When a thrombus forms within an artery, this is known as an arterial thrombosis. Arterial thrombi: Usually develop on top of an atherosclerotic plaque Have a grey-white appearance, are firmly adherent and grow in the opposite direction from the point of attachment Are composed of regularly arranged layers of platelets and fibrin, irregularly mixed with small amounts of darker red coagulated blood containing erythrocytes Manifest as MI, 302 unstable angina, 23 ischaemic stroke303 and some manifestations of peripheral arterial disease, such as acute limb ischaemia304 Risk factors Important risk factors for arterial thrombosis include: 305 Smoking Obesity High blood pressure Increased levels of cholesterol Diabetes Increasing age Family history Physical inactivity Increased concentrations of blood coagulation factors Blood serum lipid abnormalities Incidence and prevalence Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease. In CAD, atherosclerosis damages the coronary artery wall predisposing to thrombus formation. The symptoms and severity of acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina and MI) vary depending on the degree to which thrombi occlude the coronary arteries. 5, 23 Gross pathology: coronary bypass graft with thrombosis Coronary thrombosis The incidence and prevalence of the clinical manifestations of arterial thrombosis is high. The annual incidence (number of new and recurrent cases per year) of MI and stroke in the US in 2008 has been calculated to be 935,000 and 795,000, respectively. Estimates place the overall prevalence in the US of MI at 7.9 million and stroke at 7.0 million. 306
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 06:45:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015