When it comes to the diseases of older people, one often hears a diagnosis of atherosclerosis.

Usually, it is meant obliterating (or stenosing) atherosclerosis, in which the deposition of substances causing the compaction of the walls of the vessels, the narrowing of their lumen, and sometimes a complete blockage occurs on the inner shell of individual vessels, especially at the points of division of arteries on the lower limbs..

In general, with age, diffuse vessel changes occur in virtually all people and are a common age-related disorder that does not require specific treatment. But with obliterating atherosclerosis, jokes are bad. It not only causes pain when walking, but can lead to trophic disorders, death of limb tissues, gangrene.

The risk group for atherosclerosis of lower extremity vessels is primarily men: 92% of people with this disease are men of the stronger sex.

Factors provoking the disease are senile age, hypertension, alcohol consumption, smoking, frequent nervous overload during life, as well as inadequate nutrition (mainly the use of animal-rich food fats). The last factor experts associate with an increase in the level of cholesterol in the blood, which is often noted in patients with atherosclerosis. A certain role is played by young-born frostbites or prolonged cooling of the legs.

A characteristic feature of the beginning obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower extremities is the so-called syndrome of intermittent claudication. Pain in the legs appears when walking and stops when stopped, but it returns as soon as the person starts moving again. It is because of the painful sensations that a patient with atherosclerosis is forced to stop after some time intervals. If atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities is not treated, the pain becomes permanent, and eventually ulcers or tissue death may occur.

Illnesses that are treated easily are not so many, and obliterating atherosclerosis does not concern them. However, the sooner a person turns to a specialist for help, the more likely it is to minimize pain and slow the process of constriction or blockage of blood vessels.

During treatment, it is necessary to exclude factors that can cause vasospasms.

Legs need to be protected from hypothermia, avoid overload during movement.

The therapeutic effect of atherosclerosis is directed both on the whole organism and directly on the vessels of the extremities. To do this, use various medications, apply sanatorium and physiotherapy treatment.

However, in some cases, surgery can not be avoided either. This happens when the patient develops necrosis of tissues in the form of gangrene - this is the most difficult process for atherosclerosis, and in most cases he forces doctors to amputation the affected limb.

In the conservative treatment of this disease, various drugs that affect the vascular system. Sometimes drugs take courses, in some cases - continuously. The task of these medicines is to eliminate the vasospasm, to promote their expansion, to improve blood circulation.

In addition to known and long-used drugs, in the treatment of obliterating atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities, the preparations of systemic enzyme therapy have proved to be well-established - their advantage in safety, however, the cost of treatment is not available to all. Local and systemic ozone therapy is also used. Since the main mechanism of the therapeutic action of ozone is the release of oxygen, the method is effective in cases where tissues suffer from insufficient blood supply. Ozonotherapy helps to activate redox processes in the affected tissues and blood vessels.

In any case, the improvement will be insignificant if the patient himself does not want to take an active part in the treatment.

The point is that it is necessary to deliberately abandon bad habits (including smoking, which contributes to the development of atherosclerosis), reduce the number of animal fats in your diet, and with any worsening of the condition (eg, pain in the legs, changes in skin color Limbs, tingling sensation, or numbness in the legs) consult a doctor. Given a careful and respectful attitude to your body, even in old age, you can keep activity and significantly slow the development of atherosclerosis of the lower extremity vessels health. Sumy. Ua.