What is Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary artery disease ( CAD ) is a aesculapian stipulation where there is accumulation or buildup of brass in the coronary arteries , which add blood to the muscles of the substance . Any type of harm , disease or inflammation within these arteries leads to coronary artery disease . Coronary artery disease is a serious condition , which if not treat , can ultimately result in aheart attack .
The artery are by nature flexible and quiet in nature ; however , if there is accumulation of brass in their bulwark , then there is narrowing and inflexibility of the arteries . This leads to diminished or restricted blood menstruum and deprivation of oxygen to the ticker . As the plaque stay on to accumulate , it can snap lead in sudden cardiac death or heart attack .
Pathophysiology of Coronary Artery Disease
The buildup of plaque can bulge out from a very new age and increases as a person ’s years increases . symptom of coronary arterial blood vessel disease bulge to seem when there is a blockage in the arterial blood vessel from the accumulated memorial tablet . The memorial tablet buildup leads to inflammation of the arterial walls and increases the risk of exposure of blood clot and heart attacks . The inner wall of the arteries also become sticky from the plaque . The memorial tablet buildup also leads to development of other thing such as inflammatory cell , calcium , lipoproteins , which travel in the blood and mix with the accumulated brass in the blood vessel . extra inflammatory cells mix with cholesterol lead to increase in the memorial tablet interiorly in the arteria , which pushes the walls of the arterial blood vessel outwards . There is narrowing of the lumen of the arterial blood vessel .
Eventually , the supplying of blood line to the heart lessen , there is development of raw blood vessel from the constringe coronary artery , which transom around the occlusion to supply blood to the heart . However , if the patient is under extreme tension then even these new arterial blood vessel will not be able to furnish oxygen - productive blood line to the muscles of the heart . If the buildup of brass becomes excessive then the plaque ruptures leading to a blood clot , which can obstruct the line supply to the centre muscleman resulting in a centre onslaught . If there is any closure to a blood watercraft to the mind then it lead in an ischemic stroke . If the line vessel within the brain falling out , ( unremarkably from uncontrolled high blood pressure ) then it results in a hemorrhagic stroke .
harmonize to research , have low - dose aspirin daily helps in preventing strokes and middle attacks in people who are at peril for heart disease and for those people who are above the age of 50 long time .
Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary arteria disease is due to accidental injury , damage , or accumulation of plaque in the inside layer of the coronary arteria . Some of the causes of these are :
After there is damage to the inner wall of the artery , there is accumulation of plaque , which are nothing but fat person bank deposit made of cholesterol and cellular wastefulness products at the site of the scathe . This process is screw asatherosclerosis . When there is any breaking in a part of the memorial tablet , then platelets start to take in at this region to quicken the artery . This cluster of platelets can further block the arterial lm leading to a heart attack .
Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease
Age : As a person years so does , the risk of exposure of developing damage and pin down artery and coronary artery disease .
kin History : Having a family history of center disease or CAD increase the endangerment of coronary artery disease .
sexual urge : Men are at an increased risk for developing coronary artery disease than women . However , there is an increase in risk for CAD in women after climacteric .
Hypertension : Uncontrolled high blood air pressure causes inspissation and curing of the arteries along with narrowing of the lm of the arteria , which is nothing but coronary artery disease .
Smoking : Smoking importantly increase the risk of coronary arteria disease . Even vulnerability to used smoke increases the endangerment of coronary artery disease .
hypercholesteremia : Increased levels of blood cholesterin increase the endangerment of plaque constitution and coronary artery disease and thus coronary artery disease .
Diabetes : Diabetes also increases the risk of coronary artery disease .
Increased Stress : High emphasis levels also stimulate price to the arteries and worsens other risk factor for coronary artery disease .
Obesity : Beingoverweightworsens other jeopardy factor and indirectly increases the risk of coronary arterial blood vessel disease .
Sedentary Lifestyle : Leading a sedentary life without any exercise or forcible activity not only increases the risk of coronary arterial blood vessel disease but also the increases other risk gene of coronary artery disease .
Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease
Commonest symptom of Coronary Artery Disease is angina ( chest pain ) . Angina can be felt as pectus heaviness , ache , pressure , burning , numbness , squeezing adept , mellowness and pain . Angina can be misdiagnosed as pyrosis or indigestion . Angina is typically felt in the pectus , however , if the patient is deliver a heart onrush due to CAD , then pain can be feel or pain in the neck can radiate towards his / her sleeve , jaw , neck opening , provide shoulder , back and neck . Women experience more subtle symptom and have accompanying symptoms such as sweating , nausea , weariness and breathlessness along with angina pectoris . Other symptoms of coronary arterial blood vessel disease let in shakiness , truncation of breath , tachycardia , dizziness , helplessness , nausea and sweating .
Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease
Medical story and physical examination of the affected role are done . After which the following diagnostic test are done :
Electrocardiogram ( ECG):This test records electric signals when they travel through the center and helps in detect any problem in the electrical signals . An ECG is helpful in finding out if the patient has had a previous heart attack or if a heart attack is in onward motion .
Holter Monitor : In some patients , Holter monitoring is done where the patient wears a portable monitor for 24 hour as he / she does their day-after-day activities . This type of ECG can read some abnormality , which can suggest inadequate line flow to the heart because of coronary artery disease .
Echocardiogram : This is a form of ultrasound test where sound waves are used to generate images of the patient role ’s heart . During this tryout , the doc set which parts of the heart wall are functioning unremarkably and which are not , which gives an indication whether the patient has coronary arteria disease or not . The part of the meat , which are damaged move weakly and can be oxygen deprived , which can bespeak coronary artery disease .
Stress trial run : This is a test , which detect any changes in the heart when the patient exercises . If the patient experiences symptoms during any strong-arm activity then emphasis psychometric test is done , which involves the patient riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill while an ECG is done . Sometimes , medicament can be reach to stimulate the heart rather of exercise . tension test is also known as exercise stress test , stress EKG , practice electrocardiogram , treadmill tryout or graded exercise test .
Sometimes focus tests can be done using an echocardiogram where the doctor performs an ultrasound before and after the patient exercises on a motorcycle / salt mine . Stress test shows the performance of the philia under stress or any physical sweat which in turn helps with the diagnosis of coronary arterial blood vessel disease .
Nuclear Stress trial : This is another type of accent test , which measures the rake flow to the heart sinew at rest as well as during stress . Nuclear Stress Test is like a regular exercise stress test with the difference being that in nuclear tenseness test , there is generation of the epitome of the heart along with an ECG . A small quantity of radioactive gist is injected into the patient ’s bloodstream , which gives clear images of the heart , the chamber of the philia and the blood supply to the heart . All this information helps in finding out if the affected role has coronary artery disease or not . Nuclear Stress Test is also known as myocardial perfusion scan , thallium stress test or a radionuclide test .
Angiogram or Cardiac Catheterization : This is a type of go - ray of light test where a special dye is injected and a tv camera is used to take scene of the blood stream through the heart . The dye is injected via a catheter into the artery . The dyestuff define the stop and narrowed parts of the arteries and can be learn as x - ray images . In vitrine of an arterial block , a balloon is pushed via a catheter and inflate , so that the blood flow in the coronary arteries increase . A stent can be placed after this to keep the dilated artery open .
Heart Scan : Also cognise as coronary calcium scan , this CAT scan helps in detecting calcium deposition in the arteries , which cause narrowing of the arteries . If there is a significant amount of atomic number 20 present , then it suggest coronary artery disease .
Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease
Lifestyle Modifications : Making positive changes to one ’s life-style help a lot in preventing as well as controlling coronary arterial blood vessel disease . The habit , which need to be incorporated , admit quitting smoking and intoxicant , keep off treat foods and follow a scummy - table salt , low - trans - fat and low - sugar diet . Along with dietetic alteration , it is also important to perform some type of exercise or physical body process day by day . It can be something as elementary as walking day by day . It is also important to consult your doctor before pop out any exercise regime , especially if the patient has peril factors for mettle disease or diabetes , or already has heart disease or diabetes .
Medications : medication commonly prescribed for process coronary arterial blood vessel disease let in Empirin and statins .
Surgery : operative procedures commonly done for handling of coronary artery disease include coronary balloon angioplasty , coronary artery bypass surgery and stent position . All these procedures aid in increase the blood supplying to the heart , however , these procedures are not a remedy for coronary arterial blood vessel disease and they only help in preventing the worsening of coronary artery disease . However , it is important that patient strain to decrease his / her risk factors along with medicinal drug and surgical operation to prevent further deterioration of coronary arteria disease .
New Treatments for Coronary Artery Disease
Other unexampled innovative discourse method are being studied to keep coronary arteria disease and tenderness disease and these treatments are :
EECP ( Enhanced External Counter Pulsation):Patients brook from inveterate angina and who do not get relief from nitrate medicament or who are not a campaigner for operating theatre can gain from EECP . This is an outpatient procedure where cuff are placed on the leg , which inflate and deflate to enable an increase in the blood supply to coronary arteries .
Angiogenesis : This process consist of stem cells and other familial things that are give directly into damaged tissue of the heart or are given via vein . Angiogenesis helps in increment and development of novel blood vessel so that they can go around the block vessels and supply blood to the heart muscles .
