Coronary arteri disease

Coronary artery disease

What is Coronary artery disease?

Coronary artery disease happens when the coronary arteries of the heart (which supply the heart muscle with blood) become narrowed or blocked by a gradual buildup of plaque within artery wall, which reduces blood flow to the heart muscle.

This process of building up plaque in arteries is termed atherosclerosis. It is a very complex process that involve many factors in the arteries, including inflammation and the accumulation of fats, like cholesterol.

Eventually, the decreased blood flow may cause chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, or other coronary artery disease signs and symptoms.

A complete blockage can cause a heart attack.

Eventually, the decreased blood flow may cause chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, or other coronary artery disease signs and symptoms. A complete blockage can cause a heart attack.

What Are the Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease?

The most common symptom is angina, or chest pain.

Angina can be described as a:

Heaviness
Pressure
Burning
Numbness
Fullness
Squeezing
Painful feeling

It can be mistaken for indigestion or heartburn.

Angina is usually felt in the chest, but may also be felt in the:

Shoulder
Arms
Neck
Back
Jaw

Symptoms are often subtler in women. Nausea, sweating, fatigue, or shortness of breath can join the typical pressure-like chest pain.

Other symptoms that can occur with coronary artery disease include:

Shortness of breath
Palpitations (irregular heartbeats, skipped beats, or a "flip-flop" feeling in your chest)
A faster heartbeat
Weakness or dizziness
Nausea
Sweating

What are the Risk factors?

Risk factors for coronary artery disease include:

Age. Simply getting older increases your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries.

Sex. Men are generally at greater risk of coronary artery disease. However, the risk for women increases after menopause.

Family history. A family history of heart disease is associated with a higher risk of coronary artery disease, especially if a close relative developed heart disease at an early age. Your risk is highest if your father or a brother was diagnosed with heart disease before age 55 or if your mother or a sister developed it before age 65.

Smoking. People who smoke have a significantly increased risk of heart disease. Exposing others to your secondhand smoke also increases their risk of coronary artery disease.

High blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries, narrowing the channel through which blood can flow.

High blood cholesterol levels. High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of formation of plaques and atherosclerosis. High cholesterol can be caused by a high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as the "bad" cholesterol. A low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), known as the "good" cholesterol, can be a sign of atherosclerosis.

Diabetes. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease share similar risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Overweight or obesity. Excess weight typically worsens other risk factors.

Physical inactivity. Lack of exercise also is associated with coronary artery disease and some of its risk factors, as well.

High stress. Unrelieved stress in your life may damage your arteries as well as worsen other risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Risk factors often occur in clusters and may build on one another, such as obesity leading to type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. When grouped together, certain risk factors put you at an even greater risk of coronary artery disease. For example, metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, elevated insulin levels and excess body fat around the waist — increases the risk of coronary artery disease.

Sometimes coronary artery disease develops without any classic risk factors. Researchers are studying other possible factors, including:

Sleep apnea. This disorder causes you to repeatedly stop and start breathing while you're sleeping. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system, possibly leading to coronary artery disease.

High sensitivity C-reactive protein. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a normal protein that appears in higher amounts when there's inflammation somewhere in your body. High hs-CRP levels may be a risk factor for heart disease. It's thought that as coronary arteries narrow, you'll have more hs-CRP in your blood.

High triglycerides. This is a type of fat (lipid) in your blood. High levels may raise the risk of coronary artery disease, especially for women.

Homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid your body uses to make protein and to build and maintain tissue. But high levels of homocysteine may increase your risk of coronary artery disease.

How Is Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosed?

Your doctor can tell if you have coronary artery disease after:

He learns your symptoms, medical history, and risk factors
A physical exam.
Diagnostic tests, including an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), echocardiogram, exercise stress tests, electron beam (ultrafast) CT scans, cardiac catheterization, and others. These tests help your doctor know the extent of your coronary heart disease, its effect on your heart, and the best treatment for you.

How Is Coronary Artery Disease Treated?

It can involve:

Lifestyle changes: If you smoke, quit. Avoid processed foods and adopt a low-trans-fat, low-salt, and low-sugar diet. Keep your blood sugar in control if you have diabetes. Exercise regularly (but talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program)
Medications: If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, medications may be needed. The drugs you’ll take depend on your situation. If you’ve been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, you’ll probably be on aspirin and a statin, if not other things.
Surgery and other procedures:Common ones to treat coronary artery disease include:

All of these boost blood supply to your heart, but they don’t cure coronary heart disease. Preventing heart disease is the key.

Prevention

The same lifestyle habits that can help treat coronary artery disease can also help prevent it from developing in the first place. Leading a healthy lifestyle can help keep your arteries strong and clear of plaques. To improve your heart health, you can: