Epidemiology of Coronary Artery Disease

Epidemiology of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Coronary Artery Disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S. CAD is a form of heart disease. It affects the cardiovascular system, which includes: the heart, blood vessels, and blood. It is caused by a buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart. When plaque builds up in these arteries, it diminishes the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the heart because the pathway has been narrowed. So, the blood does not flow as easily as it should.

Major risk factors include unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, diabetes, obesity, older age, and family history. These factors can lead to the damage of the coronary arteries, which is where the plaque may build up narrowing the arteries, thereby reducing the flow of oxygen to the heart.

CAD may or may not present with symptoms. One may not know they have CAD until they present with symptoms of a heart attack. Symptoms of CAD include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, or heart attack.

When heart muscle cells are damaged, they release cardiac enzymes into the bloodstream. Measuring these enzymes is one of the methods for diagnosing myocardial infarctions or heart attacks which may occur as a result of CAD. The levels of two cardiac enzymes may be measured to determine if the heart muscle has been damaged. These enzymes are creatine kinase and troponin. If they are elevated, they may serve as indicators of damage to the heart muscle cells. Other diagnostic tools include electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, chest x-rays, cardiac catheterization, angiograms, and exercise stress tests.

Treatment of the disease includes reducing risk factors such as changing to a healthier lifestyle and making health life choices such as adopting a healthy diet, exercising, and quitting smoking. Other treatments may include taking medications such as those that lower cholesterol and blood pressure, manage diabetes, reduce plaque buildup, and prevent blood clots.

References

Explore Coronary Heart Disease (2014) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) (2013) http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/coronary_ad.htm