Arteriosclerosis is an example 
of a vascular disease: 
What is important?

How common are vascular diseases?

This can be illustrated by various facts: It is estimated that around 50 % of all adults suffer from varicose veins. Around 4.5 million Germans suffer from peripheral arterial occlusive disease (intermittent claudication). The rate of new cases of deep vein thrombosis is one to two cases per 1,000 people and rises exponentially with increasing age. In the worst cases, vascular diseases can lead to pulmonary embolisms, strokes and other potentially life-threatening events. This is why it is essential to treat them as early as possible. Although most vascular diseases are acquired over the course of one’s life, a few can also be hereditary. Especially during the early stages, many vascular diseases cause few or no symptoms. In the long term, however, they…