Discovered: a New risk factor for hardening of the arteries
Around nine out of ten people who suffer from chronic circulatory disorders, there is a hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), so a defective constriction of the blood vessels, which can have serious consequences for the heart, brain, kidney and other organs or regions of the body can have. While the impact of such a bottleneck are in the vessels is well known, the exact causes and risk factors are still unclear. An international research team discovered that irregularities in the blood to promote flow, the development of arteriosclerosis.
Researchers from the University of Bremen identified calcifications in a previously unknown risk factor for the development of the Arteries. The regularity with which the blood circulates current through the body vessels have an impact on the health of the blood. Irregularities may cause turbulence, which drive the development of atherosclerosis progress. The results of the study were recently presented in the prestigious scientific journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS).
Uniform blood circulation keeps the blood vessels healthy
From physics, we know that in a liquid no turbulence, if it is sufficiently pumped slowly through a tube. This principle can also be applied on the human blood vessels transferring, showed a research team of the centre for applied space technology and microgravity (ZARM). The irregular, the blood is pumped through the vessels, the more likely inflammation and dysfunction of the inner layer of the blood vessels, which in turn promotes the development of the civilization disease, atherosclerosis, report researchers.
New findings in fluid mechanics
So far, it is assumed that due to the low flow velocity and high viscosity (viscosity) of the human blood no turbulence in the blood caused circulatory system. The Team, however, showed that pulsating flows, such as the circulation of the blood, are more prone to turbulence as a constantly flowing currents. Pulsating currents respond in a higher degree of geometric irregularities such as curvatures, irregularities, or constrictions. Such irregularities are pathways in the human blood are often found.
The researchers showed both theoretically and in experiments that this new knowledge applies to the circulatory system of the people. In one experiment, the scientists documented, and scientists, as a critical area in the blood flow turbulence, the scaled back concerns with every heartbeat and between heartbeats re-formed. So it may come in each pulse cycle to a disorder of the blood stream.
What is the effect of this turbulence?
The inner walls of the blood vessels (endothelium) are extremely sensitive to friction, since they are set to a uniform flow in one direction. At the Points where turbulence occur, it often comes to cellular dysfunctions in the endothelium. This dysfunction can manifest by inflammation of the inner vessel walls, which can expand in the long term, to atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis involved in numerous death cases
Vascular common causes for heart attacks, strokes, or other fasteners, the blood tracks are calcifications. Atherosclerosis is thus involved in the large extent of the most common causes of death worldwide. The study illustrates the high degree of complexity and sensitivity of the blood circulatory system, and offers new approaches for strategies in the case of circulatory disorders. (vb)
Detailed information on atherosclerosis, see the article “hardening of the arteries – symptoms, causes and treatment”.