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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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What Is Coronary Artery Disease? Coronary artery disease (CAD), or coronary heart disease (CHD), is the most common form of heart disease. Strictly speaking, CHD is actually a result of CAD, but health professionals often use CAD and CHD interchangeably. Also known as ischemic heart disease, CAD is a condition of the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries causing impaired blood flow. In 2015, CAD affected 110 million people and resulted in 8.9 million deaths, and it makes up 15.6 percent of all deaths, making it the most common cause of death globally. Both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are causes of CAD. They are often used as though they are the same condition, though they are not the same. Arteriosclerosis is hardening of the arteries. Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, but over time, the walls in the arteries can harden, a condition commonly called hardening of the arteries. This condition not only thickens the wall of arteries but also causes stiffness and a loss of elasticity. Atherosclerosis, on the other hand, is a specific type of arteriosclerosis, that refers to the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls (plaque). While the exact cause of atherosclerosis is not known, studies indicate that atherosclerosis is a slow, complex disease that may start in childhood. It develops faster as one ages. Atherosclerosis may start when certain factors damage the inner layers of the arteries. These factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high amount of certain fats and cholesterol in the blood, and high amount of sugar in the blood due to insulin resistance or diabetes. Plaque start to build up where the arteries are damaged. Over time, the plaque causes thickening of the walls of the artery. Stiffness and a loss of elasticity may also result. An area of plaque can eventually rupture triggering a blood clot. Clots narrow the arteries even more, limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body.
People with arteriosclerosis may not have
atherosclerosis, but a patient with atherosclerosis does have arteriosclerosis.
In reality, patients often have both conditions. While atherosclerosis is often
considered a heart problem, it can actually affect arteries anywhere in the
body.
When the blood supply to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked, a serious condition called acute coronary syndromes (ACS) may occur, and it requires emergency evaluation and treatment. ACS refers to any group of clinical symptoms compatible with acute myocardial ischemia and it includes unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Unstable angina causes unexpected chest pain, and usually occurs while resting. Although this can often be relieved with oral medications like nitroglycerin, it is unstable and may progress to a heart attack, which puts one at increased risk for severe cardiac arrhythmias or cardiac arrest that could lead to sudden death. Usually more intense medical treatment or a procedure are required to treat unstable angina.
NSTEMI does not cause major changes on an
electrocardiogram (ECG). However, chemical markers in the blood indicate that
damage has occurred to the heart muscle. In NSTEMI, the blockage may be partial
or temporary, so the extent of the damage is usually relatively small. The most common symptom of CAD is angina. It may feel like pressure or squeezing in the chest. It can also be felt in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion. The pain tends to get worse with activity and go away with rest. Emotional stress can trigger the pain, too. Another symptom is shortness of breath, which occurs if CAD causes heart failure. When one has heart failure, the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Fluid builds up in the lungs, making it hard to breathe. Some patients may also have symptoms like weakness, sweating, dizziness and nausea. Date: January 10, 2019
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