Coronary Artery Disease kills more men and women in the United States each year than any other disease. It narrows the vessels that provide blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your heart muscles. Without these vessels supplying the heart muscle, portions of the heart will die.
The coronary vascular system contains 3 main arteries ? the Left Anterior Descending artery, the Circumflex artery and the Right Coronary Artery ? these arteries branch off into multiple smaller arteries that supply blood to the areas further away from the main arteries. Coronary artery disease can affect both the large vessels and the small vessels.
Coronary artery disease has many risk factors, some that you can change (being overweight, lack of exercise, smoking) some that you can control (diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol levels) and some that you can’t (age, gender, family history). Most often coronary artery disease is caused by atherosclerosis. This is a build-up of fats and other deposits that cause a plaque to form inside the blood vessels. This plaque attaches itself to the wall of the blood vessel. Soon other pieces of plaque find it and attach themselves also, creating a build-up of debris and less area for the blood to pass through.
Blood vessels usually have the ability to stretch to let more blood through, but those who suffer from coronary artery disease lose this ability. Then when plaque build up inside the vessels is added in when the heart really needs the blood, such as when you exercise it will not get it.
If your coronary artery disease mostly involves the small vessels this can lead to intermittent chest pain, also known as angina, which is usually relieved by resting/removing the stress and certain medications your doctor can prescribe. It can also lead to small areas of damaged heart muscle, which may or may not be reversible. But if your coronary artery disease involves major blockage of a large vessel or if a piece of the plaque falls off blocking the blood vessel completely this can lead to a major heart attack/heart failure.
With proper treatment, lifestyle adjustments and perhaps surgical intervention those who suffer from coronary artery disease can lead normal, happy, healthy lives. If you think that you may be at risk then you should consult your doctor immediately
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