Causes and clinical manifestations of carotid artery plaque

Clinically, the appearance of carotid artery plaques is mostly caused by carotid atherosclerosis. Therefore, you can refer to the following content to understand the causes of this disease.

Causes of carotid artery plaque:

The formation of carotid plaques is similar to that of atherosclerosis and is affected by many factors, among which age > 60 years, male sex, long-term smoking history, history of hypertension, history of diabetes and hyperlipidemia are risk factors for the formation of carotid plaques.

Clinical manifestations of carotid artery plaque:

Depending on whether related cerebral ischemia symptoms occur, it is divided into two categories: symptomatic and asymptomatic (homologous to carotid artery stenosis):

1. Symptomatic

(1) Transient ischemic attack (TIA) can manifest as transient unilateral limb sensation, movement disorders, monocular blindness or aphasia, etc., which usually only lasts for a few minutes and fully recovers within 24 hours after onset. After the attack, physical examination has no clear positive signs, and imaging examination has no focal lesions;

(2) Common clinical symptoms of ischemic stroke include sensory and/or motor impairment on one side of the limbs, aphasia, and coma in severe cases. Physical examination may reveal corresponding signs of nervous system localization, and imaging examination may reveal focal lesions.

2. Asymptomatic

Many patients with carotid sclerosis do not have any neurological symptoms clinically or only have some non-specific manifestations such as dizziness, headache, syncope, etc.