Pathophysiology

In macroangiopathy, fat and blood clots build up in the large blood vessels, stick to the vessel walls, and block the flow of blood.

The decrease of blood flow through stenosis

Stenosis

A stenosis is an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure.It is also sometimes called a stricture ....

 or clot formation impair the flow of oxygen and nutrients to cells further down the bloodstream (called ischemia

Ischemia

In medicine, ischemia is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. It may also be spelled ischaemia or ischæmia...

) and lead to their death (necrosis and gangrene, which in turn may require amputation

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...

).

Related conditions

Macroangiopathy, may cause other complications, such as ischemic heart disease, stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 and peripheral vascular disease which contributes to the diabetic foot ulcers and the risk of amputation

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...

.

(Angiopathy

Angiopathy

Angiopathy is the generic term for a disease of the blood vessels . The best known and most prevalent angiopathy is diabetic angiopathy, a common complication of chronic diabetes.-By caliber:...

 is the generic term for a disease of the blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries). The best known and most prevalent angiopathy is the diabetic angiopathy

Diabetic angiopathy

Diabetic angiopathy is a form of angiopathy associated with diabetes mellitus. While not exclusive, the two most common forms are Diabetic retinopathy and Diabetic nephropathy, whose pathophysiologies are largely identical.-Pathophysiology:...

, a complication that may occur in chronic diabetes.

There are two types of angiopathy: macroangiopathy and microangiopathy.