Vascular relates to vessels that circulate fluids. Vascular
is a branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of diseases affecting
the circulatory system of the body. The circulatory system circulates oxygen
and nutrient-rich blood to the body, and also takes back the impure blood to
the heart and lungs. These activities are carried out by the arteries and
veins.
Vascular diseases are conditions which affect the arteries
and veins. Primarily, arterial vascular diseases are caused due to the fat
deposit, known as plaque, on the inner lining of the arteries. This leads to
the hardening of the arteries and when the plaque exceeds a certain limit, it
will restrict the flow of blood from the heart to other parts of the body;
thus leading to many serious and chronic diseases like stroke, aneurysms,
carotid artery disease, varicose veins, peripheral arterial disease and many
more. Venous vascular diseases induced by the build-up of fat deposit in the
veins will mainly affect the veins in the legs. Varicose veins,
thrombophlebitis, and venous thrombosis are some of the commonly found venous
vascular diseases.
Treatment of vascular diseases will mainly focus on the
relief of symptoms and preservation of the affected organs and tissues by
medicines or by surgery. Generally, the symptoms are silent in vascular
diseases. Bypass surgery is most commonly done to remove the blockage in the
circulatory system. Non-surgical treatments like balloon angioplasty and
stenting are also available for treating vascular diseases. In these
non-surgical methods, the idea is to widen the lumen of the circulatory system
to increase the flow of blood.
Some vascular diseases are even life-threatening. Today,
vascular diseases are causing more deaths and disabilities among the adults.
So, a proper diagnosis and treatment at the start of the disease will help
prevent many serious disabilities and a long life.
