Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in developed countries, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Even if most of us know that the main factor influencing the development of heart disease is the presence of a high level of fats in our blood, chronic inflammation has proven itself to go hand-in-hand with heart disease and it is a condition that raises many concerns among both doctors and patients.
A healthy person has a defense mechanism called the immune system, which triggers a series of chemical reactions, in order to neutralize and eventually destroy pathogenic agents, which are foreign elements to the body. If, for a number of reasons, the inflammatory process becomes permanent, these actions of our immune system, which are strong enough to kill pathogenic agents, can start damaging the organs, leading to multiple conditions.
In the case of the cardiovascular system, the inflammatory process is usually located in the blood vessels. Since they suffer constant physical aggression due to high blood
pressure and other factors, the immune response is meant to repair the arterial wall and prevent it from rupturing. However, if the artery is constantly inflamed, there is a high risk of thrombus formation. These are blood clots that are formed as a result of blood coagulation as an immune reaction.
If the clots are dislodged, they start traveling through our cardiovascular system, causing a possible blockage of major blood vessels, such as the coronary arteries, which deliver blood to the heart muscle. In this case, the heart cannot receive the proper amount of oxygen and nutrients and, therefore, a heart attack can occur, with devastating effects on the patient’s health. At the same time, if the thrombus reaches a blood vessel in the brain, the result can be a stroke, leading to impaired movement, speaking deficiencies or even death of the patient.
Acute inflammation is obvious through a series of symptoms, such as redness and swelling around the injury. Chronic inflammatory condition is invisible and it has no symptoms except for pain and discomfort, but even this appears only in some cases. Blood tests are needed in order to diagnose this problem correctly. The most relevant blood test for determining a chronic inflammatory condition is the tese for the C-reactive protein, abbreviated CRP in the medical field. This protein is produced by the liver and its levels dramatically rise when there is an inflammatory response somewhere in your arteries. If your C-reactive protein test shows high levels of this protein, you should find ways to lower the amount of inflammation in your body in order to reduce the risk of heart disease.
If you want to know what your doctor could prescribe, you should be aware of the fact that most of the drugs used in the treatment of such conditions are highly aggressive, possibly leading to the damage of your stomach, intestine and liver. COX-inhibitors are a relevant example of drugs which are highly contested by many physicians for their strong adverse effects. However, there are some things that you can do in order to prevent or even reduce already installed conditions.
First of all, exercise, weight loss and diet are very important for improving your overall health. Giving up excess fat and sugar and getting rid of a few pounds will reduce your blood pressure and relieve some stress on your arteries, therefore reducing the level of inflammation in your blood vessels and possibly reducing your risk of heat disease.
Post a Comment