Arteriosklerose/en

Arteriosclerosis is a disease of the arterial vessels that can considerably restrict their function and the patient.

Arteriosclerosis occurs mainly as a result of bad food, diabetes, too little exercise and smoking. Hypertension is also a disease that promotes arteriosclerosis.

The endothelium (intima) is damaged and the arteries develop plaques that calcify and harden the vessel wall.

The Three Phases of Arteriosclerosis

The development of arteriosclerosis can be divided into three phases:

== Phase 1: == Chronically toxic influences such as hypertension, nicotine, diabetes and elevated cholesterol damage the intimaendothelium and allow LDL cholesterol to penetrate the vascular wall.

At the same time macrophages, also called scavenger cells, bind to the endothelium.

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== Phase 2 == In the second stage, the macrophages begin to eat the LDL cholesterol.

This causes them to swell and show a foam-like layer underneath the intima.

The macrophages are now called foam cells.

The smooth muscle cells of the media now begin to grow and migrate into the intima.

The entire structure of the inner vessel wall changes.

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3rd phase

In the third stage, the muscle cells produce protein that consolidate the transformation. This changes the composition and size of the arteriosclerotic region.

The muscle cells and the protein grow into the lumen of the vessel. Calcium deposits, tissue restructuring and blood clotting increase the plaque.

Zum Schluss findest man fast keine Zellen der Tunica Intima mehr. Der Bereich der Plaque wird im Innern nekrotisch. Es findet eine Stenosierung statt, die klinisch wirksam wird.

Plaques können sich von der Gefäßwand lösen und schmalere Teile des Gefäßes verschließen. Das kann sich in engen Arterien wie im Herzen in starken Schmerzen äußern.

Dann ist beispielsweise die Sauerstoff und Nährstoffversorgung des Herzens nicht länger gewährleistet und es kann in den Endarterien zu Ischämie und Herzinfarkt kommen.