Coronary disease

Coronary disease (or coronary heart disease) refers to the failure of coronary circulation to supply adequate circulation to cardiac muscle and surrounding tissue. It is already the most common form of disease affecting the heart and an important cause of premature death in Europe, the Baltic states, Russia, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. It has been predicted that all regions of the world will be affected by 2020.^[1]

It is most commonly equated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, but coronary disease can be due to other causes, such as coronary vasospasm.^[2] It is possible for the stenosis to be caused by the spasm.^[3]

Signs and symptoms

Coronary heart disease may be asymptomatic. If not, symptoms can include:

• Chest heaviness
• Dyspnea
• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Angina
• Myocardial infarction ^[4][5]

Causes

Coronary artery disease, the most common type of coronary disease, which has no clear etiology, has many risk factors, including smoking, radiotherapy to the chest, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.^[6]

Also, having a Type A behavior pattern, a group of personality characteristics including time urgency and competitiveness, is linked to an increased risk of coronary disease. ^[7]

Treatment

Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes that may be useful in coronary disease include.

• Weight control
• Smoking cessation
• Exercise
• Healthy diet^[8]A healthy diet would include the reduction of animal based foods and an increase in plant based foods.^[9]

Medications to treat coronary disease

• Cholesterol lowering medications, such as statins, are useful to decrease the amount of "bad" (LDL) cholesterol.
• Nitroglycerin
• ACE inhibitors, which treat hypertension and may lower the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction
• Calcium channel blockers
• Aspirin^[10]

Surgical intervention

• Angioplasty
• Stents
• Coronary artery bypass^[11]

References