Atherosclerotic plaques are a concern for many friends, and many of them have asked Huazi what can be done to reverse them after atherosclerotic plaques appear in the arteries, which drugs are available, and which drugs have the strongest reversal effect on plaques?
Cardiovascular events associated with atherosclerotic plaques are one of the leading causes of human mortality worldwide. In recent decades, many drugs have been developed for the treatment of atherosclerotic plaques, and with advances in imaging, the effects that these drugs have on plaques can be assessed in greater detail.
Atherosclerotic plaque formation, under the long-term effect of smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and other pathogenic factors, leads to dysfunction of the arterial endothelium and increased permeability of the endothelial cells, which allows low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from the blood to enter into the endothelium.
Macrophages in the endothelium phagocytose large amounts of LDL-C, ultimately forming foam cells that are deposited in the endothelium. Vascular smooth muscle cells proliferate around the foam cells, forming a fibrous cap to cover their surface, eventually leading to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. And smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and other disease-causing factors are controllable, as long as the timely control, can be atherosclerotic plaques produce "kettle" effect.
Nicotine in cigarettes can damage the integrity of the vascular endothelium, prompting the deposition of lipids, easy to induce atherosclerosis, so you should choose cigarettes and second-hand smoke. High-calorie and high-fat and high-sugar diets can affect cardiovascular health, so you should actively improve the diet structure. Eat 500 grams of fresh vegetables and 250 grams of fruit every day, such as baby bok choy, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli, apples and pears, etc.; roughage should account for 1/3 of the staple food, such as a variety of miscellaneous legumes, oats and corn.
They contain soluble dietary fiber, which can inhibit cholesterol absorption; eat 2 to 3 times a week of deep-sea fish, such as tuna, salmon, and sardines, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce the level of bad cholesterol, but you need to be cooked by steaming; stay away from high-fat foods, especially animal fat and animal offal.
Because foam cells are not removable once they are formed, atherosclerotic plaques were thought to be irreversible for a long time. However, it was later discovered that in some people the diameter of the arterial diameter increases, which means that plaque regression occurs. Modern imaging techniques confirm that plaques that regress are not only smaller, but their internal composition changes, with less lipids, more density, and less risk of rupture.
Not all plaques are reversible, though, such as hard plaques and calcified plaques, although such plaques themselves have a small probability of rupture and are considered stable plaques with little risk. Dietary adjustments and exercise are effective interventions for atherosclerotic plaques, but dietary adjustments alone have a limited effect because 70% of LDL-C, which is closely related to atherosclerotic plaques, is self-generated by the body, and the food you eat only accounts for 30%.