For high-risk individuals, it is recommended to undergo carotid artery ultrasound once a year
2024-02-02
Recently, Mr. Xu, who is 45 years old, received his medical examination report and his mood suddenly turned bad. Originally, Mr. Xu was found to have carotid artery plaques during the annual physical examination arranged for employees aged 45 and above to undergo carotid artery ultrasound examination. He searched online and found out that carotid artery plaques are closely related to cerebral infarction, which made him very worried: why does the carotid artery grow plaques? Will the plaque fall off? Is it a brain infarction stuck in my mind? How to treat it? At the end of the year, many units organize physical examinations for employees, and neurology outpatient doctors often encounter consultants like Mr. Xu. Zhou Nina, Director and Chief Physician of the Neurology Department of Cerebrovascular Disease at Hunan Provincial Brain Hospital (Hunan Second People's Hospital), reminds that carotid artery plaques are a natural process of vascular aging, just like the accumulation of scale on the wall of a water pipe that has been used for a long time. If carotid artery plaques are found, they do not need to be too tight, but they must be actively controlled and treated under the guidance of a doctor, which is crucial for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Carotid artery plaques are closely related to stroke, and high-risk individuals should regularly screen for carotid arteries, which are arteries located in the neck. There is a main carotid artery (common carotid artery) on each side of the neck, and then continue to ascend from the neck to the head. The carotid artery transports blood from the heart to the head, face, and neck, and is one of the main blood vessels supplying the brain. Its main function is to provide fresh blood and oxygen to the brain, maintaining normal brain function. Carotid artery plaque is also called carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Its formation principle is simply that the blood flows in the blood vessels all the year round, and some lipids in the blood slowly deposit on the pipe wall, just like the kettle in which we boil water, a large amount of scale is deposited. Research has shown that the incidence of carotid artery plaques in people over 40 years old is 40% to 45%, and it increases with age. People over 60 years old have varying degrees of carotid artery plaques. In addition to age factors, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (especially high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), hyperglycemia, smoking, alcoholism, lack of exercise, obesity, hyperhomocysteinemia, hyperuricemia, etc. are also risk factors for carotid artery plaques. The harm of carotid atherosclerotic plaque should not be underestimated, it can cause vascular elasticity decline; Enlargement of plaques can cause narrowing of the lumen, resulting in symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and insufficient cerebral blood supply; Unstable plaque rupture and detachment can cause the occurrence of ischemic stroke. Due to the stenosis and occlusion caused by carotid artery plaques, it is an important cause of ischemic stroke. Therefore, early detection of carotid artery plaques, especially unstable plaques, is crucial for the prevention and treatment of stroke. Carotid artery is one of the places with high incidence of atherosclerosis, and because of its shallow location, it is easy to detect by ultrasound, so carotid plaque can be used as a "window" to understand systemic atherosclerosis. If plaques appear in the carotid artery, it also reflects that similar lesions may occur in the systemic arteries (such as coronary arteries, renal arteries, lower limb arteries, etc.), which may lead to angina, hypertension, lower limb pain, intermittent claudication, etc. Zhou Nina suggests that people aged 60 and above, or those with high-risk factors such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, should undergo neck exercises once a year
Edit：GuoGuo Responsible editor：FangZhiYou
Source：gmw.cn
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