It is known that it is much easier to prevent any pathology than to subsequently treat it. Systemic pathology atherosclerosis is a complex disease that is not always treatable.

Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels is the most dangerous type of disease, which has the properties of rapid progression and transition to a complicated form, which often leads to premature death.

For such a disease, prevention is important, but if there is a suspicion of its development in the brain, then it is necessary to urgently go to the doctor and establish an accurate diagnosis for further treatment.

Prevention of cerebral atherosclerosis

It is necessary to take the prevention of the development of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the brain seriously and change your usual lifestyle, because limiting yourself to an anti-cholesterol diet alone will not work.

If you do not change your lifestyle, the diet will not have a therapeutic effect. Prevention must begin with the following measures:

• Get rid of bad habits - alcohol and smoking;
• Change a sedentary lifestyle to actively playing sports, or increase the load on the body;
• Choose the right diet - exclude animal products and introduce more vegetables and grains into the diet, and also stop eating sugar, which is a good prevention of cerebral atherosclerosis;
• Get rid of extra pounds in the body. With obesity, proper nutrition will help, as well as stress on the body and activity.

Non-drug treatment

Non-drug therapy consists of organizing an active lifestyle - you can take walks in the evening, and cycling will fill the brain cells with oxygen and prevent the development of hypoxia of brain tissue.

To treat atherosclerosis, it is necessary to give up bad habits, because if you abuse alcohol and cigarettes, any treatment will not bring results.

Features in dietary nutrition

The diet should be dominated by products of plant origin and the correct eating regimen. Take food 6 times a day in small portions.

Vegetables, herbs and fruits should predominate in the diet (up to 60.0% of the total daily food volume), and the diet should also focus on sea fish and cereal porridges. Fermented milk foods can help restore lipid metabolism in the body.

Correctly selected nutrition is 50.0% of success during drug treatment and 100.0% of success during the period of prevention of pathologies of vascular diseases of the brain.

Why is atherosclerosis of the cerebral arteries dangerous?

Atherosclerosis of the cerebral vessels is a chronic systemic pathology of the arteries in the brain, which is characterized by the deposition of cholesterol tumors inside the vascular membranes and leads to a growing plaque blocking the arterial lumen.

There is a disruption of blood flow in the vessels of the head, which can lead to occlusion and the development of ischemic stroke.

The supply of blood to brain cells comes from four main arteries, which are located outside the skull, as well as a network of intracranial arteries that supply blood to all parts of the brain.

When atherosclerosis of the intracranial arteries develops, then along with ischemia of brain cells (cerebral infarction, or ischemic stroke), hemorrhage occurs in brain cells - hemorrhagic stroke.

Symptoms

The first manifestations of atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels begin with attacks of transient attacks, which cause an attack of cerebral ischemia:

• Partial temporary loss of sensitivity;
• Motor functions are impaired;
• Memory deteriorates;
• Intellectual ability decreases;
• Inability to concentrate properly;
• Soreness in the head;
• Dizziness with varying intensity;
• Numbness of half the body.

These symptoms of cerebral artery disease are short-lived and disappear after a certain period of time.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis, which develops in the vessels of the brain, may include attacks of disturbances in blood microcirculation, which are expressed in:

• Convulsive temporary spasms;
• Brain fog;
• The functioning of the speech apparatus is disrupted;
• Sleep disturbance occurs - insomnia;
• Darkening of the eyes and fainting;
• Temporary loss of consciousness;
• Disorientation in space and time.

If the pathology of the cerebral arteries progresses, then this threatens cerebral hemorrhage due to rupture of the vessels that supply blood to the brain.

A stroke leads the patient to more complex manifestations in the form of numbness of half the body, as well as severe disruption of the speech apparatus.

These symptoms develop rapidly and if the patient is not given timely assistance, this can lead to death.

Stages of development of cerebral atherosclerosis

It is necessary to understand what stages of development of the pathology of atherosclerosis there are, because each stage has its own characteristic signs and at each stage of development of the pathology, it is necessary to apply its own methods of therapy, as well as prevention.

Atherosclerosis in the human body is a disease that affects the bloodstream system and manifests itself in it in the form of cholesterol spots on the inside of the lining of blood vessels.

This pathology can develop in all main arteries and their branches, as well as in the arteries of the brain, blocking the arterial lumen for normal blood flow.

Quite often, such pathological changes begin to occur with age (after the 50th birthday), but sometimes the development of the disease occurs much earlier due to an incorrect lifestyle and non-compliance with the nutritional culture.

The initial stage of cerebral atherosclerosis manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• Head pain that occurs with varying intensity.

At the second stage of the development of the disease in the vessels of the brain, all the symptoms of the onset of the disease develop, but at this stage the following are added:

• The person becomes nervous and irritable;
• Attention and concentration are impaired;
• The patient feels a general weakness of the whole body;
• Temporary memory loss occurs.

The third, last stage of the development of the disease occurs with more complex manifestations, and to all previous signs, symptoms of the last stage of development of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the brain are added:

• There is a sharp weight loss;
• The skin begins to become covered with wrinkles;
• Dry skin;
• Frequent attacks of loss of consciousness.

Atherosclerosis of intracranial vessels develops due to the fact that the main arteries of the cervical region are affected by atherosclerotic plaques and do not supply the required amount of blood to the parts of the brain.

Then, due to ischemia of brain cells and arteries, loss of elasticity and permeability of the vascular membranes occurs.

This pathology affects not only blood vessels, but also brain tissue. This leads to complex complications that often end in stroke and are not always positive for the person.

The further health and life of the patient depends on the scale of the developing stroke.

For primary and secondary prevention of cerebral vascular pathologies, it is very important to adjust nutrition so as to stop the development of hypercholesterolemia.

Diagnostics

In order to correctly prescribe treatment methods, it is necessary to establish a diagnosis of atherosclerosis of the arteries in the brain. Primary and secondary prevention directly depend on a correctly established diagnosis.

To make a diagnosis as quickly as possible, the patient must undergo instrumental diagnostics and laboratory testing of blood composition:

• Undergo a blood composition examination and examine the hemostasis system;
• Check the vascular system for possible pathologies;
• Undergo diagnostics of the heart organ;
• Check the vessels of the neck for compression by the spine, which leads to disruption of blood supply to the brain;
• Check your glucose levels and get tested for diabetes;
• Investigate the blood pressure index and the pathology of hypertension.

Laboratory diagnostics:

• Biochemical analysis of blood composition for cholesterol;
• Lipid spectrum.

Instrumental diagnostics:

• Angiography method;
• Duplex scanning of cerebral vessels;
• Triplex scanning with contrast of the main arteries in the neck;
• MRI of intracerebral vessels and circle of Willis.

Only in combination with diagnostics inside the skull and diagnostics of extracranial arteries, it is possible to find the cause of the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque, as well as determine its location.

Treatment of cerebral atherosclerosis

There are several methods for treating vascular sclerosis:

• Treatment with medications;
• Surgical treatment of sclerosis of the cerebral arteries.

Drug treatment

To quickly free the brain vessels from the pathology of atherosclerosis, medications are prescribed:

• Medications of the statin group. The drugs used are Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin, Simvastatin tablets;
• Treatment is with fibrates. The pharmacological properties of fibrates are to activate enzymes that enhance the utilization of cholesterol molecules and activate reductase receptors. The drug Fenofibrate is prescribed;
• Antiplatelet drugs. Prevents thrombosis of intracerebral vessels. The drug Aspirin is prescribed;
• Nootropic drugs. Improves the functionality of brain cells. The most used drug is Piracetam;
• Vasodilator drugs help treat atherosclerosis in the brain. The drug Actovegin is prescribed;
• Treatment uses antidepressants, sedatives and selected vitamin and mineral complexes.

Life forecast

Atherosclerosis of the cerebral arteries is a very dangerous pathology that leads to death.

The only favorable prognosis may be in the case of timely surgical intervention to remove the atherosclerotic plaque to prevent stroke, as well as with constant prevention before the onset of pathology and during its development.