Coronary Artery Disease, Causes and Treatment?
There would be almost no one who wouldn’t be knowing about what the heart is or about its basic function. Without this strong muscular pump, parts of the body wouldn’t be able to receive their share of oxygen and other nutrients that help them function. However, the heart also needs the same to operate and this is done by the coronary artery (arteries though, there are two of them, the left and the right). These arteries continuously supply blood to the heart to help the muscles operate at their best.
Coronary artery disease is the condition when the arteries supplying blood to the heart are narrowed or get blocked. This causes irregularity in the blood flow to the heart and subsequently causes the functions of the heart to become impaired.
What is Coronary Artery Disease
In medical and scientific terms, the narrowing, hardening and clogging of the arteries are called Atherosclerosis. This is caused by the buildup of cholesterol and fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries. These can impair the tone and function of the arteries as well as cause imperfections in the passageway of the blood flow. What does this result in? Because the blood flow is less than optimal, when the heart’s need for oxygen increases, it can cause a heart attack whereas the standard coronary artery disease symptoms might include chest pain or angina.
Click here to learn more about the “bad” cholesterol (LDL)
Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
A general unhealthy lifestyle with a fat-rich diet can often lead to clogged arteries. Even with a normal diet, some people might not be able to process fat as effectively as others. This can again lead to clogged arteries over time. Staying active and exercising regularly are good ways to make sure the risk of developing such conditions stays low.
However, other than the modifiable factors like diet, lifestyle and exercise, there are other non-modifiable factors that could be part of coronary artery disease causes. Some of these can include gender, advancing age, family history or inherited genes and race. Males tend to run a higher risk of getting affected by heart attacks due to atherosclerosis compared to females. If there have been people in your family who have suffered from this condition earlier, it is also likely that you could face the same. Getting counseled and having genetic testing done can let you know what your chances are of having the same kind of health condition.
Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease
The healthiest one is first to introduce lifestyle changes. Let go of smoking, eat more healthy foods, try to reduce stress, exercise regularly and bring your BMI (Body Mass Index) to the desired normal levels by losing weight.
Apart from that, through medication, cholesterol levels can be brought down, blood thinners could be prescribed to help improve blood flow, beta and calcium channel blockers could also be prescribed. In surgical methods, angioplasty and stent placement could be used to improve the blood flow and an artery bypass surgery can help reroute blood flow to the heart through another blood vessel in the body.
If you require assistance with your cardiovascular health, please schedule an appointment: +1 (909) 881-7400