Spinal Vascular Disease

　　What are the causes of spinal vascular diseases

　　Spinal vascular diseases often lead to many complications, among which 19% to 33% of patients have hypertension, 12% to 29% of spinal vascular disease patients have pulmonary hemorrhage, and in severe cases, there may be massive hemoptysis. If it persists for a long time, it can lead to respiratory difficulties and anemia. The small volume and compact structure of the spinal cord make it obvious when there is a lesion. Lesions in the upper cervical segment sometimes affect respiration and endanger life. At the same time, this disease is prone to cause paraplegia.

　　There are many types of spinal vascular diseases, and the symptoms of different classified diseases are also different. The following is an introduction to the common symptoms of this disease:

　　1, Ischemic spinal vascular disease

　　This type of disease has an acute onset, with more males than females.

　　2, Spinal hemorrhage

　　Spinal hemorrhage is rare and can be divided into subdural hemorrhage, epidural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or intramedullary hemorrhage. All can suddenly cause severe back pain, paraplegia, urinary and fecal disorders, and acute transverse myelitis symptoms below the level of the lesion.

　　3, Spinal vascular malformation

　　The development of spinal vascular malformations is slow, and the clinical manifestations are lack of specificity, making diagnosis relatively difficult.

　　4, Spinal venous disease

　　Spinal venous system diseases are less common than arterial diseases. They are characterized by sudden back pain, hemiplegia or paraplegia of the lower limbs, and urinary and fecal retention.

　　The etiology of spinal vascular diseases is diverse, including arteritis, aortic dissection aneurysm, embolism, arachnoid adhesions, and others, all of which can lead to the occurrence of this disease. Therefore, the prevention of this disease mainly focuses on preventing the primary disease. Patients also need to undergo regular physical examinations to achieve early detection and early treatment.

　　There are many types of spinal cord vascular diseases. To make an accurate diagnosis, it is generally necessary to undergo the following examinations:

　　1. Cerebrospinal fluid examination

　　Cerebrospinal fluid examination shows descending hemorrhage of the spinal subarachnoid membrane, and CSF is hemorrhagic; when there is spinal canal obstruction, the protein content of CSF increases and the pressure is low.

　　2. MRI

　　MRI results can show local thickening, hemorrhage, or infarction of the spinal cord, and enhancement may reveal vascular malformations. Myelography can determine the location of the hematoma and show the location and range of the malformed vessels on the surface of the spinal cord, but cannot distinguish the type of lesion.

　　3. Selective spinal cord digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

　　Selective spinal cord digital subtraction angiography is of great value in diagnosing spinal cord vascular malformations, which can clearly show the size, shape, location, range, type, supplying artery, and draining vein of the malformed vessels, which is very helpful for guiding surgical or radiological intervention treatment.

　　A reasonable diet is the key to disease recovery, and this is no exception for patients with spinal cord vascular diseases. Below, we will introduce the dietary precautions for patients with this disease.

　　1. Do not eat or eat less egg yolks, animal brains and viscera, and crustaceans such as clams, snails, and crabs to control cholesterol.

　　2. Do not eat or eat less animal oil and eat more vegetable oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, corn oil (oil food) and other vegetable oils to control fat.

　　3. Do not eat or eat less candy and other foods with high sugar content to control sugar intake.

　　4. Eat more nuts, small fish, and small shrimps to increase the intake of calcium.

　　5. Choose foods with low salt, low fat, low cholesterol, rich in vitamins, and high in potassium and calcium, increase the intake of dietary fiber, eat small and frequent meals, and avoid overeating and overdrinking.

　　In traditional Chinese medicine, the treatment of this disease focuses on invigorating Qi, promoting blood circulation, and dissipating blood stasis. Methods such as acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy are often used, which can alleviate the patient's pain to a certain extent, but none of them can fundamentally repair the damaged brain center, spinal cord, spinal nerves, and renal function of the patient. Therefore, it is necessary to combine traditional Chinese and Western medicine to cure this disease completely.