[Atherosclerosis of the major extra- and intracranial cerebral arteries in persons engaged in physical and intellectual work].

The authors conducted a visual-planimetric study of the magistral arteries, supplying the brain in 152 deceased individuals, where the intensity of atherosclerosis was studied in comparison to people of physical and intellectual work. The compared groups were identical for sex, age and the main disease. In people of physical work the intracranial arteries demonstrate either no changes or only lipoid spots in them. In people of intellectual work there were fibrous plaques. In extracranial arteries there were no differences in the frequency of atherosclerotic changes in the compared groups. The general area of atherosclerotic changes (as well as the area of eminental lesions and fibrous plaques) in the arteries of the Willisi circle was significantly larger in people of intellectual work than in people of physical work. There were no significant differences between the two compared groups according to the area of atherosclerotic lesions in the extracranial brain arteries.