What Is Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle (coronary arteries) become hardened and narrowed. The arteries harden and become narrow due to the buildup of
plaque on the inner walls or lining of the arteries (
atherosclerosis). Blood flow to the heart is reduced as plaque narrows the coronary arteries. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle.
Other names for coronary artery disease are:
- CAD
- Coronary heart disease (CHD)
- Heart disease
- Ischemic heart disease.
Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease
(see
Heart Diseases for other types of heart disease). About 13 million people in the United States have coronary artery disease. It is the number one killer of both men and women. Based on 2003 data, 685,089 people died from coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease and
stroke (another
cardiovascular disease) account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths.
Coronary heart disease statistics from 2004 indicate that the total number of adults in the United States living with coronary artery disease at that time was 24.7 million. This represented 11.5 percent of the population. Approximately 4.4 million people were hospitalized because of coronary artery disease, with the average hospital stay lasting 4.6 days.
What Are the Risk Factors?
Although coronary artery disease risk factors are not actual
causes of heart disease, they do increase a person's chances for developing coronary artery disease. The more risk factors a person has, the greater their chances are for developing coronary artery disease. Risks for coronary artery disease can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse.
Below is a list of important coronary artery disease risk factors that can be changed or minimized:
Some risk factors, such as age and family history of early coronary artery disease, cannot be changed.
(You can learn more about your risk for coronary artery disease in the next 10 years by clicking Heart Disease Risk.)
Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease symptoms usually appear when a coronary artery has narrowed to the point where blood flow to the heart is reduced. However, before this point is reached,
plaque can be building up in the arteries without causing any noticeable symptoms of coronary artery disease.
Even though many people do not have early symptoms of coronary artery disease, some people do. In this case, symptoms may include:
- Chest or arm pain or discomfort (angina)
- Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
- Dizziness
- Faster heartbeats
- Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
- Abnormal heartbeats
- Feeling very tired.
When blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart are reduced or cut off, you can develop:
- Angina. Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart is not getting enough blood.
- Heart attack. A heart attack happens when a blood clot suddenly cuts off most or all of the blood supply to part of the heart. Cells in the heart muscle that do not receive enough oxygen-carrying blood begin to die. This can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle.
Over time, coronary artery disease can weaken your heart muscle and contribute to:
- Heart failure. In heart failure, the heart is not able to pump blood to the rest of the body effectively. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. But it does mean that your heart is failing to pump blood the way that it should.
- Arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are changes in the normal rhythm of the heartbeats. Some can be quite serious.
Diagnosing Coronary Artery Disease
There is no single test used to make a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Therefore, in order to help make a coronary artery disease diagnosis, your healthcare provider will ask a number of questions, perform a physical exam to look for signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease, and recommend certain tests and/or procedures. The tests your healthcare provider recommends will be based on a number of factors.
Treatment for coronary artery disease will vary on the particular situation. Everyone diagnosed with coronary artery disease will need to undergo lifestyle changes. Depending on the severity, these may be the only changes a person needs to make. For more serious conditions, treatment may include medications or certain procedures.
The goals of coronary artery disease treatment are to:
- Relieve symptoms
- Slow or stop atherosclerosis by controlling or reducing the risk factors
- Lower the risk of blood clots, which can cause a heart attack
- Widen or bypass clogged arteries
- Reduce cardiac events.
There is an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is definitely the case with coronary artery disease -- it is largely a preventable disease. A person can lower his or her chances of developing coronary artery disease through understanding the disease and its risk factors, and then using that information to make good decisions about controlling the risk factors.
The steps for effective prevention of coronary artery disease involve:
- Knowing your risk factors
- Monitoring your health
- Knowing your family history for early coronary artery disease
- Making lifestyle changes
- Possibly taking medication (see Heart Medications).
Important lifestyle changes for preventing coronary artery disease or controlling it include:
For more information about preventing coronary artery disease, please see the following eMedTV articles:
Coronary Artery Disease in Women
Many women think coronary artery disease is a man's problem. But coronary artery disease in women is very much a woman's problem -- in fact, coronary artery disease is the number one killer of American women.
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