Treatment of coronary atherosclerosis. Causes of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, and methods of its treatment

One of the most common complaints of modern people are problems with the cardiovascular system. This is largely due to the environment, poor lifestyle and lack of physical activity. A disease such as atherosclerosis of the heart is becoming more and more widespread. It is associated with the accumulation of fat cells on the walls of blood vessels. As a result, the lumen of the aorta narrows, and blood flow to the heart muscle is sharply limited. If the problem is not recognized in time and treatment is not started, the likelihood of death is high.

Atherosclerosis of the heart vessels is a condition that directly threatens human life. Due to certain circumstances, there is a deposition of fat cells on the walls of the aorta. As a result, there is a gradual decrease in the amount of blood entering the heart.

The growth of cholesterol plaques leads to a slowdown in blood circulation. As a result, the work of not only the heart, but also all internal organs is disrupted. The result is the development of serious diseases. In especially difficult situations, a person dies.

The main risk group is made up of men who have crossed the forty-five-year milestone.

It is especially important for older people to remember what atherosclerosis of the arteries of the heart is. At first, the disease can be almost asymptomatic. Therefore, it is extremely important to undergo regular medical examinations. Recovery is possible only if a timely diagnosis is made and treatment is started.

Recently, the disease is rapidly getting younger. Fat deposits on the walls of blood vessels are diagnosed even in childhood. Experts primarily associate this fact with malnutrition. Therefore, an important role must be assigned to preventive measures.

The main causes of the development of the disease

In order to prevent atherosclerotic heart disease and atherosclerosis of the aorta, it is necessary to remember the cause of the development of such a problem. Modern experts cannot come to a consensus on this issue. They only managed to identify a few factors that contribute to the onset of the disease:

Prolonged stay in stressful situations, mental strain.
Violation of the rules of rational nutrition, abuse of fast food, fatty and fried foods.
Living in regions with unfavorable environmental conditions.
Addiction to smoking and drinking alcohol.
Lack of physical activity.
Diabetes.
Bad heredity.

Each of us can eliminate most of the above unfavorable factors. The sooner the causes of atherosclerosis are eliminated, the greater the chances of a successful cure.

According to statistical studies, the likelihood of sudden death from atherosclerosis increases with a high concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, it is extremely important to control this indicator.

Stages of disease development

The disease does not appear suddenly. With the gradual accumulation of lipid cells on the walls of blood vessels, atherosclerosis develops slowly. This process is usually divided into several main stages:

First. The blood flow rate begins to gradually decrease. Microscopic cracks are found on the walls of blood vessels. In the area of such damage, active accumulation of lipid cells begins. Gradually, the cracks increase in size, and fat deposits grow with them.
The second stage of atherosclerosis. It is called liposclerosis. There is an increase in the rate of growth of adipose tissue. At this stage, the disease responds well to treatment. Forming plaques can be effectively dissolved. At the same time, the likelihood of developing thrombosis increases several times. This can lead to blockage of the artery and death.
Atherocalcinosis. There is a seal of plaques in the vessels of the heart, which provokes the deposition of calcium. The light is very narrow. There is an active growth of a thrombus, which is accompanied by a significant deformation of the vessel. The risk of occlusion and necrosis increases. In severe cases, gangrene begins in this area.

Treatment will largely depend on the stage of atherosclerosis. In the later stages, therapy is difficult and lengthy. Unfortunately, it does not always lead to a favorable outcome. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the problem as early as possible.

How does the disease manifest itself?

With atherosclerosis of the vessels, symptoms may not appear immediately. Often, people begin to worry about their health only when there are clear signs of ischemia or myocardial infarction. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the first manifestations of the disease:

Paleness of the skin.
The limbs are often cold even at normal ambient temperatures.
There are sharp jumps in blood pressure.
Memory worsens.
A person constantly feels tired, he wants to sleep all the time.
Increased irritability, nervousness.
Painful sensations of a pressing nature, which are given to the arm or under the shoulder blade.
When you take a deep breath or exhale, you feel pain in the solar plexus.
After physical exertion, there is an acute shortage of air.
The manifestations of the disease include sensations of intense heat throughout the body, which are replaced by cold.
There is noise in the ears.
A brief loss of consciousness may occur.

Particular attention to alarming symptoms should be paid to people suffering from diabetes and impaired kidney function. At the first sign of this problem, you should consult a doctor and undergo a thorough medical examination.

Diagnostic measures

A cardiologist can accurately diagnose atherosclerosis after a full medical examination of the patient. First of all, the specialist examines the patient. The presence of edema, wen on the body, trophic disorders and other signs are revealed. Blood pressure and heart rate must be measured. After that, the specialist prescribes the following diagnostic procedures:

Laboratory study of blood. The concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides is determined.
Aortography. This is a study of the state of blood vessels using x-rays. This method can detect the presence of seals, aneurysms, calcifications and other pathologies.
Angiography is a study in which it is possible to determine the violation of blood flow in the area under study. Altered areas are detected with the introduction of a specialized contrast agent.
ultrasound. With the help of ultrasound, the state of the vessels adjacent to the heart muscle is studied.

Based on the research data, the specialist concludes that the disease is present. Only then can we proceed to the development of a competent treatment program.

Methods of treatment

Most often, people go to the doctor after severe pain in the heart and other manifestations of ischemia or heart attack appear. This requires emergency medical treatment of atherosclerosis, which includes the following drugs:

Painkillers. They are needed to urgently stop the attack. Most often, nitroglycerin is used for these purposes.
Means for the normalization of blood circulation.
Drugs that increase blood pressure.

In the treatment of atherosclerosis of the heart vessels, medications are necessarily used to reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. They are divided into several groups:

fibrates. Prevent the formation of fats in the liver. Long-term use of fibrates is unacceptable, since fats are necessary for the full functioning of the body. They are involved in the construction of cells and the work of enzymatic systems. Fibrates include Clofibrate and Fenofibrate.
Statins. This group includes Lovastatin, Mevacol, Simvastatin and others. To achieve a lasting effect, they have to be used for a long time.
Choleretic drugs. They are designed to increase the rate of outflow of bile. This group includes Cholestyramine, Cholestide and others.
A nicotinic acid.

During drug therapy, it is necessary to strictly adhere to all the recommendations of the doctor. Arbitrarily stopping treatment or changing drugs can lead to serious consequences for health and even life.

Specific drugs and their dosage is selected exclusively by the attending specialist. Before taking medications, carefully read the instructions that come with them.

Surgery

In severe cases of atherosclerosis, it is not possible to do without surgical intervention. This helps save the patient's life. The following methods are used for this:

thrombolytic therapy. Measures are being taken to dissolve the forming blood clots. This helps to quickly restore normal blood flow.
Shunting. With the help of the body's own vessels or specialized tubes, specialists provide a new blood flow, bypassing the damaged area. At the same time, the heart rate and the supply of nutrients to all internal organs are normalized.
Angioplasty. During this operation, instead of narrowing the vessel, catheters are installed. One of them has a balloon. It is inflated with air, which allows you to expand the lumen. In order to fix the diameter at the desired value, it is permissible to install a stent.
Endarterectomy. This procedure involves cleansing the arteries of accumulated fat cells. As a result, the cardiac vessels begin to function at full strength.

Surgical intervention is associated with serious risks to the health and life of the patient. But often it becomes the only way to save.

Food

Proper nutrition plays an important role in the treatment of atherosclerosis of the heart. Only in this way will it be possible to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, to prevent the formation of new plaques. You should follow the basic recommendations:

First of all, the daily intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is adjusted. Provide adequate intake of vitamins and minerals.
The number of calories needed for the patient is calculated based on body weight. Exceeding this limit can adversely affect health.
Meals should be regular, at least four times a day. Long breaks between meals can aggravate the course of the disease.
It is necessary to completely exclude smoked meats, quickly digestible carbohydrates, fried and fatty foods from the menu. The consumption of salt and spices should be kept to a minimum.
The diet of a patient with atherosclerosis should include cereals and wholemeal bread. Muffins and products made from premium flour should be discarded.
Allowed the use of dairy products of low fat content. But it is better to refuse from irny varieties of cheese and whole milk.
The menu should include vegetable soups. Rich broth should be a thing of the past.
The use of fish of any kind is recommended. It can be steamed or baked.
Seafood lovers are allowed to eat scallops and oysters. Shrimp, squid and mussels will have to be abandoned.
The diet should include meat products. It can be veal, game, chicken or rabbit. It is forbidden to enter duck, fatty meats, sausages, offal into the menu.
Any vegetables can be eaten. The main rule is they should be stewed or steamed. Eating fried foods is strictly prohibited.
Benefits for the body will bring walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts.
You can drink tea, juices, compotes and fruit drinks without sugar.

By adhering to the basic rules of nutrition, you can reduce the risk of complications and speed up the healing process. It is necessary to develop a competent diet together with a specialist.

Folk methods of treating the disease

As an additional method of treating atherosclerosis of the heart, you can use traditional medicine recipes. Such simple natural remedies will help enhance the effectiveness of drug treatment. Among the most effective drugs are:

Plantain leaf tincture. A tablespoon of dried chopped raw materials is steamed with a glass of boiling water. After half an hour, the product is ready for use. It is recommended to drink it in the amount of a glass in equal portions throughout the day.
Tincture of garlic. A few cloves should be crushed to a mushy state and pour a glass of vodka. The tool will be ready for use after five days. It is taken 10 drops three times a day. Before use, the tincture is diluted in a small amount of water.
Rosehip infusion. Place a handful of dried fruits in a glass container. Pour in vodka so that it completely covers the berries. After two weeks of infusion, you can take the remedy 20 drops per day.
Juice of hawthorn fruit. Fill half a glass with fresh chopped hawthorn berries. Fill with warm clean water. Squeeze out the juice. It should be taken in a tablespoon before meals several times a day.
Decoction of herbs. Soak in a glass of boiling water a teaspoon of elecampane, oregano, blackberry leaves and shepherd's purse. After half an hour, pour hot water into the infusion so that 300 ml of the product is obtained. It must be drunk during the day, divided into 4 equal parts.
Stir in equal amounts the stems and leaves of strawberries, nettle, dandelion and lemon balm. Steam 300 ml of boiling water. An hour later, the product will be ready for use. It must be drunk during the day.
Fold in a thermos a handful of strawberries and rose hips. Add some oat straw and mint. Steam with boiling water. After an hour, treatment can begin. Two glasses of the product must be consumed during the day. In this case, a single dose should be at least 100 ml.
Combine 4 tablespoons of immortelle with the same amount of hawthorn. Add to them two tablespoons of lingonberry and raspberry leaves. A teaspoon of the prepared collection must be steamed in a glass of boiling water. This remedy is divided into four parts and drunk throughout the day.
Combine the chopped stalks of dill and burdock. Add horsetail and medicinal letter. A teaspoon of the prepared mixture is steamed in a glass of boiling water and infused for about half an hour. It must be taken in equal portions throughout the day.
Mix identical portions of calendula and clover. Add rowan and corn stigmas. A spoonful of this composition is steamed in a glass of boiling water and taken throughout the day in equal doses.

The use of such drugs may have contraindications, in particular allergic reactions. Therefore, before using them, you should consult with a specialist.

Possible complications and prevention

If symptoms are detected in time and treatment is started, then the likelihood of complications is low. Otherwise, the disease becomes chronic. Vascular insufficiency may develop. It can cause a heart attack or coronary heart disease.

An aneurysm that forms in a vessel can rupture under unfavorable circumstances. This phenomenon often leads to the death of the patient. Atherosclerosis can cause a stroke, heart attack, or heart attack.

With timely initiation of treatment, the prognosis is favorable. If precious time is lost, you will have to undergo long-term treatment and recovery. At the same time, it is necessary to adhere to proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. After the cure, experts recommend undergoing a course of recovery in a sanatorium. The program is developed individually for each patient.

Recently, the disease has increasingly begun to affect people of all ages. Therefore, you need to take care of your health from a young age. Follow the simple rules of prevention:

With atherosclerosis of the heart vessels, it is required to completely stop smoking. Inhalation of tobacco smoke has a destructive effect on the walls of blood vessels. Alcohol abuse will have a similar effect. Alcoholic beverages can be drunk only in small quantities.
Try to move more. Full physical activity contributes to the elasticity of blood vessels. Recommended gymnastics, swimming, walking in the fresh air.
Stick to a healthy diet policy. Try not to include unhealthy foods in your diet. Eat more vegetables, fruits, lean fish and meats.
Dress for the weather. Overheating, just like hypothermia, negatively affects the state of the cardiovascular system.
Timely identify and treat problems with the heart and blood vessels. Control your blood pressure.
Do not engage in heavy physical labor.
Control body weight. Excess weight becomes a factor that accelerates the development of atherosclerosis.
Avoid stressful situations, try to maintain peace of mind and calmness in any conditions.

Compliance with these simple rules of prevention will reduce the risk of developing the disease. A healthy diet and lifestyle will help you stay young and healthy for a long time.

Atherosclerosis of the arteries of the heart is a dangerous disease that requires serious therapy. Therefore, when the first alarming symptoms are detected, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor. Only after a full medical examination will it be possible to draw up a competent treatment program. During treatment, it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations issued by the specialist.

Provoke atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries can be a metabolic disorder or malnutrition. Other causes are also possible, including burdened heredity or the influence of environmental factors. All this causes the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque, which prevents normal blood flow and causes the replacement of cardiomyocytes with connective tissue cells. In this case, the patient develops severe chest pain, weakness, and in severe cases, myocardial infarction and disruption of normal cardiac activity develop.

Treatment of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries primarily consists in lifestyle changes.

Causes and pathogenesis

Provoke atherosclerotic vascular damage can be influenced by the following factors on the human body:

hereditary predisposition;
nutritional errors;
high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood;
chronic stress;
depressive state;
alcohol consumption;
smoking;
obesity;
inactive lifestyle;
hormonal imbalance;
diabetes;
hypertension;
lipid metabolism disorder.

Violation of the blood flow of the coronary vessels occurs when plaques and thrombosis form in them.

The defeat of atherosclerotic plaques of the coronary vessels occurs as a result of a violation of the structural integrity of the vascular wall or an imbalance of lipoproteins in the body. These reasons cause the accumulation of LDL in the area of cracks on the endothelium, which merge with each other and grow together with a layer of connective tissue. Later, thrombosis appears in this place with the formation of blood clots. This causes stenosis and blockage of the coronary arteries, slowing down or completely disrupting blood flow in them.

Main symptoms

Atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels of the heart causes the patient to develop such characteristic clinical signs:

pain or tightness in the chest;
dizziness;
dyspnea;
general weakness;
nausea;
acute soreness radiating to the left arm, neck or jaw.

Symptoms depend on the degree of atherosclerotic lesions. At the initial stages of the development of the disease, pathological signs appear only after physical or psycho-emotional stress. With a long course, the patient develops coronary artery disease and, which leads to a violation of the functional activity of the heart due to hypoxia of cardiomyocytes and their replacement with connective tissue elements.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of atherosclerosis involves magnetic resonance imaging, which will show the accumulation of cholesterol.

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries of the heart can be suspected by the presence of symptoms characteristic of this pathology in the patient. Angiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging are recommended to confirm the diagnosis. These studies will help identify atherosclerotic plaques and impaired blood flow. It is also recommended to take an electrocardiogram and conduct a bicycle ergometry, which helps to detect latent coronary insufficiency after exercise. For the same purpose, the treadmill test is also used, which is carried out after the load on the treadmill. Diagnosis of atherosclerosis also includes the delivery of a general and biochemical blood test with the determination of the content of cholesterol fractions.

Treatment of pathology

Therapy for atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is to normalize the diet. Foods rich in fat should be avoided, more vegetables and fruits should be eaten. It will be helpful to limit your salt intake. Conservative methods of treatment are also used. They help eliminate coronary sclerosis if the degree of blood flow disturbances is mild and the atherosclerotic plaque is small. When complete stenosis and subsequent thrombosis of the vessel has occurred, surgical intervention is recommended. It consists in the installation of a stent or the creation of an artificial blood flow that bypasses the plaque.

Doctors estimate that cardiovascular disease causes 17,000,000 deaths each year. About half of them are atherosclerosis of the heart vessels. In Europe alone, 1,950,000 people die from it every year.

Let's figure out what the diagnosis of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries says, what is the danger of this disease, symptoms, treatment options, what complications can be obtained.

Physiology of the disease

The development of atherosclerosis begins early. It has been proven that the first proto-plaques can appear even in childhood. It usually takes more than 10 years for an atherosclerotic plaque to form. At first, it is too small to affect blood flow. As the deposit grows, it occupies an increasing part of the lumen of the vessel, significantly narrowing it - stenosing atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries develops. If the formation of atherosclerotic plaque continues, it can clog the vessel. This condition is called obliterating atherosclerosis.

Coronary vessels - a system of arteries, veins that feed the heart muscle. Their vascular pattern resembles a branched tree, in which the smallest branches are capillaries. Only one capillary is suitable for each cell of the heart. If the blood does not reach it, the myocytes stop receiving oxygen. After a while they die off (myocardial infarction). The blood supply to the cells of other organs is always carried out by several vessels, so they endure the narrowing of the lumen of the arteries without such serious consequences.

According to ICD-10, atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries of the heart is classified as atherosclerotic heart disease (group I25.1).

Main causes, risk factors

For the development of atherosclerosis, 2 components are necessary:

artery damage;
metabolic disorders, especially fat.

Throughout life, the walls of blood vessels are exposed to a wide variety of damaging factors. It is not possible to determine which one caused serious damage.

According to modern ideas in the development of atherosclerosis, a violation of fat metabolism plays an important role. High levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein LDL, neutral fats, low concentration of high-density lipoprotein HDL, abnormal size of lipid fractions contribute to the formation of deposits.

Therefore, doctors do not name the exact cause of atherosclerosis, but identify risk factors for its development. 80-90% of people who die from complications of coronary disease had at least one of the following factors:

High blood pressure in people over 50. It is considered one of the most significant indicators of risk. Under the influence of hypertension, the wall of the artery becomes thin, inelastic. It is easily damaged, which provokes the formation of plaques.
Age. Women after menopause, as well as men over 50, are more prone to atherosclerosis.
hereditary predisposition. If the patient has relatives who had cardiovascular problems under the age of 55 (men) or 65 (women), he is at risk;
High cholesterol, LDL. About 60% of people with coronary atherosclerosis have an abnormally high concentration of them.
Smoking. People who smoke have a very high risk of developing the disease. Passive smokers are also prone to developing it. Cigarettes increase the level of fibrinogen, a protein involved in blood clotting reactions. Because of this, the risk of thrombosis increases. Nicotine also raises blood pressure and speeds up the heart rate.
Diabetes. The presence of diabetes increases the risk of coronary atherosclerosis by 2-4 times in men, 3-5 times in women. The disease exacerbates the negative impact on the body of smoking, obesity.
Diet. People whose diet is rich in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt, poor in vegetables, fruits have an increased risk of atherosclerotic plaque narrowing of the lumen of the vessels.
Sedentary lifestyle. Increases the likelihood of heart disease by 50%, increases the complications of diabetes, hypertension, obesity.
Obesity. In addition to the fact that overweight is associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, it is also accompanied by triglycerides, LDL, low HDL.
Other factors. Stress, alcohol abuse, blood homocysteine deficiency, excess iron, inflammatory diseases, taking some oral contraceptives, hormonal drugs.

Symptoms of coronary atherosclerosis

In the initial stages of atherosclerosis, the deposit is too small to significantly affect the blood supply to the heart muscle. Because of this, there are no symptoms of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries at this stage.

With the progression of atherosclerosis, oxygen deficiency develops in the myocardium. This condition is called coronary heart disease. The first symptoms usually do not appear constantly, but with significant physical exertion, stress. They may include:

An attack of angina pectoris (angina pectoris). It is manifested by a feeling of pain, compression in the central or left side of the chest, as if someone is standing on it. Usually, discomfort disappears after a few minutes or after the cessation of physical activity. For some people, especially women, the pain may be fleeting or sharp, radiating to the neck, arm, or back;
Dyspnea. Myocardial cells begin to work worse, which causes the heart to pump less blood than the body needs. The body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by breathing more frequently, which causes shortness of breath;
General weakness, chronic fatigue.

If the cholesterol plaque blocks the lumen of the vessel, myocardial infarction develops. A typical symptom is chest compression, sharp wild pain that radiates to the shoulder, arm, less often the jaw, neck. Sometimes the development of a heart attack is accompanied by shortness of breath, intense sweating.

For some people, a heart attack may be asymptomatic.

Modern diagnostics

In the early stages of coronary atherosclerosis, there are no symptoms. At the appointment, the doctor first of all interrogates the patient, conducts a general examination, listens to the heart. Then the patient takes a biochemical blood test so that the doctor has an idea about the functioning of the internal organs. If, based on the results of a general examination, blood biochemistry, the doctor suspects the possibility of developing atherosclerosis, the patient is referred for further examination.

To diagnose atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels, the following methods are used:

Electrocardiogram. Records the passage of electrical signals through the heart. With a heart attack, it will be difficult for the impulse to pass through the scar tissue, which will be displayed on the ECG. This type of study is used to detect past heart attacks. Some patients are shown daily monitoring of the ECG. To do this, a person puts on a small device that is worn for 24 hours.
Echocardiogram. A subspecies of ultrasound, which helps to obtain an image of the heart, assess the wall thickness, size of the chambers, and the condition of the valves. These indicators change with heart disease.
stress test. Assign to patients whose symptoms appear only during exercise. Such patients are offered to walk on a treadmill or pedal an exercise bike. The doctor all this time observes changes in the patient's ECG. Sometimes, instead of physical activity, a person is given drugs that make the heart work hard. Then the doctor can examine the work of the heart with an MRI.
Angiogram. The doctor injects a small amount of dye into the coronary vessel. After a while, he takes a picture of the heart (using X-ray/MRI). The dye makes the vessels visible, so areas of constriction are clearly visible in the image.
CT scan. Allows the doctor to identify the most dangerous atherosclerotic plaques that contain calcium. May be combined with angiography.

Features of treatment

Therapy for atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels begins with lifestyle changes (quit smoking, move more), diet, treatment of concomitant diseases. Most of the diet should be plant foods, from animals it is allowed to leave poultry meat, fish, eggs, low-fat milk. Red meat consumption should be limited. It is recommended to avoid obviously unhealthy food - fast foods, snacks, street shawarma, pasties.

If the above measures are not enough, or at the time of admission, the state of human health raises concerns, for the treatment of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, drug therapy and surgical manipulations are connected.

Conservative therapy

Atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels in the initial or middle stages can be treated with medications. In fact, the disease itself cannot be cured. It is in the power of the doctor to slow down its progression, to remove some of the symptoms. Tasks of therapeutic treatment:

reduce the load on the heart;
relieve vascular spasm;
lower ;
prevent thrombosis;
reduce the risk of heart attack;
normalize blood pressure.

To achieve these goals, the following groups of drugs are used. Most pills need to be taken for life.

Lipid-lowering drugs

Medicines of this class normalize indicators of fat metabolism: cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides. These include:

Statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, pitavastatin). The most powerful representatives of the group. They block the synthesis of liver cholesterol, reduce the concentration of LDL, triglycerides, slightly. They are prescribed for the treatment of atherosclerosis, prevention for people at risk.
Fibrates (fenofibrate, gemfibrozil). Before the invention of statins, they were widely used in the treatment of patients with atherosclerosis. Most effectively reduce the concentration of triglycerides, increase HDL, to a lesser extent affect the level of cholesterol, VLDL.
A nicotinic acid. High doses of the drug, which is better known as vitamin B3 (PP), are prescribed to reduce triglycerides, LDL. But since the drug needs to be used in doses that exceed the daily requirement by 50-300 times, taking niacin is almost always accompanied by adverse reactions. Because of this, the use of nicotinic acid is very limited.
Bile acid sequestrants (colestyramine, colestipol). Medicines that prevent bile acids from being reabsorbed, which forces the body to use cholesterol to synthesize them;
Cholesterol absorption inhibitors (ezetimibe). Prevents the absorption of dietary cholesterol.

Blood-thinning drugs

Necessary at any stage of development of coronary atherosclerosis. Decreased blood viscosity prevents the formation of blood clots. The most popular drug is acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). It is indicated at the initial stage of the disease. For more severe atherosclerosis, warfarin is recommended.

Antihypertensive medicines

High pressure is considered one of the most significant factors that damage the artery wall. A decrease in indicators by 35-40% inhibits the progression of atherosclerosis. To correct the pressure, bisoprolol, valsartan, lisinopril, amlodipine are prescribed.

Surgery

In atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, surgical intervention is necessary if the size of the deposits is significant. The two most common techniques are shunting and stenting.

Shunting involves creating a bypass. To do this, an artificial or transplant vessel is sewn above, below the atherosclerotic plaque, through which blood can flow freely.

Stenting - restoration of blood flow is achieved by installing a metal frame - a stent - in a narrowed area. To do this, a catheter with a deflated balloon is inserted through a large vessel. The surgeon, under computer control, moves it towards the atherosclerotic plaque and then inflates it. The lumen of the vessel expands, the plaque becomes flatter. To fix the result, the catheter delivers a folded spring (stent) to the narrowing site, unfolds it. A rigid frame is formed that supports the artery in an open state.

Folk remedies

At the very initial stages of atherosclerosis, when the first symptoms have not yet appeared, you can try to be treated with herbal preparations, although this is ineffective.

Heart grass, yarrow, chestnut bark - 100 g each, rue grass, knotweed, lemongrass leaves, cumin seeds, sunflower petals - 50 g each. Prepare a mixture from the listed plants. 1 st. l. place in a thermos, pour a glass of boiling water, let it brew for 20-30 minutes. Strained infusion drink 100 ml 3 times / day before meals.
20 g of cumin seeds, Japanese Sophora pods, 30 g of valerian root, lemongrass leaves, 40 g of hawthorn flowers, nettle leaves. Pour boiling water over 1 tablespoon, leave for half an hour, strain. Drink 150 ml of infusion 2 times a day before breakfast, dinner.
Herbs in equal proportions: birch leaf, nettle leaves, sage, horsetail herb, knotweed, hawthorn inflorescences, cumin seeds, rose hips, brown algae, yarrow. 3 art. l. place in a saucepan, pour three cups of boiling water. Cover with a lid, leave for 3 hours. Take a glass before meals 3 times / day. For patients older than 70 years, the dose is reduced to half a glass.
Mix equal amounts of hawthorn flowers, knotweed grass, goldenrod, St. John's wort, yarrow. Place a tablespoon of the mixture in a saucepan, pour a glass of boiling water, put on a small fire. Boil 3 minutes. Set aside, let stand for 10 minutes. Drink warm, a glass 3 times / day before meals. A portion of the infusion must be prepared for each reception.
Mix the same amount of rue grass, goose cinquefoil, mistletoe, horsetail, yarrow. Pour a tablespoon of the collection with a glass of water, let stand for 3 hours. Put on fire, cook for 5 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes, strain. For 2-3 months, drink half a glass of infusion 2 times / day. The fifth collection contains potent herbs. Consult your physician for safe use.

Many biologically active components of plants are able to interact with medicines. Therefore, treatment with folk methods must be discussed with the therapist.

Complications

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries can significantly disrupt the functioning of the heart. Possible complications of the disease:

angina;
myocardial infarction;
heart failure;
arrhythmia.

The death of a patient can occur after a rupture of a cholesterol plaque, fragments of which will block the arteries. Most of these cases occur in the morning hours of the cold season. Severe stress or physical exertion can provoke lethal complications.

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, or coronary heart disease, consistently produces one of the highest mortality rates. About half of men and women die precisely because of atherosclerosis or the consequences of this insidious disease. The proportion of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels is by no means small. Doctors are also worried about the fact that the disease is rapidly getting younger and cases of coronary artery lesions with cholesterol plaques are increasingly common in young patients. All this indicates the need for widespread prevention of the disease among the population and the development of methods for the effective treatment of pathology.

When considering the problem of coronary atherosclerosis, doctors pay attention to the fact that the pathology manifests itself already with the development of significant stenosis, so it is not so easy to cope with the disease. Atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels is no less formidable than cerebral, therefore, to prevent the development of pathology, the main attention is paid to minimizing the risk factors that contribute to the development of the disease.

The reasons

To understand what is the cause of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels, you need to know the basic data on the metabolism of fats in the body, because they are the main components of the atherosclerotic plaque that appears on the wall of the vessels that feed the heart. The path of fat conversion in the body begins in the gastrointestinal tract, where fat is absorbed by the walls of the small intestine, integrated into chylomicrons (a combination of apoprotein with triglycerides). In this form, triglycerides enter the bloodstream through the lymph, where they bind to specific proteins and break down.

The breakdown products are free fatty acids, which are actively taken up by fat cells, as well as muscle cells for conversion into energy. Cholesterol-rich elements are captured in the liver, and since they are redundant for the body, they must be removed from the bloodstream within half a day.

Here, in the liver, cholesterol, under the influence of certain chemical transformations, is converted into very low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins. As studies show, the level of appearance of such lipoproteins is significantly influenced by the quality of food eaten by a person. Part of the cholesterol is spent on the construction of cell membranes, and the other part enters into the reverse reaction process.

High-density lipoproteins are responsible for the reverse movement of cholesterol from tissues into the bloodstream. With the right balance of lipoproteins, there are no problems with cholesterol in a person; high-density lipoproteins will be enough to ensure all the processes of cholesterol conversion and to contain the level of low-density lipoproteins. With a disproportion in a person, the part of the "bad" cholesterol increases and the part of the "good" decreases.

REFERENCE! As a result of disproportion, all vessels suffer, but the coronary arteries of the heart are among the first to fight the pathology.

Here, on the inner side of the vessel, on its endothelium, a certain amount of lipids accumulates, which forms the basis of a cholesterol plaque. Other blood components are added here, as well as fibrous contents. This process provokes not only changes in the inner wall of the vessel, but also its middle layer, which thickens under the influence of pathology.

The result of the pathological process is atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels and the appearance of plaques. Each plaque contains the so-called tire, consisting of smooth muscle cells and fibrous tissue, covered with a layer of endothelium. Lipids act as the core.

The starting process for the accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of the coronary vessels is the pathology of the lining layer - the intima. Colonies of monocytes appear on its surface, penetrating under the upper layer and accumulating lipids with them. Here they turn into so-called foam cells with a high content of cholesterol.

Upon contact with blood, platelet adhesion begins, a parietal thrombus grows, around which smooth muscle cells increase in size and number. This is how an atherosclerotic plaque is formed in the coronary vessel, which prevents the normal supply of blood to the heart.

Risk factors

Despite the reasons for the development of vascular atherosclerotic lesions, the onset of the disease is influenced not only by the immediate causes, but also by pathological factors:

the presence in a family history of close relatives of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries;
gender;
age features;
unhealthy diet, eating fatty foods;
being on a diet
hypodynamia - weak physical activity;
attachment to bad habits, in particular - to smoking;
high blood pressure;
high levels of lipids in the blood;
overweight;
severe metabolic pathologies, for example, diabetes mellitus;
metabolic syndrome;
negative impact on the body in the perinatal period.

Symptoms

Atherosclerosis is called the “silent killer”, since the symptoms of the disease do not appear for a long time, and a person feels problems in the body only with a significant overlap of blood vessels. The first symptoms are associated with damage to the cerebral vessels - a person feels headache attacks, fatigue occurs quickly.

In case of vascular thrombosis, minutes count, so it is extremely important to immediately call a medical team and deliver the patient to the cardiac surgery department

Typical symptoms of coronary atherosclerosis are as follows:

the appearance of pain behind the sternum of a burning, squeezing character;
pain radiating to the arm, shoulder blade, shoulder, epigastrium and even the lower jaw;
the appearance of unpleasant, painful sensations when walking, physical activity;
the appearance of short-term heart attacks for 5-15 minutes, the pain in which is not relieved by a nitroglycerin tablet.

Such signs are characteristic of angina pectoris - one of the most common manifestations of the disease. With a more formidable development of the situation, the patient may experience a myocardial infarction due to atherosclerosis of the aorta. Signs of a heart attack must be correctly recognized and a medical team should be called immediately. With a heart attack, the patient is observed:

severe pain behind the sternum, which also have a burning and squeezing character, but by the strength of sensations many times exceed the discomfort with angina pectoris;
usually the pain spreads on a larger scale, capturing the upper half of the human body;
the duration of the pain attack is about half an hour;
discomfort is not stopped by nitroglycerin.

Manifestations of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels primarily affect the work of the heart and affect the organ the most. With a disease, a natural outcome is coronary artery disease - coronary heart disease, since the body constantly suffers from a lack of oxygen and nutrients. This provokes a number of other serious violations, namely:

cardiosclerosis as a result of acute myocardial ischemia;
arrhythmia, which manifests itself in a violation of the conduction of the heart impulse;
a heart attack as a result of a rupture of a cholesterol plaque and the appearance of a blood clot on the surface - as a result, after a few hours, a blood clot that blocks the lumen of the vessel leads to the death of cardiomyocytes - heart cells.

Diagnostics

Identification of signs of pathology in some patients is possible in the case when the plaque blocked the coronary vessel by more than 50%, i.e. stenosing atherosclerosis develops. If until this moment the patient does not go to the clinic and is not examined, then heart pains, signaling atherosclerosis, already speak of the seriousness of the pathology.

ADVICE! It is best to detect atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels as early as possible in order to start timely treatment.

At the asymptomatic stage, the diagnosis includes the following:

determination by the method of electron beam computed tomography the presence of calcium in the coronary vessels;
determination of body mass index in people with high weight;
a blood test for cholesterol, in which the level of low-density and very low-density cholesterol will be significantly higher than normal along with a deficiency in the level of high-density cholesterol;
the presence of concomitant factors such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking.

Additionally, diagnostics includes other methods, namely:

stress scintigraphy - using this method, you can determine the exact location of the cholesterol plaque in the coronary vessel and determine the severity of the pathological formation;
intravascular ultrasound along with dopplerography will help to identify structural changes in the coronary vessel, determine the thickness of its walls, the presence of places with obstructed blood flow. Valve morphology and hemodynamics are also determined;
coronary angiography is one of the leading research methods, it is an X-ray examination with a contrast agent, as a result of which the exact localization of stenosis and the length of the affected area of the artery are also established;
stress echography - more intended for diagnosing changes that have occurred in the heart with impaired blood supply.

Treatment

Therapy of the disease can be carried out conservatively or surgically. Conservative treatment of the disease begins with the appointment of a diet. Patients need to strictly adhere to a diet with limited fat intake. A low-calorie diet will help eliminate dyslipidemia, lower harmful LDL levels, and increase high-density lipoprotein levels.

Statins have become the main drugs to protect a person from high cholesterol levels in the body.

In the absence of an effect, statins are additionally recommended to lower cholesterol levels. They are taken in small quantities for prevention, but if treatment is necessary, the dosage can be increased. Usually the daily dose does not exceed 80 mg of the drug, this amount is rarely prescribed to patients with very high cholesterol levels. On average, 20-40 mg of the drug is recommended. When normal blood cholesterol levels are reached, statins are prescribed in a maintenance dosage of 10 mg per day. Among statins, a good effect is given by:

Atorvastatin;
Lovastatin;
Rosuvastatin;
Simvastatin;
fluvastatin;
Pravastatin.

Each drug is selected individually, taking into account the level of cholesterol in the blood, the body's ability to quickly reduce, the sex and age of the patient. Be sure to take into account the presence of concomitant, already developed consequences of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Additionally, in addition to statins, doctors recommend taking:

fibrates;
preparations of nicotinic acid;
bile acid sequestrants;
omega-3 triglycerides;
reductase inhibitors.

IMPORTANT! Surgical treatment is used if medical care and diet therapy do not bring results.

Doctors conduct a complete examination of the patient for possible risks and, in their absence, offer the patient one of the methods of surgical intervention:

coronary artery bypass grafting - the technique involves the creation of blood flow bypassing the damaged area;
balloon angioplasty - the coronary vessel is expanded with a special balloon inserted into the problem area, after which the lumen for blood supply becomes larger;
stenting - the introduction of a special mesh stent with a rigid frame, which, as it were, imprints a plaque into the walls of the vessel and, due to its rigidity, makes it possible to ensure an adequate size of the lumen of the vessels to ensure the supply of the heart.

To date, atherosclerosis of the aorta of the coronary arteries is successfully eliminated, and the percentage of complications after surgery is low. The intervention is carried out using modern technology, and the qualifications of surgeons are at a fairly high level. The patient should not worry about the operation - for many patients with atherosclerosis, this is the only way to save their lives.

Prevention

Prevention of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels begins with a strict diet. Studies have shown that when spending calories in the average range of 2500 to 2800 units, a person consumes more than 3000 calories, which inevitably leads to weight gain. Even 150 extra calories over a year and a half of daily consumption gives ten kilograms of extra weight. But to lose this weight, you need to follow a low-calorie diet for almost the entire year.

In order to prevent patients at risk, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of cholesterol in the blood.

The balance of calories in the human body is expressed primarily in the ratio of beneficial and harmful lipoproteins. If you stick to a diet, then in most people you can achieve the correct ratio of lipid indicators in the blood and significantly reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. And with the addition of physical activity, the risk of developing atherosclerosis decreases even more.

If dietary nutrition does not make it possible to lower the level of lipids in the blood, then medications are prescribed for the purpose of prevention. These are statins that can help with various forms of lipid metabolism disorders. For example, when taking Pravastatin and Mevacor, you can reduce the level of harmful lipoproteins by almost 60% - this significantly improves the condition of patients and minimizes the risk of developing complications from the heart.

For most patients with lipid levels that are difficult to control, drugs will need to be taken for life, as cholesterol doubles or more when stopped. To correct the lipid level are assigned:

fatty acid traps;
fibrates;
vitamin C;
retinol;
tocopherol;
folic acid;
L-proline and L-lysine;
biotin;
chondroitin sulfate;
copper.

Only broad preventive measures will help protect the patient from atherosclerosis. The diagnosis of atherosclerosis almost always means a person's wrong attitude to his body - lack of exercise, unbalanced nutrition, bad habits. And when chest pains already made themselves felt, the patients understand that atherosclerosis could have been avoided if they systematically and purposefully dealt with their health.

The most important

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is a severe damage to the vessels with cholesterol deposits from the inside. The peculiarity of this type of pathology is that due to the overlap of the lumen of a large vessel, the work of the heart suffers. The organ does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, ischemia occurs, followed by necrosis of cardiomyocytes if blood access is completely blocked.

Diagnosis of pathology is important at an early stage, but in most cases, patients are treated already in the later stages. Treatment is carried out by medication or surgery, patients become dependent on medication, which significantly worsens the quality of life. In order not to bring to the development of atherosclerosis, large-scale prevention is necessary.

The disease atherosclerosis develops against the background of a genetic predisposition, some chronic diseases, an unhealthy lifestyle and poor ecology. Its danger lies in the difficult diagnosis in the early stages, and untimely initiation of treatment leads to angina pectoris and other pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

The heart is a muscular organ whose role is to pump blood into the circulatory system. The blood supply of the heart itself is carried out by 2 main vessels: the coronary right and left arteries. Epicardial vessels are located closer to the surface, which makes them vulnerable to atherosclerosis and stenosis.

What is atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries - a disease, a characteristic feature of which is the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of the vessels of the heart. The pathology of slowing down the movement of blood and the appearance of microcracks on the inner surface of the arteries begins. Bad cholesterol gets into these cracks. The immune system recognizes it as an infection and sends macrophages to the places of accumulation. They absorb oxidized cholesterol, and together white blood cells and inflamed proteins form plaque.

Due to the deposition of calcium salts, plaques gradually thicken and close the lumen of the vessel.

This leads to a violation of the natural flow of blood and the normal functioning of internal organs. Coronary atherosclerosis occurs when there is insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle.

The most dangerous complication of the disease is a heart attack. Once a blood vessel is blocked, the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle is cut off. After 20 minutes of oxygen starvation, the death of muscle fibers begins. Violation of the heart leads to a violation of blood circulation in all vital organs, which can lead to oxygen starvation, suffocation, brain damage and cardiac arrest.

Another dangerous complication is angina pectoris. It is manifested by pain in the chest, pale skin and respiratory failure. In medicine, 2 types of disease are distinguished: angina pectoris occurs after physical or emotional overstrain. Rest angina makes itself felt at night when the body is relaxed.

The consequences of atherosclerosis include arrhythmia. It is associated with a deterioration in the conduction of electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat in an abnormal rhythm. A neglected form of arrhythmia can lead to pulmonary edema, heart failure and cardiac arrest. Less often, heart failure develops as a result of atherosclerosis. It is characterized by a decrease in cardiac activity: the body is not able to pump a sufficient volume of blood, which causes oxygen deficiency in organs and tissues. Oxygen starvation causes insomnia, tachycardia, swelling, chest pain and frequent shortness of breath.

Degrees of disease

Doctors distinguish 5 stages of coronary sclerosis. The first is dolipid: a gradual accumulation of lipid mass and protein begins on the walls of the musculature of the vessels. At the same time, the process of changing the intercellular membranes begins, the production of collagen is disrupted and soft blood clots are formed. Muscle tissue loses elasticity. Diagnosis of the disease at this stage will allow for drug-free treatment: doctors prescribe a diet, good rest and a healthy lifestyle.

The second degree is lipid. It is characterized by the active growth of connective tissue and the appearance of porous cells in it. At the level of physiology, it is often accompanied by rapid weight gain. The third stage is liposclerosis. It is accompanied by the formation of plaque fibrosis, which begin to grow into the vessels.

Next comes atheromatosis. This stage of the disease is characterized by the destruction of plaques and the appearance of a cholesterol acid fatty mass. The walls of the vessels begin to collapse, which is accompanied by the appearance of atherosclerotic ulcers and damage to the connective tissue. The result of these processes is a disruption of the nervous system, the death of parts of the brain and an increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage.

The last stage is calcination. Accompanied by the formation of calcium plaque on the plaques. The vessels begin to deform and become brittle, which leads to disruption of the entire circulatory system.

Symptoms of the disease

The first signs of the disease appear in people over 45 years of age. These include:

Violent and burning pain in the chest;
Frequent diarrhea;
Dizziness, accompanied by bouts of nausea;
Shortness of breath even during rest;
Difficulty breathing, feeling of lack of oxygen;
Feeling of heaviness in the chest.

Lack of oxygen often leads to insomnia due to the inability to lie down comfortably. All these signs can be masked as symptoms of heart diseases such as angina pectoris or atherosclerosis of the coronary cerebral vessels. With coronary sclerosis, frequent heart attacks are observed, before which one or several symptoms appear at once. They can occur at any time, but usually from 4 to 10 in the morning, when the concentration of adrenaline in the blood is maximum. It differs from an angina pectoris attack in that during it there is no death of part of the fibers of the heart muscle. With angina pectoris, the symptoms are similar, but pain in the chest area occurs during physical exertion and after stressful situations.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries may appear one at a time or several at once. The intensity of symptoms does not depend on the stage of the disease, as does the frequency of their manifestation.

Causes of coronary sclerosis

The occurrence and development of the disease has internal and external causes. Internals include:

Hypertension;
High cholesterol;
Violation of the integrity of the walls of blood vessels due to smoking;
Violation of the normal movement of blood due to the use of alcohol;
Violation of metabolic processes in diabetes types 1 and 2;
Slowed metabolic processes due to hypotension;
The period of menopause;
Obesity;
genetic predisposition.

External causes include the use of fatty foods, an unhealthy psychological climate, regular lack of sleep, and poor ecology.

Treatment of coronary atherosclerosis

Diagnosis of the disease

When contacting the hospital, the doctor begins to collect data on the factors contributing to the development of the disease: lifestyle, diet, bad habits, the presence of a similar disease in close relatives. It is necessary to establish when the heart pains began and how often they occur, duration, nature, whether the pain in the heart is accompanied by weakness or heart rhythm disturbance. It is also necessary to establish the presence of chronic diseases, whether there is an increase in blood pressure and whether the patient is taking medications.

After the interview, they proceed to a physical examination to detect heart murmurs, determine weight and blood pressure. Assign an analysis to check the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Hardware diagnostics of atherosclerosis of coronary vessels includes several methods. Coronography involves conducting a radiopaque examination, which will allow you to determine the exact location of the narrowing of the lumen of the arteries. When conducting multispiral computed tomography, a contrast agent is injected into the vein to establish a chronic violation of the vessel walls. Scintigraphy is used to detect lipid neoplasms.

Ultrasound is used to measure pathologies in the thickness of the walls of blood vessels and identify areas with impaired contractility, as well as to assess the speed of blood movement at different pressures. When using echocardiography, the overall level of vascular damage and the movement of blood inside the heart are established.

Treatment Methods

After the diagnosis is made, the doctor determines the method of treatment for atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. The appointment of drug therapy or surgical intervention is possible only in combination with a change in lifestyle and diet.

Traditional Therapy

The choice of drugs depends on the stage of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels and the presence of third-party chronic diseases. A group of drugs is usually prescribed, consisting of:

Statins to lower blood cholesterol and low density lipoproteins;
Bile acid sequestrants (they are needed to lower the level of lipoproteins in the blood);
Fenofibrates (the drug is prescribed only with a very low lipoprotein level);
Nicotinic acid, which activates metabolic processes, reduces pain and prevents further accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of arteries.

The priority problem of the patient with atherosclerosis is aortic rupture due to a decrease in wall thickness. To avoid internal hemorrhage, be sure to prescribe vitamins and drugs that thin the blood.

A complex of vitamin B4 and sulfur-containing alpha-amino acid helps to restore the functioning of the affected organs, reduces the frequency of angina attacks and slows down the development of the disease.

Surgical treatment

Surgical intervention is used only in the advanced stages of the disease, when drug therapy will not have an effect. The main indications for the operation:

Blockage of the lumen of the blood vessel by more than 70%;
The presence of unstable angina;
Myocardial infarction.

Transluminal coronary angioplasty is one of the types of surgical treatment, which consists in placing a balloon in an artery. Air is supplied inside the balloon, which gently expands the walls of the vessels and restores the normal movement of blood. Coronary artery bypass surgery is often performed. The essence of the method is the implantation of an artificial vessel, which bypasses the area affected by an atherosclerotic plaque. Coronary stenting is the introduction of a stent with a rigid frame into the affected area of the vessel.

In the postoperative period and when prescribing medication, an important factor for recovery is diet, a gradual increase in physical activity, and the rejection of bad habits. The main task of the diet is to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood and gradually reduce weight.

The following become prohibited:

Eggs;
Butter;
Sour cream;
Fatty meats and fish;
Rich broths;
Smoked and salted foods;
Fried food;
Fast food;
Carbonated drinks;
Alcohol;
Hot spices.

During the preparation of the diet, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

Include more fruits and fresh vegetables in your diet;
Season salads with a little olive, sesame, or nut oil;
Eat more low-fat dairy products;
Add garlic to prepared dishes;
Include lean sea fish and seafood in your diet;
Replace sweets and cookies with dried fruits, honey, homemade jam;
More steam, bake in the oven or stew.

The daily diet is divided into 4-5 meals, the last of which should be 3-4 hours before bedtime. It is better to have dinner with light and simple dishes that do not contain complex carbohydrates. During the diet, it is important to drink more fluids: water, natural juices (carrot, a mixture of carrot and celery, beetroot, carrot-orange), herbal teas and decoctions, compotes are especially useful. It is better to refuse carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee without milk during the period of treatment and recovery from an illness.

Multifocal atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is a dangerous disease, and with late treatment can be fatal.

Against its background, heart attacks develop and myocardial damage, angina pectoris, hemorrhages, and pulmonary insufficiency occur. When the first symptoms are detected, it is necessary to consult a doctor and undergo a comprehensive diagnosis. Treatment of the disease in the early stages consists only in a change in lifestyle and adherence to a constant diet.

Advanced forms of atherosclerosis require emergency surgery and pose a threat to the patient's life. To avoid the development of the disease, in addition to the diet, feasible physical exercises are necessary: swimming, cycling and skiing in winter, yoga, oriental or Latin dances, Nordic walking. You should also avoid stressful situations, relax more and monitor your emotional state.