Can people with carotid plaque still run? Is there a high chance of plaque shedding to block blood vessels?

[Professional doctors tell you about health every day]

In recent years, Mr. Zhang's blood pressure has been around 140/90mmHg. He didn't use antihypertensive drugs. He insisted on running to keep his blood pressure under control. But in last week's physical examination, it was found that there was a plaque of about 2.3*1.8mm on each side of the carotid artery. He was very worried about whether he could still run if he had carotid plaques? Will the vibration of running cause plaque to fall off and block blood vessels? He consulted a doctor.

Mr. Zhang: Does running make carotid plaque fall off?

Doctor: This kind of worry is completely unnecessary, knowing that the plaque will not fall off. Arterial plaque is caused by the accumulation of a large amount of fat in the blood at the injury site after the vascular endothelium is damaged, which then causes a series of inflammatory reactions. It looks like a pimple on the skin. Will this pimple fall off?

Mr. Zhang: It is often said that plaque can block blood vessels. What's the matter?

Doctor: First of all, if the plaque continues to grow and bulge into the lumen of the blood vessel, it will lead to stenosis of the lumen and affect the blood flow. Substances, if the plaque ruptures, these substances will be exposed in the blood, and human blood is like "there is no room for sand in the eyes", and immediately a large number of platelets will come to gather around these substances to form thrombus, and thrombus is Can block blood vessels. Therefore, the reason for the plaque to block the blood vessel is caused by the excessive size of the plaque itself and the thrombus formed after the rupture, not because the plaque falls off as many people imagine.

Mr. Zhang: What kind of plaque is easy to rupture?

Doctor: There are two main factors for the rupture of pimples on the skin. First, the thinner the outer skin, the easier it is to rupture. Second, the liquid content inside is more likely to flow out. If fibrosis occurs, scars will form. , such a pimple is very stable. The same is true for plaques. The thinner the outer envelope is called the fibrous cap, and the lipids inside are not fibrotic or calcified, it is called soft plaque, and the possibility of rupture is greater. It's hard to break.

Mr. Zhang: What are the causes of plaque rupture?

Doctor: The basis for the occurrence of plaque is the damage of the vascular endothelium. The adventitia of the plaque is actually the damaged vascular endothelium. Therefore, any factors that can damage the vascular endothelium are risk factors for plaque rupture, such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar. , smoking, drinking, staying up late, etc., so preventing the occurrence and development of plaques and stabilizing plaques from rupture should start from these aspects.

Mr. Zhang: Doesn't blood pressure rise when running?

Doctor: Running is an aerobic exercise. When running, you will maintain the stability of blood pressure through a series of mechanisms, such as increasing the heart rate to promote blood circulation, dilating blood vessels to accommodate more blood, sweating to expel water to reduce blood volume, etc., blood pressure will not rise. High blood pressure is conducive to promoting and improving the blood pressure regulation mechanism, so to a certain extent, running can play a role similar to antihypertensive drugs. Of course, some exercises can instantly increase blood pressure, such as anaerobic exercise such as weightlifting that requires breath holding, and should be avoided.

Mr. Zhang: Can carotid plaques be eliminated?

Doctor: As mentioned above, the cause of plaque is the damage of the vascular endothelium and the deposition of fat. These damages destroy and replace the normal tissue structure of the blood vessel and become a part of the blood vessel, so it is difficult to be eliminated. What we need to do It is to prevent and delay the continued progress of this damage, while stabilizing the plaque from rupture. And effective exercise is one of the indispensable measures, and running will benefit from it.

Mr. Zhang: How long does it take to run every day?

Doctor: Effective exercise needs to achieve a certain intensity. Simply put, it is to ensure a certain amount of exercise. There are two requirements. One is to be able to sweat when running, at least feel the whole body heat, and the other is to last for 30-45 Minutes, if the time is too short, it will not work as it should, and if it is too long, it is unnecessary, but it may cause sports injuries. The most important thing is to persist for a long time. In addition, we must pay attention to actively control other risk factors at the same time, and do not hesitate to take medication.

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