The most common form of death among Americans is coronary heart disease. About 13 million people get it every year. A leading cause of death among men and women, it should be properly diagnosed and treated at its early stages.
Coronary heart disease is otherwise known as coronary artery disease or CAD, as it is a condition resulting in the constriction of the coronary arteries surrounding the heart.
Research shows that over the years, fatty deposits adhere to the walls of the coronary arteries. Even before the teen years, fat starts depositing in the walls. And with time, these deposits have the tendency to thicken, ultimately constricting the arteries and resulting in coronary heart disease.
The symptoms of coronary heart disease are very similar to those exhibited by most heart disease patients. However, the most drastic symptom remains an unsuspected and unexpected cardiac arrest.
Besides this, other symptoms include chest pain; palpitations; breathlessness even when at rest or due to slight exertion; fainting; cyanosis; and a severe crushing pain which may disappear with adequate rest, but is accompanied by sweating, nausea, and light-headedness.
Women affected with coronary heart disease may also experience puffiness or fluid retention in tissues of legs, lungs, ankles, and other places, have upset stomachs, rapid heartbeats, and chronic fatigue.
The main cause of coronary heart disease remains atherosclerosis, or deposit of fatty materials. Added to this, other factors such as age, gender, genes, race, diabetes, weight, blood pressure also play a very important role.
Diagnosis mainly occurs through tests like electrocardiography tests, which examine electrical activity when the person is at rest; laboratory tests, which include blood tests; ultrasound; radiological imaging; and invasive tests, which includes insertion of catheters into the blood vessels of heart to have a closer examination, besides others.
Treatment of this disease depends on the severity of the disease and frequency of symptoms too. While a little caution and a healthy lifestyle may prevent the occurrence of this disease, heavy medication and medical surgery are required for those in the advanced stages.
Looking at the alarming number of people getting affected with coronary heart disease, it becomes mandatory to have insight into the symptoms, causal factors, prevention, and treatment.
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