What conditions and disorders affect the blood vessels?
A wide range of problems can affect your blood vessels, including:
- Aneurysm, a bulge in a weak or damaged portion of an artery. Aneurysms can occur anywhere in your body. If they rupture (break open), they may cause life-threatening internal bleeding.
- Arterial diseases, including coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease and peripheral artery disease (PAD). These diseases cause arteries to narrow, usually due to atherosclerosis.
- Atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque (cholesterol, fat and other substances) inside your arteries. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
- Blood clots, or clumps of blood that form inside veins or arteries. Clots block blood flow and can lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, stroke or occlusion of an artery.
- High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when there’s too much force against the walls of your arteries.
- Raynaud’s disease, which causes arteries that supply blood to your skin to get very narrow in response to cold temperatures.
- Varicose veins, or twisted and enlarged veins that usually form in the legs or feet.
- Vascular malformations, which are abnormal clusters or connections between blood vessels. Conditions such as arteriovenous malformations are often congenital (present at birth).
- Vasculitis, which is blood vessel inflammation. Blood vessel walls can thicken and narrow, which prevents blood from flowing freely.
How common are blood vessel disorders?
Some blood vessel disorders are very common. For example, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. But others, such as vascular malformations, are rare. Less than 1% of the population develops this condition.
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Who gets blood vessel disorders?
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Your risk for vascular disease increases if you:
- Are older than 65.
- Have overweight/obesity.
- Have diabetes or high cholesterol.
- Smoke.
- Don’t exercise.
- Have an illness that damages your blood vessels.
- Have a family history of vascular disorders.
What are the symptoms of blood vessel disorders?
Symptoms vary widely across the different types of blood vessel disorders. Some, such as aneurysms or vascular malformations, may not cause symptoms until a serious problem develops.
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In general, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor if you experience:
- Changes in skin color, such as a bluish skin tone.
- Coldness or numbness in your legs, feet, arms or hands.
- Difficulty performing physical activities.
- Fatigue.
- Pain in your chest, abdomen, arms or legs.
- Shortness of breath.
How are blood vessel disorders diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider may use a variety of tests to diagnose problems in your blood vessels, including:
- Electrocardiography.
- Ultrasound.
- Echocardiography.
- Exercise stress test.
- CT scan.
- MRI.
- Angiography.
- Cardiac catheterization.
- Tilt table test.
How are blood vessel disorders treated?
Treatment for blood vessel disorders may include:
- Lifestyle changes: You can reduce your risk of blood vessel disorders by not smoking, reducing your alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding unhealthy food.
- Medication: Some people need medication to manage their blood pressure, reduce their risk of blood clots or lower their cholesterol levels.
- Nonsurgical procedures: Your healthcare provider may recommend nonsurgical interventions for some blood vessel disorders. These minimally invasive procedures use imaging to guide catheters (thin, flexible tubes) to your blood vessels. This means you don’t need major open surgery. Interventional procedures can treat blood clots, aneurysms and severely narrowed blood vessels.
- Surgery: You may need open surgery for some blood vessel conditions that don’t improve with medication or other nonsurgical treatments. During open surgery, a surgeon makes an incision (cut) in your skin to access your blood vessels. Open surgery usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay.
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