Coronary artery disease
hideCoronary artery disease (CAD)(or atherosclerotic heart disease) is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease (CHD), but although CAD is the most common cause of CHD, it is not the only cause.
CAD is the leading cause of death worldwide. While the symptoms and signs of coronary artery disease are noted in the advanced state of disease, most individuals with coronary artery disease show no evidence of disease for decades as the disease progresses before the first onset of symptoms, often a "sudden" heart attack, finally arises. After decades of progression, some of these atheromatous plaques may rupture and (along with the activation of the blood clotting system) start limiting blood flow to the heart muscle. The disease is the most common cause of sudden death, and is also the most common reason for death of men and women over 20 years of age. According to present trends in the United States, half of healthy 40-year-old males will develop CAD in the future, and one in three healthy 40-year-old women. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Northern Ireland is the country with the most occurrences of CAD. By contrast, the Maasai of Africa have almost no heart disease.
As the degree of coronary artery disease progresses, there may be near-complete obstruction of the lumen of the coronary artery, severely restricting the flow of oxygen-carrying blood to the myocardium. Individuals with this degree of coronary artery disease typically have suffered from one or more myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), and may have signs and symptoms of chronic coronary ischemia, including symptoms of angina at rest and flash pulmonary edema.
A distinction should be made between myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction. Ischemia means that the amount of oxygen supplied to the tissue is inadequate to supply the needs of the tissue. When the myocardium becomes ischemic, it does not function optimally. When large areas of the myocardium becomes ischemic, there can be impairment in the relaxation and contraction of the myocardium. If the blood flow to the tissue is improved, myocardial ischemia can be reversed. Infarction means that the tissue has undergone irreversible death due to lack of sufficient oxygen-rich blood.
An individual may develop a rupture of an atheromatous plaque at any stage of the spectrum of coronary artery disease. The acute rupture of a plaque may lead to an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
For more information about Coronary artery disease, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with coronary artery disease
Statins may worsen symptoms in some cardiac patients
Nov 03, 2009 |
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Although statins are widely used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular disorders, new research shows that the class of drugs may actually have negative effects on some cardiac patients. A new study presented ...
Quality improvement program increases hospitals' adherence to evidenced-based care
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Participation in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines quality improvement program significantly improves hospitals' adherence to evidence-based therapies and reduces gender- and age-related disparities ...
Heart test found safe for pre-transplant kidney patients
Oct 15, 2009 |
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A screening test that measures whether a patient's heart is healthy enough for a kidney transplant is not as dangerous as once thought, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the Am ...
Calcium scans may be effective screening tool for heart disease
Sep 30, 2009 |
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A simple, non-invasive test appears to be an effective screening tool for identifying patients with silent heart disease who are at risk for a heart attack or sudden death. Coronary artery calcium scans can be done without ...
Comprehensive cardiac CT scan may give clearer picture of significant heart disease
Sep 15, 2009 |
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A team of researchers led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) radiologists has developed a computed-tomography-based protocol that identifies both narrowing of coronary arteries and areas of myocardial ischemia - restricted ...
Cutting sodium consumption: A major public health priority
Sep 14, 2009 |
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Reducing sodium intake is a major public health priority that must be acted upon by governments and nongovernmental organizations to improve population health, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Diabetic patients require global care
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Diabetes mellitus-associated coronary artery disease (CAD) is assuming epidemic proportions, especially in western countries. Both coronary revascularization and medical management have improved tremendously over the last ...
Genes in prevention: Hopes and doubts
Aug 31, 2009 |
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At present almost every month there are papers reporting the discovery of new genetic variants that affect the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks. This is a truly exciting time for both researchers and clinicians ...
Electronic health records help cardiac patients remain healthy
Aug 07, 2009 |
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An innovative program that cut cardiac deaths by 73 percent by linking coronary artery disease patients and teams of pharmacists, nurses, primary care doctors, and cardiologists with an electronic health record also kept ...
Heart disease patients with previous blockages more likely to die
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Heart disease patients with previous atherosclerosis (fat deposits in the walls of the arteries) are more likely to die in the hospital and less likely to be treated with recommended therapies, researchers report in Circulation: Jo ...
Twin study examines associations between depression and coronary artery disease
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Major depression and coronary artery disease are only modestly related throughout an individual's lifetime, but studying how the two interact over time and in twin pairs paints a more complex picture of the associations between ...
Is there long-term brain damage after bypass surgery? More evidence puts the blame on heart disease
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Brain scientists and cardiac surgeons at Johns Hopkins have evidence from 227 heart bypass surgery patients that long-term memory losses and cognitive problems they experience are due to the underlying coronary artery disease ...
Scientists program blood stem cells to become vision cells
Jul 31, 2009 |
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University of Florida researchers were able to program bone marrow stem cells to repair damaged retinas in mice, suggesting a potential treatment for one of the most common causes of vision loss in older people.
Heart failure: Women different than men
Jul 27, 2009 |
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Striking differences in the risk factors for developing heart failure (HF) and patient prognosis exist between men and women. Men and women may also respond differently to treatment, raising concerns about whether current ...
Intensive in-hospital support doubles likelihood of smoking cessation in heart patients
Jun 22, 2009 |
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Patients admitted to hospital with coronary artery disease are twice as likely to quit smoking after receiving intensive smoking cessation support compared to minimal support, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical As ...
