The
statistics for coronary
artery disease are alarming enough to make you worry. Are you at
risk for coronary artery disease? What exactly is this disease, what
causes it and how do you know if you are at risk or not?
What is Coronary Artery Disease & What Causes it?
Coronary
artery disease is caused by continuous buildups of plaque along the
inner walls of the artery. If there is any injury to the artery,
these plaques, which are fatty deposits made up of cellular waste
products and cholesterol, start accumulating at the site of the
injury. If this plaque breaks or bursts, blood cells immediately rush
to the site and form a clump. This clump narrows down the artery,
obstructing the blood flow to the heart. Diminished blood flow to the
heart causes the heart muscles to work harder and eventually weakens
the heart muscles contributing to abnormal
heart rhythm or arrhythmia. If the artery gets completely
blocked, it will cut off the blood supply to the heart. This can
cause a heart
attack.
The first group of options is to "Reduce the risk factors" of Coronary Artery Disease which is mainly intended for patients who are at no immediate risk. This type of treatments includes making lifestyle changes. Patients who are at risk may be required to stop smoking, modify their diet to include low fat, low salt and low cholesterol foods and to keep the blood pressure in check. Physicians may also recommend exercising more in order to maintain a healthy weight.
The
next step to control coronary
disease will be to take heart medication. Specific Heart
medication will be prescribed for the heart problem and assist
the heart in receiving more oxygen-rich blood and pumping blood more
efficiently into the body. Heart medication can include cholesterol
lowering medications, beta-blockers, nitroglycerin and more.
The
final resort will of course be surgical procedures. It can be open
heart surgery or non-invasive procedures. A common solution is an
Angioplasty,
a non-surgical procedure for heart disease patients, mainly used
to reopen blocked coronary arteries. In this procedure, the doctor
will insert a "balloon catheter" to reach the blocked
artery site at which point the balloon is inflated.
A
coronary artery bypass surgery is the next solution which is
considered a major heart surgery. When other treatment options are no
longer sufficient, the doctor may recommend a bypass in order to
improve the blood supply to the coronary heart muscle.
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