What is Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the accumulation of a substance called plaque in the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries are important as they supply blood to your heart.
When the waxy-like substance plaque builds up, your arteries narrow in size and reduce blood flow to your heart muscle.
CAD can also go by these well-known terms such as Ischaemic Heart Disease, Coronary Heart Disease as well as Heart Disease.
It is important to recognise the signs and symptoms of CAD as well as manage your heart health, as blood clots could attach to the plaque on your narrow arteries, leading to a heart attack or angina; a condition where your heart receives less blood flow than needed and you can experience symptoms such as chest pain, sweating and dizziness.
People can live for years without ever having symptoms of CAD, which is why at Her Heart we advocate that you see your GP for a Heart Check.
Types of Coronary Artery Disease
CAD can be classified into different types, depending on your plaque levels and artery structure:
- Non-obstructive CAD:Â this is where the arteries have less than 50% build-up of plaque, not leading to an obstruction of blood flow.
- Obstructive CAD: when your plaque levels increase to greater than 50% in your arteries, blood flow is then considered to be obstructed.
- Coronary Microvascular Disease:Â this occurs when your coronary arteries are small (hence the term micro), therefore impeding blood flow. This condition may not necessarily be influenced by the level of plaque in your arteries.
Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
It is important to understand the causes of CAD, as the more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to develop CAD.
There are several causes of CAD with some specific female causes:
- High cholesterol levels in your blood
- High blood pressure, also known as Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Isolation and depression
- Lack of physical activity
- Excess body weight
- Menopause
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Statistics
- CAD was the leading cause of death for Australians, accounting for around 11.6% of all deaths in 2017.
- CAD is the second leading cause of death for Australian women, taking nearly 3x more women than breast cancer.
- Worldwide, it is estimated that CAD is responsible for at least one-third of deaths amongst women.
Signs & symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease
As discussed earlier, you may have no signs or symptoms of CAD for a number of years.
However, the signs and symptoms of CAD be similar to those of a heart attack, all of which require urgent medical attention:
- Chest pain
- Arm, jaw or shoulder pain
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Rapid heartbeat/feelings of a fluttery chest
- Extreme fatigue
- Nausea
- Dizziness
Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease
CAD cannot be cured, however in consultation with your cardiologist there are many changes and treatments you can embark upon in order to live a healthy and fulfilling life whilst managing your symptoms and reducing the risk of complications.
Here are some of the potential treatment options for CAD:
- Stenting: if the blood flow in your coronary artery is blocked or you continue to suffer chest pain even when taking medications, you may need a stent (a tiny tube made of mesh) placed inside your coronary artery to help it open and restore blood flow.
- See coronary artery bypass surgery in their respective sections.
- Bypass surgery:Â depending on your CAD condition, your doctor may recommend bypass surgery if you have more than one blockage in your coronary arteries or if other treatments have not yet worked.
- See Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.
- Medications: Your cardiologist or GP may recommend some medications for you to take to manage your CAD, more specific information on your medications can be found through NPS Medicinewise.
Here are some of the potential medications you may take:
- Statins: these medications help you manage high cholesterol.
- Antiplatelets: these medications are useful in preventing heart attacks as well as complications post an event.
- Blood pressure medications: these medications classes include ACE-inhibitors aiming to reduce blood pressure.
- Beta-blockers:Â beta-blockers are designed to relax your heart rate, however they can also have blood-pressure lowering effects.
- Short-acting nitrates: often used if you have chest discomfort, these medications work on relaxing your coronary arteries to allow blood flow. These medications can be available as tablets under the tongue or in a spray; often these are known as GTN.
- Lifestyle changes: some of the basic and easy everyday changes you could make to improve your lifestyle include regular exercise, eating a healthy diet as well as quitting smoking. See our section on Taking Control of Heart Health.
- Follow-up treatment: it is recommended that you continue having regular appointments with your doctors to discuss how you’re feeling and managing your CAD.
- Another great idea could be to attend a cardiac rehabilitation program to help you learn how to manage your CAD, make the appropriate lifestyle changes as well as meet other people with CAD. Click here to find out more information about cardiac rehabilitation.
What you need to know
David’s Story of losing a sister to heart disease
