At the first sign you should make an appointment to a doctor. This will prescribe you a number of tests to be performed, including an ultrasound and blood tests. A correct diagnosis of an arterial disease can be made only after all required tests are performed.

Step 2

 

There are many tests that a doctor can recommend you to diagnose the exact type of artery disease. A doctor can find first signs of an artery disease after performing a physical exam. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is another test used very commonly to diagnose peripheral arteries diseases. Ultrasound imaging techniques, as for example the Doppler ultrasound, are useful for evaluating how the blood flows through arteries and for identify blockages. Angiography is another test that can help to diagnose correctly arteries diseases. Any of these tests have to be accompanied by blood tests, which will measure triglycerides and cholesterol.

Step 3

 

Medications available for treating arteries diseases are many, but the dosage and the treatment period depend on the specific situation of each person. The doctor might recommend cholesterol-lowering medicines, which are reducing the risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. You might also have to take medication for reducing the blood pressure, for controlling the blood sugar, preventing blood clots, or to use medicines to relief symptoms.

Step 4

 

There are some situations when more drastic interventions are required to treat arteries diseases. Angioplasty, bypass surgery of thrombolytic therapy might be necessary in cases when medicines are not helping. Angioplasty and thrombolytic therapy are non-invasive procedures, as these are supposing the intervention with a small catheter or an injection with a clot-dissolving drug, to fix the problems. Bypass surgery is more invasive, as it is a technique used for allowing blood to flow easily, by replacing the damaged part of the artery with a vessel from another part of the body.

Step 5

 

A complete treatment program for arteries diseases should also include a supervised exercise program. This can be prescribed by a doctor, to help the blood to flow easily through arteries. A regular exercise program can help you improve the symptoms caused by arteries diseases, and to help your body use the oxygen more efficiently.

Conclusion

The arteries problems can cause various symptoms, but these symptoms can vary according with the exact type of artery disease.

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