Symptoms Of Coronary Artery Disease

Improved Essays
Coronary artery disease (CAD) results when our body’s coronary arteries become damaged. Our coronary arteries are important because “they supply our heart with blood, oxygen, and nutrients” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). Our arteries typically get damaged because of plaque and inflammation developing inside them. “The buildup of plaque causes our arteries to become narrower and that decreases our blood flow to our heart” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). This decreased blood flow can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and other CAD symptoms. If it is not treated in time, this plaque buildup can cause a heart attack.
The cause of coronary artery disease is believed to be “the result of damage to the inner layer of a coronary artery” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). There are many different things that can cause this damage. A few include, “smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, insulin resistance, radiation therapy, and sedentary lifestyle” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). Once there is damage to the wall of the artery, atherosclerosis occurs at the damaged site. Atherosclerosis is when plaque builds up inside our arteries. “When these plaques rupture, platelets clump at the site to try and repair it” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). This clump of platelets causes a blockage in the artery and leads to a heart attack if not removed. There are three major symptoms of coronary artery disease.
…show more content…
The first symptom is chest pain. “The chest pain is typically brought about by physical or emotional stress” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). It usually only lasts a few minutes. The second symptom is shortness of breath. Since the arteries are blocked and blood flow is decreased, “there is not enough blood to supply our body’s needs and this causes us to feel out of breath more often” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). The third symptom is a heart attack. “Our coronary arteries take many years to build up with plaque and sometimes people don’t even realize it’s happening until they have a heart attack” (Coronary artery disease, 2014). A heart attack is caused from our arteries being completely blocked and no blood flow. There is no cure for coronary artery disease but there are treatments that help lower the risk of heart attacks and stroke. These treatments include lifestyle changes, medicine, and procedures. The most important step for anyone with coronary artery disease is lifestyle changes. Changing your lifestyle can slow down the disease and sometimes even stop it. These changes include “quitting smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping a healthy mental attitude” (Coronary Artery Disease-Treatment Overview, 2014). It is important to follow these recommendations in order to slow down the process of coronary artery disease. “There is a cardiac rehabilitation program that can assist anyone who is struggling making these lifestyle changes” (Coronary Artery Disease- Treatment Overview, 2014). It is also a good idea to manage any other health problems that you may have, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Make sure you are keeping these conditions under control. Another treatment option is medication. These medications are intended to lower your risk of heart attack. “These medications include Aspirin, ACE inhibitor, and statin” (Coronary Artery Disease- Treatment Overview, 2014). Aspirin helps to prevent blood clots. They recommend you take an ACE inhibitor to help lower blood pressure and reduce the workload of your heart. A statin is to help lower cholesterol. All of these medications can help lower the risk of a …show more content…
“It is most common in males 80 years of age and older” (Gillespie, 2013). “In 2009, there were 116.1 deaths from coronary artery disease per 100,000 population” (Gillespie, 2013). “The death rate was highest among African American males, 80 years of age or older, than any other racial group” (Gillespie, 2013). About 1/3 of the people diagnosed with coronary artery disease choose to have angioplasty procedure. There are approximately one million angioplasty surgeries performed each year in the United States. These procedures are popular because the low risk of this treatment. About 10% of the people diagnosed with coronary artery disease, decide to have a coronary artery bypass graft surgery. When someone has a CABG surgery, it takes longer for them to fully recover compared to if they would have had angioplasty

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A myocardial infarction is more commonly known as a heart attack. Sufferers of atherosclerosis are more likely to be the elderly, which can lead to coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of death in 2012 in the UK, killing over 64,000 people [3]. Coronary angioplasty Angioplasty is the process of surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel. To prevent deaths from atherosclerosis and to relieve angina, an operation called Coronary Angioplasty can be carried out.…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Henry Williams is a 74 year old African American male. Mr. Williams was admitted to the hospital with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mr. Williams has a past medical history of COPD, cardiovascular disease (CVD), asthma, hearing loss with use of hearing aids, hypertension (HTN), and hyperlipidemia. He smoked one pack per day for 50 years. He quit smoking about 6 years ago.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    • A heart attack (myocardial infarction). • The rupture of an aneurysm. SYMPTOMS Symptoms of this condition include: • Pain, discomfort, or tenderness…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Angina Essay

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Angina restricts oxygen to the heart for a short period of time. The pain soon subsides with rest or medicine, it will not usually cause any long-lasting damage to the heart but is often a warning sign to much more serious heart conditions. The symptoms of angina can vary from person to person and dependant on the type of angina, most symptoms are a pain or tightness in the chest, a heaviness and shortness of breath. Some people feel the pain spread to the neck and jaw and even to the back and shoulders.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cardiomyopathy Case Study

    • 1363 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Heart Attack Heart attack is the consequence and progression of worsening CAD. The coronary artery become partial of completely blocked and suddenly stop the blood flow. Without oxygen part of the heart become permanently damaged and loses its ability of contractility; resulting in scarred area or necrosis. These damage are permanent or irreversible (Mozaffarian et al., 2015).…

    • 1363 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In atherosclerosis, fatty deposits called plaque, build up on the inner wall of the coronary arteries. These fatty deposits usually develop over many years. Plaque is composed of porridge like accumulation of cholesterol and their compounds within a fibrous coat. After it builds up, the injury to the arteries signal the immune system to release white blood cells to the site. This initiates a process called the inflammatory response.…

    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This figure shows the 2 different extremes of coronary artery disease plaques that can build up in the arteries. Stenotic lesions have more compact lipid cores, with more fibrosis and calcification with thick fibrous caps. There is less enlargement due to positive remodeling in these plaques. These types produce ischemia which is treated by medical therapy and revascularization surgery for relief of symptoms. Nonstenoic lesions are the more dominant type in the body and are more common than stenoic plaques.…

    • 1681 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Emily Barbic Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women in the United States. Each year approximately 600,000 people die from these heart related diseases. Cardiovascular disease is something that can be acquired at birth or over a period of time due to genetics or lifestyle. There hundreds of different types of cardiovascular disease.…

    • 1861 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cardiovascular disease or CVD is a condition in which the blood vessels become blocked. In the United States, about 610,000 people die of heart disease every year from cardiovascular disease. It is the leading cause of death in both men and women. It is thought of as a “man’s disease” which it is not. The same amount of both men and women die from heart disease a year.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cardiovascular disease is a general term that refers to disorders of the heart involving blocked or narrowed blood vessels. When this occurs, it can lead to chest pain, heart attack, stroke, and other serious complications (Pflieger, et al., 2011, p. 819). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) can help patients suffering from this disease through proper education. Individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) who receive this focused education will demonstrate healthier behaviors and have an overall better sense of health. Patient education is a high priority in the health care industry as well as a component of the nursing process.…

    • 221 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heart failure, also known as Congestive Heart Failure, happens when the heart stops pumping as effectively and doesn’t deliver an adequate amount of oxygen and nutrients to meet the body’s needs. It can be classified as either left, right sided, or both, and may or may not cause pulmonary congestion. Hypertension, Coronary Artery disease, and valvular disease often result in heart failure. Often times, symptoms of heart failure such as shortness of breath, edema, and fatigue show up later. Heart dysfunction usually occurs, before these symptoms.…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The build-up of atherosclerotic plaque consists of a lipid-rich center surrounded by an overgrowth of smooth muscle cells, covered with a collagen-rich connective tissue cap and this plaque build-up bulges into the vessel lumen.” (Silverthorn et al., 2009 p327). The body does a good job adapting to the needs of the heart as blood flow is required to move throughout the body, the heart is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and influenced by the hormone epinephrine, both assist the body when blood delivery needs are high (Silverthorn et al., 2009 p331). However, when the build-up accumulates over a life time it can cause a series of medical problems including chest pain, blood clots, strokes and heart attacks (Ouweneel et al., p1). Early in the development of atherosclerosis there are many factors that cause the endothelium to become weak and leaky, primarily caused from a deficiency nitric oxide production (Yurdagul Jr et al., 2016 p5).…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It states that heart attack occurs when a blood clot develops from plaque in one of the arteries. Lack of oxygen to the heart can cause angina or a heart attack. The main symptoms that could exist are chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. It mentions that age, uncontrolled hypertention, high blood pressure, lack of exerices, and high blood cholesterol are the main risk factors. It gives a clear overview of coronory heart disease and how to control…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when a substance called plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. This buildup narrows the arteries…

    • 1365 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Heart Disease

    • 2836 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death for Americans. More than about 60 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease. It affects Americans everyday; about 2,600 people die everyday because of cardiovascular disease, and about 600,000 people die of heart disease every year. This creates 1 cardiovascular death in every 4 general deaths. Comparing heart diseases to another huge cause of death, cancer, this is a very scary statistic.…

    • 2836 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Superior Essays