Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, is the narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
Symptoms
Chest pain (occurs when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen)
“Heaviness” on the breast bone, and sometimes on the neck, arms, stomach or upper back
Shortness of breath and fatigue.
CAD occurs when fatty deposits form a plaque on the walls of the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis, which causes them to narrow impeding the normal flow of blood through the heart. This occlusion results in chest pain (stable angina), shortness of breath, heart attack, or other symptoms, mostly while performing physical activities.
Several factors increase the risk of CAD:
Men above 40 years of age and women after menopause
Hereditary factors, particularly if heart disease was present before age 50.
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Abnormal Cholesterol levels, particularly high levels of LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol
Metabolic Syndrome or high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, excess of body fat around the waist, and increased insulin levels.
Smoking
Chronic kidney disease or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
History of stroke or abdominal aortic aneurysm
Diagnosis
Coronary angiography/arteriography
CT angiography
Echocardiogram
Electrocardiogram
Electron beam tomography
Exercise stress test
MRI
Nuclear stress test
Treatment
The most common treatment for CAD is coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).