Causes of Narrowing of Blood Vessel You Should Be Wary About - TrendyNewsReporters Causes of Narrowing of Blood Vessel You Should Be Wary About - TrendyNewsReporters
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Causes of Narrowing of Blood Vessel You Should Be Wary About

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According to WebMD – Narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction) is a condition where the pathway for blood flow becomes narrower. This condition occurs when the muscles around the blood vessels tighten to constrict the space inside.

The vasomotor nerves can tell the muscles to adjust the amount of space inside the blood vessels so that they can narrow or widen.

Symptoms of blood vessel narrowing

The process of blood vessel narrowing often does not cause any symptoms until blood flow is completely obstructed or even blocked.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms that arise also depend on the location of the narrowed blood vessels. Here is an explanation of each.

Narrowing of the blood vessels of the heart

If the narrowing occurs in the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart, symptoms can include chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, cold sweat, and anxiety.

Angina is caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. Sufferers of angina will feel their chest tight and heavy as if something is pressing.

This complaint often appears when doing strenuous physical activity and will disappear after resting.

Narrowing of the blood vessels of the brain

If the blood vessels to the brain are narrowed, sufferers may experience symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Narrowing of the blood vessels of the legs

If the narrowing of the blood vessels occurs in the legs, the sufferer may experience pain in the legs that appears when walking. The sensation may disappear when you stop walking.

When the narrowing is severe enough, the pain in the legs may also occur while resting or sleeping at night.

Narrowing of kidney blood vessels

Signs of kidney failure, such as frothy urine, frequent fatigue, dry skin, swollen legs, and shortness of breath can appear when there is narrowing of the blood vessels that drain blood to the kidneys.

Causes of blood vessel narrowing

There are many factors that can trigger narrowing of the blood vessels. Some of these triggering factors can be avoided and some cannot be prevented.

1. Age

One of the factors that cause blood vessel narrowing that cannot be controlled is age.

As a person gets older, the risk of developing this condition increases.

2. Hereditary disease

A family history of heart disease greatly affects the risk of narrowing blood vessels. Here are the people who are at high risk.

Having a father or sibling who also had heart disease before the age of 55.

Having a mother or sibling who developed heart disease before the age of 65.

3. Smoking habit

Not only people who smoke cigarettes (active smokers), people who are often exposed to cigarette smoke (passive smokers) are also at higher risk of having narrowed blood vessels.

This is because the chemicals in cigarettes have a role in tightening blood vessels.

4. Side effects of certain medications

There are certain medications that can cause constriction of blood vessels as a side effect, such as decongestants.

These drugs have ingredients that cause blood vessels to constrict to relieve your complaints.

5. Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition where the body temperature drops to a very low level.

If the body is exposed to cold temperatures for too long, the blood vessels constrict to avoid losing too much body heat by delivering less blood to the skin.

6. High blood pressure

You need to be vigilant if you have a history of high blood pressure.

This condition can lead to hardening and thickening of the blood vessels, thus narrowing the path of blood flow.

7. Sedentary lifestyle (minimal movement)

Sedentary lifestyle or minimal movement is also a cause of narrowing of blood vessels.

Lack of physical activity and exercise can lead to overweight and obesity. Both of these conditions are risk factors for narrowed blood vessels.

8. Unhealthy diet

A diet high in fat, salt and sugar plays a role in increasing the risk of narrowed blood vessels.

Therefore, you need to avoid or at least limit your consumption of foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, preserved foods, and fast foods.

9. Stress

When under stress, the body releases substances that cause blood vessels to tighten.

Besides affecting the narrowing of blood vessels, excessive stress can also damage them and cause various heart diseases.

10. Certain diseases

One disease that causes blood vessels to narrow is reversible cerebral vascular narrowing syndrome (RCVS).

This condition occurs when the blood vessels narrow too much or for too long, cutting off the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

This condition generally causes symptoms of sudden or severe headaches, changes in vision, and seizures.

In addition, narrowed blood vessels can result from Raynaud’s phenomenon. This condition causes some areas of the body, such as fingers and toes, to feel cold or numb.

Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs when the small arteries that supply blood to these areas of the body spasm or narrow, obstructing blood flow.

Complications of narrowed blood vessels

The following are various health problems that can be caused by narrowed blood vessels.

Stroke:

Narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain can cause a stroke. This disorder occurs when the narrowed blood vessels cause a blockage in the blood flow to the brain.

The brain cells are then damaged and the sufferer experiences difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, paralysis on one side of the body, and blindness.

Heart failure:

Narrowing of the blood vessels around the heart can cause a significant reduction in blood supply to the heart.

If the heart has been damaged, its pumping power to circulate blood throughout the body is weakened. This condition is also known as heart failure.

Arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat;

Narrowed blood vessels can also lead to arrhythmia.

This is because the limited blood flow to the heart due to narrowed blood vessels has the potential to disrupt electrical impulses in the heart. As a result, the heart rate becomes irregular.

Narrowed blood vessels and heart attack:

Narrowed blood vessels are often cited as one of the causes of heart attacks.

In fact, heart attacks are not caused by narrowed blood vessel muscles, but rather a build-up of fat and cholesterol on the inner walls of blood vessels (atherosclerosis).

The accumulated fat and cholesterol then harden and form plaque build-up.

This build-up can cause blockage of blood vessels and impede blood flow to the heart, resulting in a heart attack.

The interruption of blood supply to the heart can cause damage to the heart muscle. The damage can be minimised if the heart attack is quickly treated medically. The condition can also lead to coronary heart disease.

The cause of blockage or narrowing of blood vessels can be caused by different conditions so that the treatment is not the same.

Treatment of this condition can be done with the use of drugs from doctors to dilate blood vessels, as well as control the causative factors that can still be controlled.

You are also advised to undergo regular medical check-ups.

Meanwhile, in the case of blocked blood vessels, the doctor may prescribe medication to destroy the blockage.

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