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|  Coronary artery disease occurs when the vessels that supply blood to the heart become clogged. The lining of the blood vessels becomes clogged with fatty deposits causing the vessels to narrow. This decreases the amount of blood and oxygen that supplies the heart.
When your heart doesn’t get enough oxygen, the muscle in the heart can feel pain. This pain is known as angina. Angina pain can be a warning that you are having a heart attack or are about to have a heart attack. However, some people have symptoms other than pain which tells them they are having low blood flow to the heart. Other symptoms can include shortness of breath, feeling tired, and difficulty walking, and decreased exercise capacity.
Narrowing of the blood vessels can lead to angina or permanent heart damage which is called a heart attack. |
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| A heart attack occurs when a portion of the heart muscle dies. Every muscle in your body needs nutrients like oxygen to function. The heart muscle is very sensitive because it works to pump blood to the rest of the body all of the time. To keep your heart muscle moving, you need a constant supply of oxygen which travels in blood. When the blood vessels become clogged, less blood and oxygen can get to the heart muscle. (See angina) When the vessel is completely blocked, no blood or oxygen can get to the heart and the muscle dies. This is called a heart attack. |
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| There are many reasons people are prone to heart attacks. Some are preventable and some are not. Heart disease tends to run in families, but there isn’t anything you can do about heredity. However you can work to decrease as many of the other risks. |
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| | Other risks include:
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| | High blood pressure
Increased pressure on blood vessels makes them stiff and more likely to clog
High cholesterol
Cholesterol deposits in the walls of the blood vessels, causing them to narrow
Diabetes
High blood sugar can coat blood vessels and promoted the buildup of cholesterol and other debris
Smoking
Tobacco and nicotine cause blood vessels to become stiff
Obesity
People with obesity are more likely to have high cholesterol and diabetes which causes coronary artery disease
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| Following a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent coronary artery disease. Decreasing risk factors is a great way to start.
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| | Monitor your blood pressure
Have your blood pressure checked every year. If you have high blood pressure, take your medicine regularly and keep appointments with your doctor.
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| | Keep your total cholesterol below 200
Eating a low cholesterol diet and exercising regularly can help to reduce your cholesterol level. If you have high cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medicine to help lower your cholesterol. Your doctor may monitor your “bad cholesterol”, which is a part of your total cholesterol. Having high “bad cholesterol” is closely liked to having coronary artery disease. Your doctor will treat your “bad cholesterol” based on your risks for coronary artery disease.
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| | Do not start smoking.
If you smoke, stop right now.
Stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do for your health. If you need help stopping smoking, speak to your doctor about ways to quit smoking.
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| | Exercise regularly
Moderate exercise 30 minutes a day are a part of a healthy lifestyle. Exercise can help to reduce weight, reduce blood pressure, and improve diabetes control.
Maintain a normal body weight |
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| | Keep your diabetes under control.
Elevated blood sugar is a risk for coronary artery disease. Maintaining a normal blood sugar will help to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. |
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| If you have coronary artery disease, you should see your doctor regularly. Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat your coronary artery disease. You may be put on medications such a Beta Blockers to slow your heart so it doesn’t work as hard. You may also be put on an aspirin to help prevent your vessels from clogging. You may also be on pills to control your blood pressure and cholesterol. |
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| There are several ways to diagnose coronary artery disease. A stress test is the way most physicians begin to diagnose heart disease. In order to perform this test, the heart must be stressed, either by having the patient walk on a treadmill or by giving the patient medication to increase the heart rate. The heart is then scanned to see if there decreased blood flow from narrowed arteries. |
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| | If the stress test is positive, patients are usually sent for a coronary angiogram to confirm the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. In this test, the doctor puts dye into the coronary or heart arteries, to see if the arteries are narrowed. Blood vessels that are narrowed mean that blood has trouble getting to the heart muscle. When an artery narrows completely, the heart is deprived of blood and the muscle dies, which is known as a heart attack or myocardial infarction. |
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| 1. What I should do before a visit to my doctor.
- Identify the most important problem concerning your heart disease.
- Write down symptoms you have. Examples can be shortness of breath, feeling tired, or trouble walking or doing any other usual activities.
- Write down a list of all the medicines you are taking. Include medicines you bought over the counter and herbal supplements.
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| | 2. What I should do during my visit with the doctor.
- Tell the doctor what is bothering you most about your heart disease symptoms.
- Tell the doctor how long you have had this problem.
- Focus only on the problem you have identified.
- Ask your doctor to explain anything you don’t understand.
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| | 3. What I should do after the visit.
- Write down what you have been told is the current problem.
- Write down the treatments you and your doctor have talked about:
- Check your blood pressure;
- Keep your cholesterol under control by following the diet and exercise plan your doctor suggests;
- Do not start smoking or if you do smoke follow your doctor’s advice to help you stop;
- If you have diabetes, follow your diabetes treatment plan.
- For these treatments and any medications you are given, write down how long you are to take it, how it will help you, and what happens if you don’t take the medication or follow the treatment.
- Write down when you are to come back for your next visit or if you are to call your doctor.
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| American Heart Association: Risk Factors and Coronary Artery Disease
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What is Coronary Artery Disease?
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Asthma
Coronary Artery Disease