With the increase in life expectancy that has occurred since the early twentieth century, greater numbers of older adults are suffering from atherosclerosis and vascular-related diseases.
Atherosclerosis is a generalized disorder of the arterial tree, manifested by plaque formation along the inner surface of arteries. The formation of plaque involves a dynamic process of biologically active endothelial cells (cells lining the inner surface of arteries) interacting with various hemodynamic, mechanical, metabolic, and chemical forces and substances. Normally, endothelial cells serve …
The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) tripled in the United States between 1970 and 2000, accounting for more than 15,000 deaths per year in 2000. A ruptured AAA is the tenth leading cause of death among those over fifty-five. The incidence of AAA in men over the age of eighty is 6.0 percent, and in women over the age of ninety it is 4.5 percent. An aneurysm is a dilatation of the arter…
Veins (vessels that carry de-oxygenated blood) from most areas of the body contain oneway flap valves that are designed to assist in the unidirectional flow of blood towards the heart. When one or more of these valves becomes incompetent (??leaky??), some blood is able to flow retrograde (away from the heart) and tends to overfill and distend branches of superficial veins under the skin. Over a pe…
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