Coronary Artery Disease - Research Paper Example

?Coronary Artery Disease Overview of the Disease: Coronary artery disease happens to be the most significant cause of death of people in United s. According to the records maintained by the American Heart Association, number of people in US that have some form of coronary artery disease is more than 15 million (The New York Times, 2011). Most men acquire this disease in their 40s. Women generally acquire this disease later than in 40s. There can be many reasons for an individual to acquire the coronary artery disease. It may be gained because of bad genes. People who have a family history of heart attacks are more susceptible to the disease than others. Common causes of coronary artery disease are diabetes, high level of bad cholesterol, low level of good cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, menopause, lack of sufficient exercise and smoking. Causes of Coronary Artery Disease: The most common cause of coronary artery disease is a condition known as atherosclerosis. In this condition, the walls of arteries start to thicken with the deposition of fatty material and plaque. The building up of plaque along the internal wall of arteries causes them to become narrow. The narrowing of coronary arteries slows down the flow of blood to the heart. As a result of this, the patient feels pain in the chest and may have a heart attack. Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease: In both men and women, discomfort or chest pain is the most obvious symptom of coronary artery disease. However, the symptoms are more varied in women as compared to men. Women may suffer from shortness of breath, pain in jaw or back, and nausea. Some patients are too unfortunate to seek help in time because in their cases, heart attack comes as the first and only symptom of the coronary artery disease. People, for whom heart attack is the first symptom of coronary artery disease often have insufficient flow of blood to the heart muscle. This condition is known as silent ischemia. The heart attack to such patients is also known as “silent heart attack” (WebMD, 2011). Coronary artery disease most commonly shows up in the chest pain. This is referred to as Angina. Angina shows up in heaviness, feeling of pressure, discomfort, tightness, weight, squeezing, or the feeling of burning in the chest. In order to describe the pain, most patients put their fist onto the chest. However, the patient can not exactly locate the region of pain. The chest pain is mild in the start, but becomes intense in a matter of minutes. Although it starts in the chest, Angina gradually spreads to various other parts of the body including left arm, lower jaw, neck, left shoulder, mid-back, or lower region of the right arm. Angina may cause numbness in one or more of these organs. Angina is fundamentally instigated by activities that cause the heart to do intense work. While doing more work, the heart needs increased supply of oxygen than the narrowed arteries usually do. Such activities include but are not limited to use of amphetamines or cocaine, smoking, heavy meal, strenuous exercise, or sudden emotions of fear, anger, or emotional distress. The chest pain is of two types as discussed below: 1. Atypical chest pain – is sharp and quick. It occurs and goes. The patient may feel pain in the left side of the chest, back, arm, or abdomen. This type of pain is not related to exercise, and is also not relieved by medicines or rest. This type of chest pain is more common among women than men. 2. Typical chest pain – makes one feel heavy. The patient feels like someone is squeezing him/her. It is mostly felt under sternum i.e. the breast bone. Typical chest pain occurs with emotion or activity. Adequate rest helps relieve the pain. A medicine called nitroglycerin also helps relieve the pain. In a vast majority of cases, women seek clinical help later as compared to men. Women tend not to bother others or tend to ignore the pain until it becomes unbearably severe. However, to be safe is better than to be sorry. Therefore, medical help should be taken whenever the aforementioned symptoms last for 5 minutes of more (WebMD, 2011). Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease: “The diagnosis of heart disease begins with obtaining a history that the potential for coronary artery disease exists” (MedicineNET, 2011). Coronary artery disease may be diagnosed with the help of many tests. Most doctors ask the patient to undergo several tests before confirming that he/she is suffering from the coronary artery disease. Some of the tests commonly undertaken to diagnose the disease include electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, coronary angiography, exercise stress test, nuclear scan, electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT), and magnetic resonance angiography (The New York Times, 2011). Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease: The first and foremost step of treatment for any patient of coronary artery disease is an altogether change in the lifestyle. One may not at all require any medication to cure the disease. Quitting smoking, regular workout, and healthy diet retard and eventually eradicate the disease, and improve the health. Healthy lifestyle is the ultimate solution to the coronary artery disease. However, patients that are prescribed medicines must take them regularly as prescribed by the physician. This prevents heart attacks in the future. In order to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease in the future, the best thing a smoker can do is to leave smoking. Smoking increases the likelihood of disease by 2 to 3 times. The patient should eat fresh fruits, whole grains and vegetables. Foods low in trans fat, cholesterol, and saturated fat should be totally avoided and the consumption of salt should be limited. Foods like fish which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are a good choice. Some of the medicines commonly prescribed to cure coronary artery disease are ACE inhibitors which regulate the high blood pressure, antiplatelet drugs which serve as blood thinners and reduce the number, size and development of blood clots in the blood, and beta-blockers that regulate the patient’s blood pressure, lower the heart rate and use of oxygen by the heart. In order to reduce strain on the heart and relax the arteries, the patient may be given calcium channel blockers. Diuretics help decrease the blood pressure. Chest pain is cured with nitroglycerin which also improves the supply of blood to heart. Statins are prescribed to reduce the cholesterol level. Occasionally, the patient is required to undergo a surgery. Minimally invasive heart surgery and coronary artery bypass surgery are commonly employed for curing coronary artery disease. Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease: Several steps can be taken to manage the symptoms of stroke or heart attack. Doctors commonly prescribe a low-dose of aspirin on daily basis. Aspirin reduces the risk of stroke. Medicines are prescribed for controlling increased levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure. For some patients, medicines do not sufficiently relieve the chest pain. For these patients, doctors suggest ways to improve the flow of blood to the heart. A potential way to achieve this is angioplasty which may or may not be accompanied with stent placement. This opens the clogged coronary arteries. In severe cases, the patient may be required to undergo a bypass graft surgery of the coronary artery. In addition to taking adequate medication for the prevention of coronary artery disease, the patient must develop healthy habits such as consuming food of increased nutritional value and decreased cholesterol level, abstinence from smoking, and regular exercise and work out. References: MedicineNet. (2011). Heart Disease. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_disease/page2.htm. The New York Times. (2011). Coronary Heart Disease. Retrieved from http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/coronary-heart-disease/overview.html. WebMD. (2011). Heart Disease Health Center. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/coronary-artery-disease-symptoms. Read More