Will plaques in the carotid artery definitely cause a stroke?

Will plaques in the carotid artery definitely cause a stroke?

Author: Jia Lingyun, Chief Physician, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Chief Physician of Huayang Capital Medical University Xuanwu Hospital

You may have heard that someone died of a stroke due to carotid plaque, and you may mistakenly believe that as long as you have carotid plaque, you will have a stroke. In fact, carotid plaque is only a triggering factor for stroke, not that having carotid plaque will definitely cause a stroke.

Figure 1 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

1. Why does plaque form in the carotid artery?

The carotid artery is the "upstream" blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. Under normal circumstances, the thickness of the carotid intima-media is less than 1.0 mm. When it is ≥1.5 mm, it is a carotid plaque, which is a manifestation of carotid atherosclerosis.

Some studies have shown that genetic factors have a certain impact on the formation of carotid artery plaques, and risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes also significantly promote the formation of plaques. Therefore, if a family member has a history of atherosclerotic plaques, they should pay attention to their lifestyle, control blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, quit smoking, limit alcohol, exercise appropriately, establish healthy living habits, and have regular physical examinations to achieve early screening and early prevention.

Excessive fatigue may also induce the formation of carotid artery plaques. When the body is in a state of long-term excessive fatigue, it will produce a large amount of "fatigue toxins" (also known as "free radicals"), which will damage the vascular endothelium and gradually form carotid artery plaques.

Figure 2 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Age, bad living habits and other factors are also risk factors for carotid artery plaques. Studies have shown that the older you are, the higher the incidence of carotid artery plaques, because hardened plaques are formed by the long-term effects of various damaging factors on the body.

2. Harm of carotid artery plaque

Carotid artery plaque is a necrotic lesion containing lipids and chloasma formed by damage to the carotid intima, lipid deposition, and hyperplasia and necrosis of smooth muscle cells, which can cause the following harms to the human body.

First, the detachment of carotid plaques can cause ischemia in the patient's intracranial arteries, which can lead to cerebral infarction. Carotid plaques are usually tightly attached to the wall of the carotid artery and do not move by themselves. However, if the patient has risk factors related to cerebrovascular disease and they are not well controlled, it may lead to rapid progression or rupture of the plaque, resulting in thrombosis. If the thrombus detaches in the brain, it will cause arterial embolism and may also cause ischemia in the intracranial arteries, leading to cerebral infarction.

Secondly, carotid artery plaques may rupture, causing local thrombosis and vascular occlusion.

Finally, carotid artery plaques can induce the occurrence of a variety of diseases, such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, leukoaraiosis, etc.

3. Do carotid artery plaques require immediate surgical treatment?

After the carotid artery plaque is formed, is it necessary to undergo surgery immediately? This needs to be determined by observing the progression rate of the plaque.

Figure 3 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

In most cases, if the plaque progresses slowly and remains stable under medical treatment, it will not cause any clinical symptoms and surgery is not required.

In a few cases, plaques progress rapidly and may cause clinical symptoms if not discovered in time or treated with appropriate medications. In this case, patients must seek medical attention in a timely manner and undergo ultrasound examinations to confirm the presence of vulnerable plaques and the degree of vascular stenosis.

If there is no improvement after standard drug treatment, and further clinical examination confirms the presence of plaque-related cerebral ischemia or stroke, the clinician should determine whether surgical treatment is needed.

Carotid plaques are a manifestation of carotid atherosclerosis, which is closely related to the occurrence of ischemic stroke, but not all carotid plaques will cause stroke. Modern medical research shows that vulnerable plaques (such as irregular morphology, ulcer plaques, intraplaque hemorrhage, etc.) may cause stroke.

Although carotid artery plaques do not necessarily cause stroke, the harm caused by carotid artery plaques is considerable. For the sake of your own health, you must have regular physical examinations to detect and treat related diseases early, especially the elderly, who should pay more attention.

References

[1] Lin Yusheng, Li Fayou, Yi Chenghui. Observation on carotid artery plaque formation caused by excessive labor in workers[J]. Trace Elements and Health Research, 2021, 38(3): 61-62.

[2] Ren Zhongxiu. Harm and prevention of carotid artery plaque[J]. Population and Health, 2021, 5: 91-94.

<<:  Avocado - the most nutritious fruit in the Guinness World Records

>>:  [Popular Science Lecture] Clinic Tips: Outpatient nursing tells you how to deal with common symptoms

Recommend

Generally speaking, bleeding starts on the first day of medical abortion

Medical abortion means that the pregnancy time mu...

Walking training for stroke patients Walking training for stroke patients

Introduction: Stroke is a common disease in my co...

Why is the left breast bigger than the right breast?

Generally speaking, a woman's breasts should ...

What are the tips for quickly curing vaginitis?

When female friends experience symptoms such as v...

How to treat the symptoms of fallopian tube obstruction

Fallopian tube obstruction is a female gynecologi...

Can pregnant women sing?

Pregnant women should not be too emotional, espec...

Mom, mom, mom, why is my body feeling so numb?

Whenever we came out of the bathroom, staggering ...

Picture of 35-week fetus in the belly

After 20 weeks of pregnancy, many pregnant women ...

Introduction to ordinary painless abortion

When I was in the first year of high school, I bo...

How much does a female ring cost?

After giving birth, you are finally free, but mot...

What is the reason for a woman's headache on the left side?

What are the causes of left-sided migraine in wom...

What should I do if I have freckles on my face during breastfeeding?

Many women have some small freckles on their face...

Menstruation 45 days after medical abortion

Medical abortion is harmful to the human body. Th...

Pregnant woman with abdominal pain

When a pregnant woman is four months pregnant, th...

What fruits are good for women with yin deficiency?

Fruits that replenish yin and kidney are the best...