Coronary artery disease
Coronary artery disease is a disease that occurs due to the build-up of plaque within the artery walls. This build-up of plaque causes the arteries to narrow resulting in inadequate oxygen supply to the heart.
What are the symptoms?
Coronary artery disease progresses over the years. Therefore, symptoms appear gradually as the plaque builds up. These symptoms may be experienced under stress, during physical activity or even at rest. Symptoms are not common for all and may be different for men and women. Symptoms included are:
- pain in the upper body
- shortness of breath
- fatigue
- irregular heartbeat
- sweating
- nausea
Risk factors may be divided into two categories: modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.
1. Non-modifiable risk factors are those factors which cannot be changed. These include:
age above 45 years for men and 55 years for women
male gender
race
family history of heart disease
2. Modifiable risk factors are those factors which may be changed through lifestyle changes. These include:
smoking
high blood pressure
high cholesterol levels
high alcohol intake
diabetes
overweight/obesity
lack of physical activity
high stress levels
unhealthy diet
Risk factors occurring together increase the risk for coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease may be diagnosed through:
- Blood tests
- Electrocardiogram
- Echocardiogram
- Stress Test
- Heart CT scan
- Cardiac Catheterization
- Angiogram
Treatment of coronary artery disease may be done through:
- Lifestyle changes:
- Quitting smoking
- Controlling conditions of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
- Healthy diet
- Regular exercise
- Weight loss
- Managing stress levels.
- Medication:
- Cholesterol-modifying medications
- Aspirin
- Beta blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Nitroglycerin
- Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
- Surgical procedures:
- Coronary artery bypass graft
- Balloon angioplasty
- Stent placement
If you experience the symptoms of coronary artery disease, it may be time to see a doctor. The doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms, the duration and what physical activity was being carried out when it occurred. Diagnostic tests will then be performed to confirm a diagnosis. If the symptoms are ignored, the disease may progress fast and result in a heart attack and cause permanent damage.