Coronary heart disease is a common term for the buildup of plaque in the heart’s arteries that could lead to heart attack. But what about coronary artery disease?
Is there a difference? Show The short answer is often no — health professionals frequently use the terms interchangeably. However, coronary heart disease , or CHD, is actually a result of coronary artery disease, or CAD, said Edward A. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., an American Heart Association volunteer who is the Leon H. Charney Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and also of the Marc and Ruti Bell Vascular Biology and Disease Program at the NYU School of Medicine. With coronary artery disease, plaque first grows within the walls of the coronary arteries until the blood flow to the heart’s muscle is limited. View an illustration of coronary arteries. This is also called ischemia. It may be chronic, narrowing of the coronary artery over time and limiting of the blood supply to part of the muscle. Or it can be acute, resulting from a sudden rupture of a plaque and formation of a thrombus or blood clot. The traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease are high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history, diabetes, smoking, being post-menopausal for women and being older than 45 for men, according to Fisher. Obesity may also be a risk factor. “Coronary artery disease begins in childhood, so that by the teenage years, there is evidence that plaques that will stay with us for life are formed in most people,” said Fisher, who is former editor of the American Heart Association journal, ATVB. “Preventive measures instituted early are thought to have greater lifetime benefits. Healthy lifestyles will delay the progression of CAD, and there is hope that CAD can be regressed before it causes CHD.” Living a healthy lifestyle that incorporates good nutrition, weight management and getting plenty of physical activity can play a big role in avoiding CAD. “Coronary artery disease is preventable,” agreed Johnny Lee, M.D., president of New York Heart Associates, and an American Heart Association volunteer. “Typical warning signs are chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations and even fatigue.” If you feel any of these symptoms, don’t delay — call 911. Coronary artery disease (CAD), or coronary heart disease, develops when the coronary arteries become too narrow or cholesterol blockages develop in the walls. The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply oxygen and blood to the heart. CAD tends to develop when cholesterol builds up on the artery walls, creating plaques. These plaques cause the arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow to the heart, or can cause inflammation in and hardening of the walls of the blood vessel. A clot can sometimes obstruct blood flow, causing serious health problems. Coronary arteries form the network of blood vessels on the surface of the heart that feeds it oxygen. If these arteries narrow, the heart may not receive enough oxygen-rich blood, especially during physical activity. CAD can sometimes lead to a heart attack. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the most common type of heart disease in the United States, where it accounts for more than 655,000 deaths every year. CAD develops as a result of injury or damage to the inner layer of a coronary artery. This damage causes fatty deposits of plaque to build up at the injury site. These deposits consist of cholesterol and other inflammatory products from cells. This buildup is called atherosclerosis. If pieces of plaque break off or rupture, platelets will cluster in the area in an attempt to repair the blood vessel. This cluster can block the artery and reduce or block blood flow, which may lead to a heart attack. Below is a 3D model of CAD, which is fully interactive. Explore the model using your mouse pad or touchscreen to understand more about CAD. CAD can lead to angina. This is a type of chest pain linked to heart disease. Angina may cause the following feelings across the chest:
Angina might also cause the following symptoms:
CAD can also lead to shortness of breath. If the heart and other organs do not receive enough oxygen, any form of exertion can become very tiring, which may cause a person to pant for air. If a plaque has ruptured, it can cause shortness of breath at rest. ComplicationsA heart attack occurs when the heart muscle does not have enough blood or oxygen, such as when a blood clot develops from plaque in one of the coronary arteries. The formation of a blood clot is called coronary thrombosis. This clot, if it is big enough, can completely stop the supply of blood to the heart in that blood vessel. Symptoms of a heart attack include:
The first symptom is usually chest pain that spreads to the neck, jaw, ears, arms, and wrists, and possibly to the shoulder blades, back, or abdomen. Symptoms can be more atypical in women. Changing position, resting, or lying down is unlikely to bring relief. The pain is often constant but may come and go. It can last from a few minutes to several hours. A heart attack is a medical emergency that can result in death or permanent heart damage. If a person is showing symptoms of a heart attack, it is vital to call emergency services immediately.
There is no cure for CAD. However, there are ways that a person can manage the condition. Treatment tends to involve making positive lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, adopting a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise. Doctors may also prescribe medications to prevent the progression of CAD. However, some people may need to undergo medical procedures. MedicationsMedications that people can take to reduce the risk or impact of CAD include:
Current guidelines recommend that people with a history of heart attack, stroke, angina, or other cardiovascular events take aspirin. This is because aspirin prevents blood clots from forming on plaque. For those who have not had a heart attack, the use of aspirin is more controversial. But, in general, doctors usually recommend aspirin if there is a high burden of plaque and a low risk of bleeding. Doctors now also recommend focusing on lifestyle strategies, such as adopting a healthy diet and getting regular moderate to intense exercise. These strategies can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. SurgerySurgical procedures can open or replace blocked arteries if they have become very narrow, or if a person’s symptoms are not responding to medications. One option is coronary bypass surgery: A surgeon will use a blood vessel from another part of the body to create a graft that bypasses the blocked artery. The graft may come from the leg, for example, or an inner chest wall artery. Another option is angioplasty and stent placement. A surgeon will insert a catheter into the narrowed part of the artery and pass a deflated balloon through the catheter to the affected area. When they inflate the balloon, it compresses the fatty deposits against the artery walls. They may leave a stent, or mesh tube, in the artery to help keep it open. On rare occasions, a person may need a heart transplant. However, this is only if the heart has severe damage and treatment is not working. Here, learn more about treating a heart attack. Controlling blood cholesterol levels can help reduce a person’s risk of CAD. To better control blood cholesterol levels, consider:
People who already have CAD should ensure that they control these factors by following the doctor’s recommendations. The following factors increase a person’s risk of developing CAD:
Some risk factors are not lifestyle-related. These may include:
Having high levels of lipoprotein(a) specifically is also linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and CAD. Here, read more about how the DASH diet can reduce the risk of CHD. A doctor can perform a physical examination, take a thorough medical history, and order a number of tests to diagnose CHD and other types of heart disease. Example of tests include:
CAD develops when coronary arteries develop cholesterol deposits in their walls. The condition causes blockages in the arteries that feed oxygen-rich blood to the heart; the arteries also stiffen and inflammation increases. CAD can be difficult to treat and may lead to a heart attack or stroke. However, people can take steps to reduce their risk of CAD by getting regular exercise, adopting a healthy diet, and avoiding or quitting tobacco. People should seek immediate medical attention if they have chest pain and breathlessness, as this could indicate a heart attack. What are the stages of coronary artery disease?Stages are defined as normal (no plaque), mild, moderate, and severe plaque. The lack of a staging system for CAD to date has stemmed from the lack of a reliable way to measure and treat heart disease risk given the current standard of cardiovascular care.
How is coronary artery disease developed?Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the wall of the arteries that supply blood to the heart (called coronary arteries). Plaque is made up of cholesterol deposits. Plaque buildup causes the inside of the arteries to narrow over time. This process is called atherosclerosis.
What are the 4 stages of atherosclerosis?Atherogenesis can be divided into five key steps, which are 1) endothelial dysfunction, 2) formation of lipid layer or fatty streak within the intima, 3) migration of leukocytes and smooth muscle cells into the vessel wall, 4) foam cell formation and 5) degradation of extracellular matrix.
What are 5 causes of coronary artery disease?Smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. ... . High blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) puts a strain on your heart and can lead to CHD. ... . High cholesterol. ... . High lipoprotein (a) ... . Lack of regular exercise. ... . Diabetes. ... . Thrombosis.. |