Why can carotid artery stenosis cause cerebrovascular accident?

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Cerebrovascular accident is a common disease in the elderly, but now this disease has the risk of rejuvenation, even seen in people at a very young age. There are many causes of cerebrovascular accident, of which carotid artery stenosis is the most common cause.

1. What is a cerebrovascular accident?

Cerebrovascular accident or cerebral stroke is a condition in which the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted or severely reduced, causing that area of ​​the brain to be deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Areas of brain cells are severely damaged or spread, stroke can lead to death or leave severe sequelae of disorders of movement, cognition, language, vision...

2. Why does carotid artery stenosis cause cerebrovascular accident?

The carotid artery is a fairly large artery, located in the neck, including the left carotid artery and the right carotid artery that we can feel their pulse on both sides of the neck. The carotid artery originates from the aorta in the chest, goes up the sides of the neck and then branches into the brain located in the skull, which has the function of bringing blood from the heart to the brain.

The cause of carotid artery stenosis is due to atherosclerotic plaque on the vessel wall, causing thrombosis in place or moving, causing embolism, reducing blood flow to the brain. Carotid artery stenosis is one of the common causes of stroke, cerebral infarction and transient ischemic attack because the carotid artery is the largest artery supplying blood to the brain.
The risk factors are related to the formation and development of carotid atherosclerotic plaque, that is: age (usually after 50 years of age), older age increases the risk of carotid artery stenosis, increases blood pressure, blood fat, diabetes, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress. The more risk factors there are, the higher the chance of developing carotid artery stenosis.

3. Signs of carotid artery stenosis

Most people with carotid stenosis have no symptoms until the severity of the narrowing of the carotid artery becomes more severe or the patient is discovered during a physical exam or examination for another medical condition. cardiovascular, thyroid...).

In patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis, it is a manifestation of transient ischemic attack or, more seriously, a cerebrovascular accident, with the following symptoms: weakness or paralysis of the limbs; blurred or blinded one eye, usually transient (several seconds, minutes, hours) followed by normal vision; difficult or impossible to speak. These symptoms often come on suddenly.

4. Diagnosis of carotid stenosis

Tests commonly used in the diagnosis of carotid stenosis include: ultrasound (this is the first choice in diagnosing carotid stenosis), in addition, the patient may be ordered to add magnetic resonance angiography ( MRA) or multi-segment CT (MSCT), DSA background digitized angiography for therapeutic intervention (this is the method that gives the most accurate diagnosis of vascular conditions, considered the gold standard in diagnosis. diagnosis of vascular disease).

5. How to treat carotid artery stenosis?

Treatment method depends on the degree of carotid artery stenosis, whether there are symptoms or not, the general health of the patient. In the early stages, patients may be prescribed medical treatment and lifestyle changes. If the disease is severe or advanced, doctors will recommend surgery or carotid angioplasty and stenting.

6. How to prevent carotid artery stenosis?

To prevent or slow the progression of carotid artery disease, the patient needs to apply lifestyle changes such as:
Stop smoking. Maintain a reasonable weight Have a healthy diet, limit fat, increase eating green vegetables, fruits, nuts. Reduce salt in the diet Limit alcohol use Exercise regularly Work, rest properly, avoid excessive stress Treat and control chronic diseases well if any: diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia Periodic health check.
Carotid artery stenosis is one of the common causes of brain diseases, of which the most common is cerebrovascular accident. The carotid artery is the largest artery that supplies blood to the brain.
Cerebrovascular accident is a serious medical condition that should be detected as soon as there are signs suggesting a stroke. The prevention and prediction of the disease can help the treatment of cerebrovascular accident as well as the treatment of cerebrovascular accident more effectively when the disease begins.

Vinmec International General Hospital is a general hospital with the function of medical examination and treatment, and emergency and lifesaving surgery for many difficult cases. At Vinmec, we have also performed the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular accident with modern medical methods with high efficiency, minimizing the complications of recurrent disease. The great success is because Vinmec is always fully equipped with modern facilities, examination and treatment procedures are carried out by a team of experienced and qualified doctors with many medical services. perfect.
To register for medical examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide, or register online HERE.