Some Important Facts about Coronary Heart Disease
You have probably heard a lot of people fear coronary artery disease or simply heart disease. What happens in heart disease is that the arteries harden and become unable to expand because of the deposition of fat in their walls. These fat deposits are called plaques or atheromas. This plaque does not only harden the arteries but it also causes a blockage in the pathway of blood causing inadequate supply to the heart.
Fat deposits in arteries are very dangerous. Aside from the fact that these arteries should not be present in the arteries, these deposits also cause a disturbance in the heart’s normal functioning. The blood vessels with fat deposits are narrowed. It also causes hardening that inhibits the normal elastic function of the vessels. It causes decreased blood flow to the heart which results in chest pain called angina.
Angina happens because not enough oxygen reaches the heart muscles. Muscles are aerobic, which means that it needs oxygen to work properly. When muscles work without an adequate oxygen supply, lactic acid is formed. The lactic acid will cause muscle fatigue then eventually pain. Angina is very painful because it feels like as if your chest is squeezed. Angina isnt limited to your chest because the pain radiates to several parts of the body such as jaws, back, and shoulders.
A heart attack occurs after angina. The heart ceases to function because its muscles did not receive much oxygen. Certain muscles in the heart have died because of the inadequate supply of oxygen and therefore the remaining muscles have to compensate for the loss. Compensation gives extra workload and fatigue, causing it to stop.
What causes coronary artery disease? That is probably the question that is in your mind right now. Actually, a lot of risk factors can be associated to heart disease. If one of your family members is diagnosed with coronary artery disease, your risk of having it is greater. If you are also a chain smoker or you often inhale second-hand smoke, you will also have a higher chance of developing coronary artery disease.
Being inactive and just sitting or sleeping all day will also bring you more risk for heart disease. Activity is required to keep your muscles strong and functioning. Just like working out, your heart muscles need to be toned for it to become tougher and work a lot better than it used to.
Those who are overweight need to drop those extra pounds because they are also at risk for developing heart disease. People who are overweight have too much fat in their body which causes their muscles to be weak and not toned. Fats can also form plaque in the arterial walls which causes coronary artery disease. Exercise and proper diet should therefore be their approach to prevent developing heart disease.
Major lifestyle changes have to be made in order to prevent coronary heart disease. Living an active lifestyle is important to maintain good health. Coronary artery disease is a lifetime disease. Medications will be needed for maintenance and prevention of heart attack. Although there are a lot of procedures available to treat heart disease, these are only for management and not cure.
