Coronary Artery Disease – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Coronary Artery Disease – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments of this condition. Additionally, Coronary Artery Disease , also called Coronary Heart Disease, or simply heart disease, affects millions of Americans. This serious condition is a result of plaque buildup in the arteries.

What is Coronary Artery Disease: Arteries, which start out smooth and elastic, put plaque on their inner walls, which can make them stiffer and narrower. This restricts blood flow to your heart, which can become starved of oxygen. The plaque could rupture, leading to a heart attack or sudden cardiac death.

Causes of Coronary Artery Disease: Coronary Artery Disease is thought to start with damage or injury to the inner layer of a coronary artery, sometimes as early as childhood. Damage can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• smoking
• High pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes or insulin resistance
• sedentary lifestyle

Once the inner wall of an artery is damaged, fatty deposits (plaque) made of cholesterol and other cellular waste products tend to build up at the site of injury in a process called atherosclerosis. If the surface of the plaque breaks or ruptures, blood cells called platelets clump at the site to try to repair the artery. This group can block the artery, leading to a heart attack .

Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease: If your coronary arteries narrow, they can’t deliver oxygen-rich blood to your heart — especially when it’s beating hard, such as during exercise. At first, decreased blood flow may not cause symptoms of coronary artery disease. As plaque continues to build up in your coronary arteries , however, you may develop signs and symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease , including:

• Chest pain (angina). You may feel pressure or tightness in your chest, as if someone is standing on your chest. This pain, referred to as angina, usually occurs in the middle or left side of the chest. Angina is usually triggered by physical or emotional stress.
• The pain usually disappears within minutes of stopping the stressful activity. In some people, especially women, this pain may be transient or sharp and felt in the neck, arm, or back.
• Shortness of breathe. If your heart cannot pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs, you may develop shortness of breath or extreme fatigue with exertion. heart attack . A completely blocked coronary artery can cause a heart attack . The classic signs and symptoms of a heart attack include crushing pressure in your chest and pain in your shoulder or arm, sometimes with shortness of breath and sweating.

Women are slightly more likely than men to experience less typical signs and symptoms of a heart attack , such as neck or jaw pain. Sometimes a heart attack occurs with no apparent signs or symptoms.

Treatments For Coronary Artery Disease: How Coronary Artery Disease Is Treated .

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 check if you have diabetes. Exercise regularly (but talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program).

Medications: If lifestyle changes are not enough, medications may be needed. The medications you will take will depend on your situation. If you’ve been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, you’ll likely be on aspirin and a statin, if not other things.