What is coronary artery disease?
Coronary artery disease (CAD) or atherosclerosis exists when blood vessels that bring blood to the heart become obstructed. They become narrowed when fatty material, cholesterol, cellular wastes, calcium and the blood clotting material called fibrin build up on the inner lining of the arteries. These narrowed arteries decrease or cut off the oxygen supply to the heart muscle, producing chest pain (angina pectoris). If a coronary artery becomes completely blocked, that portion of heart muscle that it is feeding will die, i.e., a heart attach (myocardial infarction) will occur.
Since CAD is hard to detect in the early stages, most of us do not realize we have it. Many times it is detected when CAD has advanced to a very serious stage. The good news is that research has identified risk factors that can be modified to slow down the development of heart disease or minimize risk of another heart attack. The best way to avoid CAD is to modify these risk factors and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Research has also provided several successful treatment alternatives.
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