Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary Artery Disease Coronary artery disease is considered to be the leading killer disease in America. Coronary artery is the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart and due to repeated deposits of fatty substances on the blood vessel it gets blocked due to plaque formation. There will not be normal blood flow on the arteries leading to heart attack or stroke. This condition of plaque formation on the arteries is called arthrosclerosis causing intense blockage.

How does it happen?

Coronary artery disease does not develop overnight but it occurs as a process. A high level of cholesterol in the blood poses risk leading to the formation of plaque like matter on the blood vessel. High cholesterol can develop due to obesity, lack of exercise, wrong diet, and unhealthy food habits. Blood cholesterol has two types of lipoprotein namely Low Density Lipoprotein LDL (bad cholesterol) and High Density Lipoprotein HDL (called as good cholesterol). The piling up of plaque occurs when there is excess of LDL and also due to low level of HDL. This condition occurs due to number of factors including high blood pressure, smoking and obesity.

Gradually the blood vessel gets narrowed due to repeated deposits of cholesterol thus interrupting the normal blood flow. As a result the heart may not receive the vital nutrients like oxygen and other substances. The plague like particles would subsequently make the inner walls of the artery sticky thus facilitating other particles like calcium and lipoproteins to stick on to it thus blocking the vessel still more. To rectify this condition the artery will develop new blood vessel to restore proper blood supply to the heart. However this blood vessel may not be able to manage high input of blood at the time of stress forming blood clots leading to heart attack/ischemia or hemorrhagic stroke. Since the entire process of plaque formation takes years together, unless a person gets heart attack or stroke, it goes totally unnoticed.

Signs and Symptoms :

As the plaque like fatty deposits continue to build up on the arteries it first cuts down the oxygenated blood supply to the heart. So when the person gets stressed or doing workouts he may feel it difficult to breathe. He may develop sharp chest pain and tightness in the chest area. This sharp chest pain is called angina and it would stop within few minutes. The affected person may develop shortness of breath and subsequently he may get a heart attack.

Other symptoms of coronary artery disease are rapid heartbeat, nausea, weakness, shortness of breath and excess of sweating. During an attack, the person may get crushing pressure on his shoulder area, left arm and on his chest along with profuse sweating. Women may not get all these symptoms and sometimes they develop sharp back pain and pain on the left arm. In some cases, heart attack occurs without any symptoms.

Causes :

As said earlier, coronary artery disease develops due to accumulation of fat deposits on the artery. It occurs due to high cholesterol in blood, high blood pressure, prolonged diabetes and smoking and due to radiation therapy on the chest. Similarly this condition develops due to high level of bad cholesterol in blood or due to low level of good cholesterol.

Who are at risk?

Getting older, having family history of heart disease, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, being in the state of heightened stress or anxiety, prolonged diabetes and lack of physical exercise may contribute for developing coronary artery disease. Being overweight, having sleep apnea, having abnormal levels of C-reactive protein in blood, having increased level of homocysteine and fibrinogen also causes CAD.

Complications :

Coronary artery disease may lead to heart attack, ischemia, stroke, heart failure, chest pain and abnormal heartbeat.

Tests :

Depending on the need of the hour, your doctor will conduct many tests for detecting coronary artery disease. He will collect the medical history of the patient after checking his blood pressure. He may order of blood cholesterol test, electrocardiogram test (for detecting any heart attack), echocardiogram (for detecting any damage in the pumping activity of the heart) and stress test.

During stress test, your will asked to work on a treadmill giving artificial test and test the heart’s function during high stress level. Angiogram is a procedure in which the doctor would send a shot of dye into one of the arteries of your heart through a tiny catheter. This dye would then clearly indicate the areas of block or damage inside the artery. CT scan is also done for getting clear image of the arteries. For advanced result, Magnetic Resonance Angiography imaging test is done.

Treatment :

Variety of medications is available for treating coronary artery disease. If the condition is due to high rate of bad cholesterol in blood, then your doctor will prescribe suitable drugs for reducing LDL cholesterol and increase the HDL (good) cholesterol. Medications like niacin, statins and fibrates are given.

Aspirin is an excellent blood thinner given for preventing heart attacks. It would also prevent blood clot formation or plaque formation in the arteries. Beta blockers are prescribed for reducing blood pressure and for preventing stroke or attack. Nitroglycerin is given for reducing chest pain and ACE inhibitors are prescribed for some people for maintaining blood pressure under control.

In severe cases of coronary artery disease angioplasty is done. A lengthy tubing (catheter) is inserted into the artery of the heart through which deflated balloon is sent. This balloon is inflated inside to remove the blockage or plaque deposits on the artery. Bypass surgery is done for many people with coronary artery disease in which the surgeon would create a graft through which free flow of blood is maintained. This surgery is done for people with number of blockages in the coronary artery.

Alternative Medication :

Omega 3 fatty acid is effective for reducing the blockage in the arteries. Fish oil of salmon contains plenty of omega 3 acid and hence it is useful for reducing cholesterol in blood. Flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil is good diet for reducing blood cholesterol. Similarly garlic, barley, artichoke and oat bran is highly useful in reducing fatty deposits in blood.

Pictures of Coronary Artery Disease :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Coronary artery disease

Lifestyle Modification :

You can prevent further attacks by making small changes in your daily life and your diet. Eat healthy foods which include plenty of fruits and vegetables. If you are overweight, make all possible efforts to reduce weight. Quit smoking and practice yoga and meditation which will help in reducing stress. Do regular exercises. In case you have blood pressure you should monitor what you eat and follow the instructions of your doctor in taking right medications. The optimum blood pressure for average adult is 80/120 mm of Hg. Go for regular checkups and follow the right diet.

Every person above 30 years should monitor his level of cholesterol once in a year. If there is any discrepancy in the results consult your doctor and take suitable medications for controlling cholesterol. LDL cholesterol level should be below 130 mg/dL. If you are diabetic you need to take measures to keep it under control. Do aerobic exercises at least for 30 minutes a day you can burn more of calories.

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Peripheral Vascular Disease Peripheral Vascular Disease refers to the collection of diseases that develops on the arteries/veins found outside the heart. This is the common term referred by doctors to indicate peripheral artery disease. The major artery that supplies blood to vital organs like heart, brain, arms or legs can get either partially or completely blocked due to atherosclerosis. The blood vessel becomes narrow and constricted due to plaque like fatty deposits thereby blocking the oxygenated blood supply to vital organs. Peripheral vascular disease can be caused by diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. This disease poses potential risk for developing infections in the brain. In rare cases peripheral vascular disease can cause ulcers and gangrene and death of the cells on the arms and legs requiring amputation.

Causes :

Peripheral vascular disease is caused due to number of factors. Basically the artery of the major blood vessel gets blocked by plaque like deposits causing blockage in the normal blood flow. This occurs due to conditions like prolonged diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, infectious diseases like lupus and old age.

A person above 50 years has increased risk of developing PVD. Inflammation of blood vessels can occur due to connective tissue damage or injury due to accidents or blood clotting disorders. Surgery on the heart can affect the major artery causing damage. Smoking or prolonged use of tobacco or stressful lifestyle can cause damage to the blood vessels causing PVD. Reynaud’s disease can cause arthrosclerosis thus blocking the blood vessel.

Who are at risk?

Old age people, individuals with high cholesterol, with high blood pressure, with diabetes, with family history of arthrosclerosis, with smoking habit and obese people are prone to develop peripheral vascular disease. A person with one or more risk factors given above has increased chances of developing this disease.

Signs and Symptoms :

Most of the time peripheral vascular disease does not produce any symptoms. Some people may have rest pain when there is not enough blood supply to the extremities (arms and legs) even while they are resting. This condition is somewhat serious causing sharp pain on the feet and hands and often pain is felt during night when the person is at complete rest. Another sign of PVD is intermittent claudication. In other words the pain is felt in the form of severe cramps on the legs or arms and the pain becomes worse while doing exercises.

The extent of pain varies according to the extent of blockage inside the artery. Very often claudication pain is felt on the calf muscles of the leg while walking. The pain would subside abruptly once the person begins to rest. For some people the pain becomes intolerable that they have to stop walking or doing exercise. In addition to the above, weakness on the calf muscle, numbness on the legs/hands, changes in the color of the feet, feeling of coldness on the feet, loss of hair on the feet and formation of painful ulcers in the toes are some other symptoms.

Diagnoses :

The doctor would look for signs of peripheral vascular disease given above. He would look for change of skin color on the feet and hands and check the blood pressure on the limbs. He may order for ultrasound scan of legs or arms to check for the collection of plaque particles or fatty deposits on the artery. CT or MRI scanning is done for more severe cases.

Angiography is done for studying the blood vessels of hands and legs. In this procedure a thin long plastic tube is inserted into the groin and dye is injected into it. The surgeon would monitor the path of the dye which gives the right picture of problematic areas of artery.

Treatment :

The aim of the treatment is to give relief from the pain caused by claudication. The person should be at comfort even while walking or doing exercise. The methods of treatment include medications combined with exercises, angioplasty or surgery. Medications of anti-clotting drugs like statins are prescribed to prevent blood clotting on the extremities. For restoring the normal blood flow on the legs and arms drugs like cilostazol or Trental are given.

Aspirin is given to prevent further blood clots and to prevent heart attack. Usually the doctor starts with low dosage of aspirin and subsequently may increase the power according to the extent of peripheral vascular disease. Anti-platelet drugs are also given after bypass surgery or angioplasty. Warfarin or heparin is effective anti-coagulant drugs to prevent formation of blood clots. For individuals with high blood pressure and high cholesterol statin medications are prescribed. For boosting the physical activity of the person Pletal is given.

Angioplasty :

In this procedure, a long thin tube called catheter is inserted into the arm or groin. A balloon in deflated condition is sent through it and inflated inside the artery for widening the gap to facilitate normal blood flow. This procedure is effective for dilating the constricted arteries. Local anesthesia is given to the person with mild sedative so that he/she can stay comfort during the entire procedure. Angioplasty is highly recommended treatment for PVD since it does not require surgery. Further the person can get back to his work in a couple of days after angioplasty.

Surgery is done to the person if all methods of treatment are not useful. Bypass surgery is one in which the surgeon will bypass the route that supplies blood to the heart and create graft for facilitating good blood flow. People with lesions inside the artery or blood vessel with number of constrictions in the artery can be corrected by surgical procedure.

Pictures of Peripheral Vascular Disease :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Peripheral Vascular Disease

Healthy Lifestyle :

The person affected with PVD should make necessary changes in his lifestyle. He should not eat fat rich diet and stick on to diet that helps in lowering the blood cholesterol. Obesity can be reduced by eating balanced diet and doing regular exercise. Smoking can definitely increase the chance of getting heart attack or stroke and hence quitting smoking is the only way to prevent it.

One should follow the instructions of the doctor with respect to diet modifications and lifestyle and take medications as instructed to get maximum benefits. You can get help from physiotherapist for giving suitable exercises to the calf muscles. Exercise programs are effective in controlling claudication and rest pain.