Arteriosclerosis is a condition characterized by thickening, hardening, and remodeling of the arterial wall. It is caused by factors like hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and age. The pathology involves fibro-muscular thickening of the arterial wall from the fetal stage onwards. There are different types including senile and hypertensive arteriosclerosis. Symptoms depend on the location of arterial narrowing and can include chest pain, leg pain, headaches, and others. Investigations include Doppler tests, MRI angiography, CT angiography, and regular angiography. Treatment involves managing risk factors medically or surgically through procedures like angioplasty, endarterectomy, and bypass surgery. Physical therapy focuses on

1. By syed masood

2. Arteriosclerosis:
It is a general term used to include all conditions
with thickening and hardening of the arterial
wall.
Etiology:
-Hypertension
-Diabetes mellitus
-Smoking
-Obesity
-Gender
-Heredity
-Age

3. Other causes are:
-Improper diet: Consumption of saturated fats,
coffee and alcohol are not good for
arteriosclerotic patient. High diet with
cholesterol may also lead to arteriosclerosis.
-High stress: A high stress life style may increase
your blood pressure and thus affect the heart
and arteries, leading to arteriosclerosis.
-Inadequate blood supply.
-Lack of physical exercise.

4. Pathology:
- Arteriosclerosis is vascular disease
characterized by thickening, hardening and
remolding of arterial wall.
-Fibro muscular intimal thickening starts its
development in the fetal age of the 6th month
and continues to grow with aging.

5. Types of Arteriosclerosis:
-Senile arteriosclerosis
-Hypertensive arteriosclerosis: It is of 4 types:
.Hyaline arteriosclerosis
.Necrotizing arteriolitis
.Monck berg's arteriosclerosis.
.Hyper plastic arteriosclerosis.

6. Senile arteriosclerosis:
It is the thickening of media and intima of
arteries seen due to aging.
The changes are non-selective and affects
most of the arteries.
These are possibly induced by stress and
strain on vessel wall during life.

7. Hypertensive arteriosclerosis:
Hyper plastic arteriosclerosis: It is
characterized by lesion of malignant
hypertension.
Hyaline arteriosclerosis:
It is a common arteriolar lesion that may be
seen physiologically due to aging or may
occur pathologically in hypertensive's and in
diabetes.
Lesions are more severe in patients with
hypertension, especially in kidneys.

8. Necrotizing arteriolitis:
In case of severe hypertension and malignant
hypertension , parts of small arteries and
arterioles show changes of hyaline sclerosis
and parts of these show necrosis ,or necrosis
may be superimposed on hyaline sclerosis.
Monck berg's arteriosclerosis:
It is calcification of the media of large and
medium-sized muscular arteries especially of the
extremities and of the genital tract. The
condition occurs as an aged related degenerative
process.

9. Clinical Features:
Symptoms are as follows:
-Chest pain
-High blood pressure
-Leg pain(when leg artery is involved)
-Brain hemorrhage(when artery leading to
brain are involved-the vessel may burst,
causing hemorrhage in the brain tissue.)

10. Other symptoms are:
-Headache
-Ringing of ear
-Memory problems
-Mood changes
-Numbness of legs or feet at rest
-Cold legs or feet
-Muscle pain in the thighs
-Paleness or bluishness of skin

11. Investigations:
-Doppler tests
-Magnetic resonance arteriography (special
type of MRI scan)
-Special CT scans called CT angiography
-Angiography.

12. Management:
Medical management: It includes,
-Cholesterol medication( by lowering low density
lipoprotein i.e. LDL cholesterol.
-Ant platelet medication( such as Aspirin)
-Beta blockers medication
-ACE inhibitors
-Calcium channel blockers
-Diuretics

13. Surgical procedures:
-Angioplasty
-Endarterectomy
-Thrombolytic therapy
-Bypass surgery
PT Management:
Aims:
1- To improve breathing pattern.
2-To increase exercise tolerance.
3-To improve life style.

14. Improve breathing pattern:
In this pattern explain to the patient, the
correct breathing pattern i.e. diaphragmatic
breathing exercise.
Advice patient not to use thoracic msls and
other accessory msls which help in breathing.
Increase exercise tolerance:
Exercise tolerance is increased by advising
patient to do exercise for at least 30 minutes
per day.
And than increased the time to 40 minutes
and than to 60 minutes per day.

15. Improve life style:
Life style is improved by :
-Limiting alcohol intake and smoking.
-Reduction of weight in obese patients.
-Reducing stress
-Prevention from hypertension and Diabetes
mellitus.
-Burgers' exercise, Contrast bath and
Connective tissue massage can also help in
reducing tension in arteriosclerosis patients.