What is arteriolosclerosis?
arteriolosclerosis is a health condition where some blood vessels experience some reinforcement and rigidity, making it difficult to transport blood to vital organs. Cardiovascular disease specifically focuses on arteriols, which are blood vessels that reach from the arteries and help transport blood from the heart and to different parts of the body. There are two types of arteriolosclerosis: hyaline and hyperplastic arteriolosclerosis.
The term "arteriolosclerosis" is derived from two words, Latin "arteriola" and Greek "sclerosis", which means "small artery" and "claim". It should be noted that this term differs from "arteriosclerosis", which is an umbrella term for any hardening of arteries. Arteriolosclerosis is more likely to be diagnosed in patients who have diabetes and hypertension, as these conditions already place too much stress on the arteriols due to increased levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and bltress. Other factors that may increase the chance of the patient to develop the disease, jSOU sleep apnea and stress because both can increase blood pressure.
The first type of arteriolosclerosis is hyaline arteriolosclerosis, which is marked with reinforcement of the farthest walls of arteriols. This is due to the accumulation of a translucent substance called hyaline, caused by the leakage of plasma proteins or overproduction of the extracellular matrix of arteriol muscle cells. The hyaline type is more common and is seen in patients with benign or relatively mild diabetes and hypertension that cause body damage but do not cause apparent symptoms. This can also be seen in older patients and can only be considered a sign of old age.
The second type is hyperplastic arteriosclerosis, which is characterized by narrowing of lumen, which is the actual opening of arteriole and other blood vessels. In this case, the outer wall of arteriols is normal, but the middle layer is stronger than usual because there are too many smooth muscle cells,which causes the opening to shrink. This type is said to indicate serious cases of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and can lead to ischemia or blood deficiency in organs. In worse cases, this can lead to kidney failure.
One effective method of determining which type of arteriolosclerosis is present is taken by a micrograph or microscopic image. The hyperplastic type will show the property of the "onion leather" surrounding the lumen, while in the hyaline type you will see a stronger layer. Treatment of this cardiovascular disease usually includes a healthier lifestyle, medicines and surgery in severe cases.