What Are the Effects of Vascular Disease?
Because the functions of the blood vessels include supplying all organs and tissues of the body with oxygen and nutrients, removal of waste products, fluid balance, and other functions, conditions that affect the vascular system may affect the part(s) of the body supplied by a particular vascular network, such as the coronary arteries of the heart.
Examples of the effects of vascular disease include:
- Coronary vascular diseaseÌý- Heart attack, angina (chest pain)
- Cerebrovascular disease - Stroke, transient ischemic attack (a sudden or a temporary loss of blood flow to an area of the brain, usually lasting less than five minutes but not longer than 24 hours, with complete recovery)
- Peripheral arterial diseaseÌý-ÌýIntermittent Claudication (limping because of pain in the thigh, calf, and/or buttocks that occurs when walking), critical limb ischemia (lack of oxygen to the limb/leg at rest)
- Vascular disease of the great vessels - Aortic aneurysm (a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning), coarctation of the aorta (narrowing of the aorta, the largest artery in the body), Takayasu's arteritis (a rare inflammatory disease affecting the aorta and its branches)
- Thoracic vascular disease - Thoracic aortic aneurysm (a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning in the thoracic, or chest, portion of the aorta)
- Abdominal vascular diseaseÌý-ÌýAbdominal aortic aneurysm (a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning in the abdominal portion of the aorta)
- Peripheral vascular diseaseÌý-ÌýDeep vein thrombosis (Also called DVT; a blood clot in a deep vein located within the muscles of the leg), varicose veins
- Lymphatic vascular diseasesÌý-ÌýLymphedema (swelling caused by interruption of the normal drainage pattern in the lymph nodes)
- Vascular diseases of the lungsÌý- Wegener's granulomatosis (an uncommon disease in which the blood vessels are inflamed; mainly affects the respiratory tract and the kidneys), angiitis (inflammation of blood vessels), hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease (high blood pressure in the lungs' blood circulation due to vascular conditions)
- Renal (kidney) vascular diseases -ÌýRenal artery stenosis (blockage of a renal artery), fibromuscular dysplasia (a condition that weakens the walls of medium-sized arteries and occurs predominantly in young women of childbearing age)
- Genitourinary vascular diseases - Vascular erectile dysfunction (impotence)
Because vascular conditions and diseases may involve more than one of the body's systems at a time, many types of physicians treat vascular problems. Specialists in vascular medicine and/or surgery work closely with physicians in other specialties, such as internal medicine, interventional radiology, cardiology, and others to ensure comprehensive care of patients with vascular conditions.
