Arterial thrombosis

Arterial thrombosis is a term used to describe a condition in which blood clot (thrombus) forms in the artery, resulting in partial or complete obstruction of blood flow through tissues supplied by that artery. Inclusive of this summary is the symptoms; epidemiology; causes; diagnosis; treatment and prevention.

Symptoms:

Suspected arterial thrombosis symptoms vary depending on the location and severity of the blockage but may include:

• Chest pains or pressure (coronary artery thrombosis)
• Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of face, arm, leg especially during an ischemic stroke.
• Pain numbness tingling in legs and feet (peripheral artery thrombosis).
• Cold extremities pale blue extremities
• No pulse no feeling in affected limb
• Tissue necrosis gangrene (severe cases).

Epidemiology:

• Arterial thrombosis in an individual can happen at any age but it is more common in adults who are older especially those that have risk factors for instance hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking or atherosclerosis.
• The frequency of arterial thrombosis varies depending on the specific condition such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.

Causes:

• Atherosclerosis: Arteriosclerosis is the most common cause of arterial thrombosis which is characterized by accumulation of plaque (cholesterol, fatty deposits and inflammatory cells) within the walls of arteries leading to their narrowing or blocking.
• Endothelial injury: The damage to endothelium which covers inside walls of blood vessels caused by factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes or inflammation can enhance formation of arterial blood clots.
• Hypercoagulability: There are several medical conditions including inherited or acquired thrombophilias, cancer, pregnancy or use of estrogen-containing medications that could increase the chances of developing blood clots within arteries.

Diagnosis:

• Your doctor will ask about the symptoms you’ve experienced, your medical history, and risk factors for arterial thrombosis, in addition to conducting a physical examination to check for signs of vascular disease.
• Diagnostic tests: Electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, carotid ultrasound scan, Doppler ultrasound scanning, CT angiogram (CTA), magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) or angiography can all be used to see the affected arteries as well as evaluate blood flow.

Treatment:

• Anticoagulant therapy: Anticoagulation with drugs such as heparin or warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) might help stop further clots from forming and reduce the chances of having a thromboembolic event.
• Antiplatelet therapy: Several examples of antiplatelets are aspirin, clopidogrel and ticagrelor that can be used to reduce platelet aggregation thereby decreasing chances of arterial thrombosis in specific situations like acute coronary syndromes as well as ischemic stroke.
• Thrombolytic therapy: In some instances of acute arterial thrombosis tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) which is a kind of thrombolytic drug may also be given in order to dissolve the clot and restore blood flow.
• Surgical procedure: In some cases, surgical activities might be carried out to remove the cloo from body, restore blood flow or bypass the artery blocked through thrombectomy, angioplasty or bypass surgery.

Prevention:

• Modifications in lifestyle: Modifying your way of living so as to make it healthy for your heart like engaging in exercise programs on a regular basis, observing a balanced diet, stopping smoking, controlling weight and reducing stress can help curb the risk of arterial thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases.
• Adherence to medication instructions: The recurrent arterial thrombotic events can only be prevented if one follows the doctor’s prescription when taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications.
• Treatment modalities for comorbidities: Atherosclerosis and diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are some of these underlying factors that should be treated by using drugs, lifestyle changes and check-up with medical experts for prevention of arterial thrombosis.

Arterial thrombosis is a severe medical disease that necessitates urgent appraisal and treatment to avoid complications such as ischemia tissue damage organs failure death. It is important that early recognition of symptoms risk factors identification adherence to treatment recommendations are observed in order to prevent incidence (s) of arterial thrombosis thus improving outcomes among individuals at risk.