{"id":551,"date":"2024-05-30T12:10:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T09:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/?p=551"},"modified":"2026-01-07T15:42:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:42:54","slug":"paragontes-kindinou-kai-prolipsi-aggeiakon-nosimaton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/paragontes-kindinou-kai-prolipsi-aggeiakon-nosimaton\/","title":{"rendered":"Vascular Disease Risk Factors and Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

The main vascular diseases are the following: arterial diseases<\/strong> and the venous diseases<\/strong>The main vascular diseases are the following:. Other conditions also include diseases of the lymphatic vessels, which we will address in a separate text. The treatment of arterial and venous diseases does not rely solely on their surgical repair, but primarily on early prevention and the elimination of risk factors.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Understanding Vascular Diseases<\/h2>\n

Arterial diseases involve any artery in the human body. The most common arterial condition is the narrowing or blockage of a vessel, which leads to ischemia (reduced blood supply) of an organ or to the risk of embolism of the organ (e.g., carotid artery disease).\n\nThe second most common arterial condition is an aneurysm, meaning the dilation of a blood vessel. Depending on the location of the aneurysm, the patient is at risk either of a life-threatening rupture (abdominal and thoracic aorta, splenic, renal artery) or thrombosis (popliteal artery).\n\nLess common conditions include dissection of an artery (mainly the aorta) or injury to an artery.<\/p>\n

Venous diseases mainly involve thrombosis of the superficial or deep veins, with the most significant risk being the migration of the thrombus and the development of potentially fatal pulmonary embolism.\n\nIn the case of the veins of the lower limbs, dysfunction of the internal valves (venous insufficiency) leads to blood stasis and represents one of the most commonly occurring venous conditions.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Risk Factors for Vascular Diseases<\/h2>\n

Non-modifiable risk factors<\/h3>\n

The most common risk factors, which... cannot be influenced<\/strong> the patient are the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Increasing age <\/strong>(increases the likelihood of peripheral arterial disease and aneurysm)<\/li>\n
  • Family history<\/strong> (increases the likelihood of developing aneurysm, aortic dissection, or venous insufficiency)<\/li>\n
  • Genetic factors<\/strong> (genetics play a very important role in the development of aneurysms and aortic dissection, peripheral arterial disease, and thrombophilia)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Modifiable risk factors<\/h3>\n

    The most common risk factors, which... can be influenced <\/strong>the patient himself are the following:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Smoking (may damage blood vessel walls and contribute to progression)<\/strong> (immediate cause of all arterial diseases and venous thrombosis)<\/li>\n
    • High blood pressure<\/strong> (is associated with all arterial diseases)<\/li>\n
    • High cholesterol and unhealthy diet<\/strong> (is associated with all arterial diseases and especially with peripheral arterial disease)<\/li>\n
    • Diabetes<\/strong> (is associated with narrowing and occlusion of the arteries and causes the worst-prognosis form of arterial disease, that of the small vessels)<\/li>\n
    • Obesity and lack of exercise<\/strong> (is associated with all vascular diseases as well as with lymphedema)
      \nSymptoms and Early Detection<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The common symptoms of the most frequent vascular diseases are the following:<\/p>\n

      Arterial narrowing or occlusion<\/h3>\n

      Depending on the organ affected by poor blood supply (ischemia), the patient presents corresponding symptoms. In the lower limbs, the patient experiences pain during walking, or in more advanced cases develops gangrene of the toes. In occlusion of the artery of the arm, the patient may experience paradoxical dizziness due to blood being \u201cstolen\u201d from the brain.\n\nAn exception is carotid artery stenosis, where the patient has no symptoms until a stroke occurs.<\/p>\n

      ABDOMINAL<\/h3>\n

      Aortic aneurysm generally does not produce any symptoms. More rarely, it may lead to pain in the abdomen or the back. Aneurysms of the visceral vessels are also, in most cases, asymptomatic.<\/p>\n

      Venous thrombosis<\/h3>\n

      Thrombosis of the superficial veins (thrombophlebitis) mainly causes intense local pain, redness, and a palpable hardening along the vein.\n\nIn deep vein thrombosis, the patient presents with severe pain throughout the limb, swelling, and redness.<\/p>\n

      Prolonged immobility<\/h3>\n

      The main symptoms of venous insufficiency or phlebitis are leg pain during standing, ankle swelling, a burning sensation, and the appearance of varicose veins and spider veins.\n\nIn pelvic varicose veins (pelvic congestion syndrome in women, varicocele in men), patients may experience a feeling of heaviness or pain in the pelvis, hip or lower back pain, urinary leakage during coughing or intense laughter, pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), heavy menstrual bleeding, hemorrhoids, varicose veins in the testicle or vulva, and in some cases it has been associated with infertility.<\/p>\n

      The main preventive and diagnostic test for all vascular diseases is the vascular duplex ultrasound (vessel triplex)<\/strong> which, depending on the patient\u2019s risk factors, should be performed at regular intervals as determined by the treating vascular surgeon.<\/p>\n

      <\/h2>\n

      Prevention Strategies for Vascular Diseases<\/h2>\n

      Lifestyle changes<\/h3>\n

      The immediate and complete cessation of smoking, vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes plays a primary role in maintaining vascular health, as all of them lead to vascular damage through different mechanisms. Gradual reduction does not lead to any improvement.<\/p>\n

      In addition, a healthy diet\u2014namely foods low in saturated fats and high in fiber (fruits, vegetables)\u2014as well as daily physical exercise are essential prerequisites for vascular health.<\/p>\n

      Beneficial exercises are generally aerobic exercises (walking, running, swimming, cardio). Our recommendation is moderate-intensity exercise 3 times per week for at least 1 hour.\n\nIn particular, for patients with venous insufficiency, swimming is preferred over running, which is best performed while wearing graduated compression stockings.\n\nIn patients with concomitant heart disease or coronary artery disease, the cardiologist should assess the frequency and intensity of exercise.<\/p>\n

      In this way, the patient can maintain a healthy body weight. In cases where weight loss is not achieved, it is important to consult a specialist physician for obesity (internists, endocrinologists, diabetologists) in order to perform hormonal evaluation and subsequently follow specialized diets prescribed by nutritionists.<\/p>\n

      Medical interventions<\/h3>\n

      The treatment of choice for almost all vascular diseases is minimally invasive (endovascular) repair. In peripheral arterial disease, this is called angioplasty with stent placement or removal of atherosclerotic plaque using an atherectomy device.\n\nAneurysms are treated with the use of endografts (EVAR). In cases of younger patients, genetic aortic diseases (e.g., Marfan syndrome), or complications, the vascular surgeon always retains the option of open surgical repair with direct artery replacement or the creation of a bypass.<\/p>\n

      In venous thrombosis, treatment is conservative, involving the administration of anticoagulant medications and frequent follow-up with duplex ultrasound (triplex).\n\nIn special cases of massive thrombosis of the pelvic veins (iliac veins, inferior vena cava) or in severe pulmonary embolism, the vascular surgeon may perform minimally invasive thrombus removal and restoration of circulation accordingly.\n\nIf there are chronic extensive thromboses in patients with severe post-thrombotic syndrome, treatment is performed with the placement of special venous stents that help relieve congestion in the leg.<\/p>\n

      Finally, in venous insufficiency, after conservative treatment with graduated compression stockings, the patient may undergo minimally invasive methods for the elimination of superficial veins (laser, radiofrequency, or glue).\n\nThe use of sclerotherapy for larger veins tends to be decreasing due to the high recurrence rate of insufficiency.\n\nIn cases of superficial varicose veins, treatment includes local phlebectomy (varicose vein removal) or sclerotherapy.<\/p>\n

      Management of Vascular Diseases<\/h3>\n

      Most forms of vascular diseases can be successfully treated with modern endovascular methods, which reduce surgical trauma and hospital stay.\n\nIn cases where endovascular treatment is not indicated, open surgical repair can be applied with great success, but it involves greater surgical trauma and a longer hospital stay.\n\nVery few and rare vascular diseases are considered incurable.<\/p>\n

      As a general rule, endovascular treatment offers major advantages for the patient and a low rate of complications. However, the literature shows that it carries a risk of re-interventions, which for the most part remain minimally invasive.\n\nThe cause of re-interventions may be either the incorrect use of endovascular techniques or the disease itself. Specifically, in patients with diabetes and in those on hemodialysis, as well as in those who do not eliminate exposure to risk factors (e.g., smoking, etc.) or do not adhere to appropriate medical therapy, the risk of re-intervention is high, since atherosclerosis affects all blood vessels.\n\nFor this reason, all patients with vascular diseases should be under regular follow-up by a vascular surgeon.<\/p>\n

      The condition of the blood vessels is an indicator of a patient\u2019s overall health. With the exception of genetic vascular diseases, most vascular conditions are associated with exposure to various modifiable risk factors.\n\nPrevention and early diagnosis are the keys to proper treatment. If elimination of risk factors and completion of conservative therapy do not lead to improvement, or in urgent cases, modern vascular surgery offers minimally invasive or open surgical solutions.\n\nThe selection of the ideal treatment in each case does not follow a general rule but is tailored to each patient individually (personalized medicine) by the treating vascular surgeon.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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