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- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
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Vascular Diseases
Summary
What are vascular diseases?
Your vascular system is your body’s network of blood vessels. It includes your:
- Arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your tissues and organs
- Veins, which carry the blood and waste products back to your heart
- Capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels that connect your small arteries to your small veins. The walls of the capillaries are thin and leaky, to allow for an exchange of materials between your tissues and blood.
Vascular diseases are conditions which affect your vascular system. They are common and can be serious. Some types include:
- Aneurysm – a bulge or “ballooning” in the wall of an artery
- Atherosclerosis – a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.
- Blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
- Coronary artery disease and carotid artery disease, diseases that involve the narrowing or blockage of an artery. The cause is usually a buildup of plaque.
- Raynaud’s disease – a disorder that causes the blood vessels to narrow when you are cold or feeling stressed
- Stroke – a serious condition that happens when blood flow to your brain stops.
- Varicose veins – swollen, twisted veins that you can see just under the skin
- Vasculitis – inflammation of the blood vessels
What causes vascular diseases?
The causes of vascular diseases depend on the specific disease. These causes include:
- Genetics
- Heart diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure
- Infection
- Injury
- Medicines, including hormones
Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Who is at risk for vascular diseases?
The risk factors for vascular diseases can vary, depending on the specific disease. But some of the more common risk factors include:
- Age – your risk of some diseases goes up as you get older
- Conditions that can affect the heart and blood vessels, such as diabetes or high cholesterol
- Family history of vascular or heart diseases
- Infection or injury that damages your veins
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sitting or standing still for long periods of time
- Smoking
What are the symptoms of vascular diseases?
The symptoms for each disease are different.
How are vascular diseases diagnosed?
To make a diagnosis, your health care provider will do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and medical history. You may have imaging tests and/or blood tests.
How are vascular diseases treated?
Which treatment you get depends on which vascular disease you have and how severe it is. Types of treatments for vascular diseases include:
- Lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and getting more exercise
- Medicines, such as blood pressure medicines, blood thinners, cholesterol medicines, and clot-dissolving drugs. In some cases, providers use a catheter to send medicine directly to a blood vessel.
- Non-surgical procedures, such as angioplasty, stenting, and vein ablation
- Surgery
Can vascular diseases be prevented?
There are steps you can take to help prevent vascular diseases:
- Make healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and getting more exercise
- Don’t smoke. If you are already a smoker, talk to your health care provider for help in finding the best way for you to quit.
- Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check
- If you have diabetes, control your blood sugar
- Try not to sit or stand for up long periods of time. If you do need to sit all day, get up and move around every hour or so. If you traveling on a long trip, you can also wear compression stockings and regularly stretch your legs.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Encyclopedia
- Aging changes in the heart and blood vessels Medical Encyclopedia
- Arterial insufficiency Medical Encyclopedia
- Blood flow Medical Encyclopedia
- C1 esterase inhibitor Medical Encyclopedia
- Cardiovascular system Medical Encyclopedia
- Distal splenorenal shunt Medical Encyclopedia
- Heart and vascular services Medical Encyclopedia
- Hemangioma Medical Encyclopedia
- Hemangioma excision – series — Indications Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatic hemangioma Medical Encyclopedia
- Hereditary angioedema Medical Encyclopedia
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy Medical Encyclopedia
- Idiopathic livedo reticularis Medical Encyclopedia
- Magnetic resonance angiography Medical Encyclopedia
- Mesenteric angiography Medical Encyclopedia
- Mesenteric artery ischemia Medical Encyclopedia
- Renal venogram Medical Encyclopedia
- Renovascular hypertension Medical Encyclopedia
- Spider angioma Medical Encyclopedia
- Sturge-Weber syndrome Medical Encyclopedia
- SVC obstruction Medical Encyclopedia
- Venogram Medical Encyclopedia
- Volkmann contracture Medical Encyclopedia
Find an Expert
- American Heart Association American Heart Association
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Treatments and Therapies
- Angioplasty and Vascular Stenting Radiological Society of North America
- Catheter Embolization Radiological Society of North America
- Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis Radiological Society of North America
Patient Handouts
- Aortic arch syndrome Medical Encyclopedia
- Arterial embolism Medical Encyclopedia
- Arteriogram Medical Encyclopedia
- Cerebral angiography Medical Encyclopedia
- Duplex ultrasound Medical Encyclopedia
- Venous insufficiency Medical Encyclopedia
- Venous ulcers — self-care Medical Encyclopedia
Specifics
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVMs) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Cavernous Hemangioma Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Cerebral Cavernous Malformations National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency Vascular Cures
- Fibromuscular Dysplasia National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Fibromuscular Dysplasia American Heart Association
- Hemangioma American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) Society of Interventional Radiology
- Intestinal Ischemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Ischemic Colitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Livedoid vasculopathy Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
- Liver Hemangioma Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Moyamoya Disease National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Sturge-Weber Syndrome National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) Syndrome Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
- What Is Hemangioma? American Academy of Ophthalmology
Genetics
- Capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Generalized arterial calcification of infancy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Grange syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hereditary angioedema: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hereditary angiopathy with nephropathy, aneurysms, and muscle cramps syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Multiple cutaneous and mucosal venous malformations: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Parkes Weber syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Tangier disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
Diagnosis and Tests
- Catheter Angiography Radiological Society of North America
- CT Angiography (CTA) Radiological Society of North America
- Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
- MR Angiography (MRA) Radiological Society of North America
- Ultrasound — Vascular Radiological Society of North America
- Venography Radiological Society of North America
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Arteriosclerosis National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiovascular Diseases National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemangioma National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Vascular Diseases National Institutes of Health
Children
- Embolization (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Sclerotherapy (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Sturge-Weber Syndrome Nemours Foundation
- Venous Malformations (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
Reference Desk
- Glossary Vascular Cures
Start Here
- Peripheral Vascular Disease Texas Heart Institute
- What Is Vascular Disease? Vascular Cures
Journal Articles
Images
- Spider Angioma VisualDX
- Stasis Ulcer VisualDX
- Strawberry Hemangioma VisualDX