What is coronary artery disease?
Coronary heart disease is now the leading cause of death worldwide. An estimated 3.8 million men and 3.4 million women die each year from CHD. Coronary artery/heart disease, also called ischaemic heart disease, happens when the major blood vessels in the heart get narrow and stiff. It can cause heart attacks and angina. Coronary artery disease is a type of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
🔵 Etiology of coronary artery disease
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that take oxygenated blood to the heart muscle to keep it pumping. Coronary artery disease occurs when fatty material (plaque) builds up in these arteries. These streaks of fatty material cause the arteries to narrow and stiffen. The clinical term for this is atherosclerosis.
As the arteries get narrower, it becomes harder for blood to reach the heart muscle. This sometimes causes pain or discomfort called angina. If a piece of the plaque cracks, it may cause a blood clot to form. This stops the blood from getting to the part of the heart muscle. This is a heart attack (or myocardial infarction).
🔵 Symptoms of coronary artery disease
You may not know you have CAD because it doesn’t always cause symptoms. When arteries narrow it may cause pain and discomfort. Often this happens when your heart is working harder, like when you are walking uphill or stairs. Symptoms can include:
🔸 Unusual breathlessness eg: when at rest or undertaking very light physical activity
🔸 Discomfort, heaviness, or tightness of the chest may spread to the back, shoulders, neck, or jaw.
🔸 Discomfort in the arm, neck, or jaw with no chest discomfort.
🔸 Weakness, light-headedness, nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
The discomfort can range from mild or dull to severe. Sometimes people only discover they have coronary artery disease when it causes a heart attack.
🔵 Causes and risk factors
Some risk factors you can’t control (uncontrollable risk factors), but others you can control through lifestyle changes and medication (controllable risk factors).
🔺 Controllable risk factors
▪️ Smoking – smoking damages the lining of arteries, increasing the build of fatty materials which narrow the artery. It also makes blood more likely to clot.
▪️ Cholesterol – having high cholesterol increases the speed fatty materials build up in arteries.
▪️ Blood pressure – over time high blood pressure can damage arteries.
▪️ Diabetes – diabetes increases the risk of coronary artery disease and makes more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
▪️ Stress/anxiety – long term stress can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Find out how to manage stress.
▪️ Alcohol intake – heavy drinking or binge drinking can increase the risk of heart disease.
🔺 Uncontrollable risk factors
▪️ Age – The risk of CAD increases with age
▪️ Gender – men are more likely to develop CAD at an earlier age than women. However, women’s risk increases after they stop getting their periods
▪️ Ethnicity – people from certain ethnicities, such as Māori, Pasifika people and those from South Asian countries, are at higher risk of heart disease
▪️ Mental health history – people with severe mental illness are at higher risk of heart disease than the general population
▪️ Family history – you are at greater risk of heart disease if a close relative was diagnosed with heart disease before the age of 50.
🔵 Complications
Coronary artery disease can lead to several other heart conditions, including:
🔘 Angina
🔘 Heart attack
🔘 Heart rhythm problems
🔘 Heart failure
🔵 How to reduce your risk of further heart events?
There’s a lot you can do to reduce your risk of future heart events. Making the lifestyle changes and continuing to take your medication as prescribed are two important things you can do to reduce your risk of a heart attack, or another kind of heart event.
⭕ Lifestyle changes
⭕ Quitting smoking
⭕ Moving more
⭕ Exercise – just 30 minutes of moderate activity a day can reduce your risk of CAD
⭕ Making heart - healthy eating and drinking choices - heavy drinking (eg: alcohol) or binge drinking can increase your risk of heart disease and a heart healthy diet provides your body with the best possible nutrients, as well as helping you to maintain a healthy weight.
⭕ Losing weight - being a healthy weight helps to reduce your risk of coronary artery disease.
⭕ Reducing stress level
Cardiac rehabilitation programs help to reduce the risk of cardiac heart diseases. Cardiac rehabilitation programs aim to limit the psychological and physiological stresses of CVD, reduce the risk of mortality secondary to CVD, and improve cardiovascular function to help patients achieve their highest quality of life possible.
Reference:-
https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/your-heart/heart-conditions/coronary-artery-disease
Dilini Anuradha
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