Blocked Arteries in the Neck - Symptoms of Severe Arterial Plaque Deposits

The carotid arteries are 2 blood vessels, one either side of the neck, that each transport blood to the brain from the heart. These arteries can become partly or totally blocked resulting in the decrease of blood flow to the brain. This condition in turn is caused by atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is the outcome of a build up of cholesterol and calcium on the inner lining of the arteries. These deposits are referred to as plaques, which might eventually become so thick that they totally prevent the blood flow through the arteries. Those with untreated blocked carotid arteries are statistically likely to have a stroke.

Carotid artery occlusive disease is a permanent but treatable condition. Treatment is designed to stop further blockage and stroke. If there is some blockage devoid of symptoms, treatment will probably be limited to regular checkups, with ultrasound being used to monitor the condition along with medication that will cause the blood to thin to prevent the blood cells from clotting. Even if the arteries are severely narrowed, there is no guarantee of symptoms. If the blockage is severe, surgery might be recommended to reduce the possibility of stroke.

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The most usual method of surgery, carotid endarterectomy, seeks to remove the plaque from the artery. For some patients, a balloon angioplasty (the inflating of a balloon to press the plaque to the artery wall), with the placement of a stent, may be recommended. If a carotid artery is 100% blocked, then it is unlikely anything would done to clear it because the risk of stroke is too high during or post operation.

Efforts are then concentrated on keeping the opposite carotid as open as possible. A person can live a good life with only one open carotid artery. The body is smart enough to reroute blood via a complex network to the side of the brain that would normally get blood via the blocked carotid. A dietitian (check with her MD) could help you devise an eating plan that is healthy & affordable.work).

If the brain is deprived of oxygen, it stops working -- with potentially catastrophic effects. If the resulting impairment is permanent, we call the event a stroke. If it is temporary, it's called a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Every human has 4 carotid arteries through which blood moves from heart to brain. TIAs and strokes normally begin with an increase of cholesterol plaque in the carotid arteries -- the large blood vessels on either side of the neck which supply blood to the head and brain.

Blocked Arteries in the Neck - Symptoms of Severe Arterial Plaque Deposits

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Celiac Disease and Gluten Linked to Brain Disease by Deposits in Intestine and Brain

Antibodies for tissue transglutaminase found in the intestines of blood test negative celiac disease patients are also found in the intestine and brain in people with brain disease due to gluten. Gluten ataxia is a brain disorder characterized by balance disturbances not explained by any other cause but due to the ingestion of gluten. The disorder responds to a gluten free diet if irreversible brain damage has not already occurred. Calcifications can be seen in the brain on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

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Deposits of gluten related antibodies have been found in brain tissue obtained on biopsy and autopsy specimens. Mario Hadjivassiliou, M.D. from Sheffield England recommends gluten ataxia be added to a list of gluten related diseases that includes peripheral neuropathy and the skin disorder dermatitis herpetiformis. He has called for a new paradigm to be accepted where celiac disease is not considered primarily as an intestinal disease.

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Dr. Hadjivassiliou and colleagues recently published a report of nine patients with gluten ataxia compared with seven patients with ataxia due to other causes. They found tissue transglutaminase IgA deposition on jejunum intestinal tissue on all nine patients with gluten ataxia but none of the control patients. Brain tissue from an autopsy of one patient with gluten ataxia was also found to have IgA tTG deposits in the cerebellum, pons and medulla of the brain but not in a control brain.

Previous studies have found negative celiac blood tests in patients with gluten ataxia suggesting that they may not have celiac though they had a gluten related disease. In light of a new report that blood test negative celiac disease can have intestinal tTG and advanced intestinal damage it is curious to wonder if the gluten ataxia patients with blood tests negative are seronegative celiacs. It is increasingly appearing that there is a very broad spectrum of gluten related disease and there are non-celiac gluten related symptoms that include the brain, skin, musculoskeletal system as well as the gut.

Many patients I have seen with gluten sensitivity describe symptoms of balance difficulty, concentration problems or "brain fog", headaches, and neuropathy and a few report symptoms such as "bug crawling" sensations and strange muscle twitches. These symptoms commonly improve with a gluten-free diet and return with intentional or accidental gluten exposure. For some, intestinal symptoms or skin rashes occur but not all. The concept of gluten as a cause of brain symptoms is still not one widely known or accepted by many doctors, especially in the United States. However in Europe, especially England, Germany and Scandinavian countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand the gluten brain-gut connection is more accepted.

Casein causing brain symptoms is also not commonly accepted by doctors in the U.S. though many lay public organizations and support groups have found a casein-free diet to be associated with improvement of brain function as well as helping autism.

What is needed is more openness of U.S. doctors to the role of diet and foods in such symptoms and diseases and much more scientific research. I ask you to join me on the journey of the food, bacteria, gut-brain-joint-skin connection to disease and health.

References:

Autoantibody targeting of brain and intestinal transglutaminase in gluten ataxia. Hadjivassiliou M. et. al. Neurology 2006; 66:373-377.

Endomysial antibody-negative coeliac disease: clinical characteristics and intestinal autoantibody deposits. Gut 2006; 55:1746-1753.

Celiac Disease and Gluten Linked to Brain Disease by Deposits in Intestine and Brain

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