Every May 18th is National Vascular Health Day. Cholesterol is inseparable from blood vessel health. Atherosclerotic plaque formed by cholesterol deposition is an important factor that threatens blood vessel health and is known as the “time bomb” in blood vessels.
“Atherosclerosis is the main cause of vascular disease, which can cause vascular stenosis, thrombus and other hazards, leading to serious diseases such as myocardial infarction and cerebral apoplexy.” Department of Vascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences According to Shu Chang, director of the center, a correct understanding of atherosclerosis and scientific prevention and treatment can more effectively protect cardiovascular health.
To understand atherosclerosis, we must first fully understand the importance of low-density lipoprotein to atherosclerosis.
The vascular artery is like a soft and elastic tube, including elastic tissue, connective tissue, etc. The tube wall is smooth, composed of intima, media and adventitia, which can allow blood to pass through at all times. In a healthy state, the threshold for abnormal total cholesterol in human blood is 5.18 mmol/L. When there are more cholesterol and cholesterol esters in the blood, they will slowly deposit on the arterial intima, making the arterial wall thicker and thinner. hardening, which in turn leads to necrosis of connective tissue and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
To protect the health of blood vessels, “prevention” is more important than “treatment”. The core strategy for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is to lower the level of LDL cholesterol in the body.
Shu Chang said that to a large extent, atherosclerosis is a disease closely related to lifestyle, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to preventing and treating atherosclerosis. All drug treatments should be based on based on a healthy lifestyle.
“When LDL cholesterol levels are maintained in a healthy state, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. do not lead to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” He said, but when low density lipoprotein cholesterol in the body is maintained When lipoprotein cholesterol levels are sufficient to initiate atherosclerosis, these risk factors contribute. Among them, smoking is the main risk factor for atherosclerosis, and the prevention of cardiovascular disease must be done by quitting smoking or eliminating tobacco use.
For diabetic patients, other risk factors, such as hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, often coexist, which is generally considered a high-risk condition for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Therefore, in addition to controlling blood sugar, diabetic patients can also use drugs that control low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, such as statins, to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and improve atherosclerosis, thereby preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. (Reporter Peng Yunjia)