A systematic blood flow leads to the smooth functioning of our heart. The human body consists of arteries that help in the proper operation of organs by allocating enough oxygenated blood.
Suppose if these arteries begin to transport blood throughout the body in an abnormal manner, What possibly could be the outcome of the same? In this fast-paced life, health and wellness remain far away from our priority, and the negligence leads to causing conditions such as Subclavian Steal Syndrome.
Subclavian Steal Syndrome refers to a condition where the blood flows abnormally through the arteries. The disease affects those arteries which supply blood towards neck and head.
What is the Condition and How is it affecting?
Blood Vessels- arteries in a human body, are responsible for two kinds of blood flow throughout the system; Antegrade blood flow and Retrograde blood flow. The blood that flows away from our heart; it is termed as Antegrade Blood Flow, while the one where the blood flows towards the center is known as Retrograde Blood Flow.
Subclavian Steal Syndrome is a medical term given to Retrograde Blood Flow conditions. The illness shows specific symptoms that reflect that there is an abnormal flow of blood through the artery.
Some instances of Retrograde Blood Flow in the vertebral artery have been reported. The vertebral artery is responsible for carrying out blood to a person’s neck and head as it runs parallel to the neck.
Sometimes the condition affects the arteries that are accountable for carrying blood to our arms as well. The syndrome has affected about 6.4% of the population in the year 2019, as reported by The Medical News Today.
There are two subclavian arteries in a human body, each carrying blood to different organs/parts in the body. The arteries send blood to the chest, shoulders, arms, neck, and head. The subclavian arteries further divide into small branches known as the Vertebral artery, which is responsible for transporting blood to neck, hands, and head.
When the heart is incapable of pumping enough oxygenated blood through the Subclavian Artery, it affects the vertebral artery, and the person experiences less amount of blood transported either towards the hand, neck, or other body parts of a person.
Symptoms & Treatments
Generally, there are no specific symptoms that can reflect the occurrence of the syndrome since it depends on the area where the arteries are affected. The main symptoms could be neurological and discomfort in the arms.
Neurological symptoms could be the outcome of enough oxygenated blood not being supplied to the brain or spinal cord. There may be a difficulty for the affected person to move his or her head or upper body. The common signs related to this symptom could be:
- Hearing loss
- blurred vision
- dizziness
- fatigue
- blackout
- loss in muscle coordination
Another symptom could be a discomfort in the arms of an individual because the vertebral artery, which carries blood to the arms, gets affected, and the person might feel:
- numbness
- pain
- pinching sensations in their arms
Since the disease does not show apparent symptoms, affected people must consider health monitoring. If the condition worsens, then it is always advisable to meet your physician as early as possible. Some of the health supervision tips can include:
- Quit smoking
- maintain a balanced cholesterol level
- Keep your Diabetes in check
- Try balancing your blood pressure level
- maintaining an appropriate weight
- Indulge in Physical activities
Moreover, there are certain risks involved where medications are equally required for eradicating the disease. Subclavian Steal Syndrome is the reason for the higher mortality rate amongst other conditions. If anyone around you suffers from the same, its best to meet a health consultant soon.
