The arteries, the largest blood vessels in the body, are part of the cardiovascular system. They function to carry oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to all the tissues and organs. The arteries, including the vessels in the heart, neck and legs, can become blocked due to a number of diseases. The University of California at San Francisco notes that in the U.S., almost 5 percent of individuals over the age of 65 have arterial blockages in the legs. These may be due to atherosclerosis, aneurysms, compressions and tears of the arteries.
Risk Factor Modification
The UCSF advises that disorders such as diabetes and high blood pressure can cause damage to the arteries leading to hardening of the walls and blood clot formation. Controlling and treating these diseases helps to also treat minor blockages of the arteries. Smoking is also a risk factor for arterial blockages and quitting can directly help treat this disease.
Nutrition and Medications
Patients with arterial blockages are treated with nutritional and lifestyle changes as well as medications that act directly to treat blockages. A healthy, low-sodium and low-fat diet can decrease cholesterol and high blood pressure, which directly impact the arteries. MayoClinic.com notes that some patients may be advised to take acetylsalic acid every day as part of their treatment. This medication helps thin the blood and prevent blood clots from forming in narrowed and stiffened arteries.
Surgical Options
In some cases when the diseased and damaged artery cannot be treated with medications, lifestyle changes and other preventative treatments, surgery is the best option. One procedure, a balloon angioplasty, uses a catheter-guided balloon that is threaded into the artery and inflated to open the area of blockage. Stenting or propping the artery open may also be done with this method, according to MayoClinic.com. Surgeries for blockages in the arteries include bypass surgeries where blood vessels from other parts of the body are used to create a pathway around a blocked artery and an endarterectomy, in which a vascular surgeon directly opens the artery to remove plaque blockage.
