Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Close Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the wall of the arteries that supply blood to the heart called coronary arteries.
Heart tests and what they do. Echocardiogram Uses ultrasound special sound wave to create a picture of the heart. Exercise stress test Measures your heart rate while you walk on a treadmill. This helps to determine how well your heart is working when it has to pump more blood. Chest X-ray Uses x-rays to create a picture of the heart, lungs, and other organs in the chest. Cardiac catheterization Checks the inside of your arteries for blockage by inserting a thin, flexible tube through an artery in the groin, arm, or neck to reach the heart.
Coronary angiogram Monitors blockage and flow of blood through the coronary arteries. Uses X-rays to detect dye injected via cardiac catheterization. Coronary artery calcium scan A computed tomography CT scan that looks in the coronary arteries for calcium buildup and plaque. The coronary arteries supply blood, oxygen and nutrients to your heart. A buildup of plaque can narrow these arteries, decreasing blood flow to your heart. Eventually, the reduced blood flow may cause chest pain angina , shortness of breath, or other coronary artery disease signs and symptoms.
A complete blockage can cause a heart attack. Because coronary artery disease often develops over decades, you might not notice a problem until you have a significant blockage or a heart attack. But you can take steps to prevent and treat coronary artery disease. A healthy lifestyle can make a big impact. If your coronary arteries narrow, they can't supply enough oxygen-rich blood to your heart — especially when it's beating hard, such as during exercise.
At first, the decreased blood flow may not cause any symptoms. As plaque continues to build up in your coronary arteries, however, you may develop the following coronary artery disease signs and symptoms:.
Heart attack. A completely blocked coronary artery will cause a heart attack. The classic signs and symptoms of a heart attack include crushing pressure in your chest and pain in your shoulder or arm, sometimes with shortness of breath and sweating.
Women are somewhat more likely than men are to have less typical signs and symptoms of a heart attack, such as neck or jaw pain. And they may have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and nausea. If you think you're having a heart attack, immediately call or your local emergency number. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last option. If you have risk factors for coronary artery disease — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes, obesity a strong family history of heart disease — talk to your doctor.
Your doctor may want to test you for coronary artery disease, especially if you have signs or symptoms of narrowed arteries. If you have too many cholesterol particles in your blood, cholesterol may accumulate on your artery walls. Eventually, deposits called plaques may form. The deposits may narrow — or block — your arteries. These plaques can also burst, causing a blood clot to form. Coronary artery disease is thought to begin with damage or injury to the inner layer of a coronary artery, sometimes as early as childhood.
If that aneurysm breaks open, you could have a very life-threatening bleeding. How can you tell if you have atherosclerosis? Well, that's the tricky part, because often atherosclerosis doesn't cause any symptoms until you've got a blocked artery. And by then, you could already be having a heart attack or stroke. So that you don't discover the problem too late, see your doctor for regular check-ups. Also have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years before age 50, and then once a year after that.
You may need to have your blood pressure checked even more often if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, or you've already had a stroke. Although you can't reverse atherosclerosis once it starts, you can prevent it with some easy lifestyle changes. Eat a balanced diet that's high in heart-healthy fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. Stop smoking, cause that's really bad news for your arteries. If your cholesterol is high, ask your doctor whether you should take cholesterol-lowering medication. Lastly, you may also need to take aspirin or another blood-thinning drug to prevent clots from forming in your arteries. Atherosclerosis does not cause symptoms until blood flow to part of the body becomes slowed or blocked.
If the arteries supplying the heart become narrow, blood flow can slow down or stop. This can cause chest pain stable angina , shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Narrowed or blocked arteries may also cause problems in the intestines, kidneys, legs, and brain.
A health care provider will perform a physical exam and listen to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Atherosclerosis can create a whooshing or blowing sound "bruit" over an artery.
All adults over the age of 18 should have their blood pressure checked every year. More frequent measurement may be needed for those with a history of high blood pressure readings or those with risk factors for high blood pressure. Cholesterol testing is recommended in all adults. The major national guidelines differ on the suggested age to start testing.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of health problems caused by high blood pressure. You and your provider should set a blood pressure goal for you. Your provider may want you to take medicine for abnormal cholesterol levels or for high blood pressure if lifestyle changes do not work. This will depend on:. Your provider may suggest taking aspirin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries.
These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs. DO NOT take aspirin without first talking to your provider. Losing weight if you are overweight and reducing blood sugar if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes can help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
Depending on your result, you may be advised to make lifestyle changes, consider taking medication or have further tests to check for atherosclerosis and CVD. Making healthy lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of developing atherosclerosis and may help stop it getting worse.
There are not currently any treatments that can reverse atherosclerosis, but the healthy lifestyle changes suggested above may help stop it getting worse. Sometimes additional treatment to reduce the risk of problems like heart attacks and strokes may also be recommended, such as:. Page last reviewed: 02 May Next review due: 02 May Atherosclerosis arteriosclerosis.
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