Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease, is the top one killer disease in America, affecting more than 13 million Americans.
Coronary artery disease is the hardening of the heart's muscles, creating blockages in the vessels which nourish the heart itself.
Atherosclerosis happen when the arteries turns congested and tapering, avoiding blood flow.
Without adequate blood flow from the arteries, the heart becomes starved of oxygen and vital nutrients it needs to work properly.
Your coronary arteries are blood vessels on the heart.
They are smooth and elastic, allowing blood to flow freely.
Then, other substances, such as inflammatory cells, proteins, and calcium that travel in your bloodstream start sticking to the inside of the vessel walls.
The fat and other substances combine to form a material called plaque, which can narrow the flow of blood in the artery.
Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease The most common symptom is angina (angina pectoris) or simply chest pain.
Angina signs and symptoms are feeling of discomfort, chest heaviness, presence of pressure, painful feeling, presence of burning feeling and lack of sensation.
It can be misguided for upset stomach.
Angina is usually felt in the chest, but may also be felt in the left shoulder, arms, neck, back, or jaw.
Other symptoms that can occur include: oShortness of breath; oPalpitations (irregular heartbeats, skipped beats, or a "flip-flop" feeling in the upper chest) oA faster heartbeat oWeakness or dizziness oNausea oSweating How is Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosed? Your doctor can tell if you have coronary artery disease by: otalking to you about your symptoms, medical history, and risk factors operforming a physical exam oPerforming diagnostic tests, including an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), exercise stress tests, electron beam computerized tomography scans, cardiac catheterization, and others since these tests help your doctor evaluate the extent of your coronary heart disease, its effect on the function of your heart and the best form of treatment for you.
How is Coronary Artery Disease Treated? Management of coronary artery disorder includes reducing the risk factors, taking prescribed medication including invasive surgical procedures, and seeing your doctor for regular health care follow up visits.
Reduce your risk factors.
This involves making lifestyle changes.
If you smoke, you should quit.
Your diet will likely need modifications to reduce your cholesterol, keep your blood pressure in check and maintain blood sugar in healthy levels if you have diabetes.
Low fat, low salt, and low cholesterol foods are recommended.
You should also get more exercise to help maintain a healthy weight.
If making lifestyle changes isn't enough to control your heart disease, taking heart disease medication may be needed to help your heart work more efficiently and receive more oxygen-rich blood.
The heart disease medication you take depend on you and your specific heart problem.
Common procedures to treat coronary artery disease include balloon angioplasty, stint placement, and coronary artery bypass surgery.
All of these procedures increase blood supply to your heart, but they do not cure coronary heart disease.
You will still need to decrease your risk factors to prevent future disease.