Heart disease is the number one killer in the world. It is estimated that 17.9 people die from heart diseases. In Malaysia alone, heart disease is indeed the number one killer for those aged 40 and above. Taking care of heart health plays an important role in lowering risk for developing heart diseases. Most heart diseases can be stemmed from long years of unhealthy lifestyle that constantly damage the heart. In this article, we will be learning more about coronary artery disease which is one of the common forms of heart diseases.
Coronary artery disease is defined as the presence of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries located in the heart. Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of build-up plaque inside the artery. Plaque is a build-up of fatty material that causes the artery to become thickened and narrowed. In the event of coronary artery disease, the build-up plaque damages the coronary artery. This contributes to blockage of blood flow that supplies oxygen and nutrients for the heart. As time goes by, the heart sustains the damage and eventually fails to work properly.
Coronary artery disease surprisingly begins in childhood. Studies have shown that plaque formation that existed even from teenage years is likely to be present in the person’s body for the rest of their life. This means that most people will have some plaques but what makes it different from plaques in coronary artery disease is the amount of plaque that is significantly high and thick that can be seen in patients with coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is a slow developing disease which means a person usually has symptoms only when the coronary artery is severely damaged or blocked by the plaques.
Since most people do have plaques, you probably wonder what makes a person susceptible to develop coronary artery disease. Risk factors are what will determine if a person is prone to have the disease. When someone have any of the risk factors, they should understand that they are at great risk for acquiring this disease. Risk factors include high blood pressure (hypertension), high level of cholesterol (hypercholesterolaemia), history of heart diseases, old people, overweight or obesity and bad lifestyle such as smoking and low physical activity (sedentary lifestyle). If a person finds any of these risk factors is present within them, they should be worried as they are indeed at high risk for coronary artery disease.
Identifying the risk factors is the first step in tackling coronary artery disease. This is because the disease itself is actually preventable as 80% of the risk factors can be modified. Modifiable risk factors are factors that can be controlled which includes body weight, blood pressure level, blood sugar level, cholesterol level and lifestyle. This means that a person can take immediate and consistent steps to lower the risk for the disease. Below are what should be done to lower the risk for coronary artery disease:
1) Practise healthy eating habits by eating a balanced meal and opt for food low in bad fat such as trans-fat and saturated fat.
2) Seek an active lifestyle by doing regular exercise and less sitting time for a long period.
3) Get treated for hypertension and diabetes. High blood pressure and high blood sugar need to be treated by doctors. Medicines are usually needed to control these.
4) Make an effort to maintain healthy weight by engaging in a healthy lifestyle.
5) Get regular health screening. This can help identify risk for diseases and be provided with early treatment.
6) Smoking cessation is a must.
7) Learn to manage stress better and in a safe way.
8) Make sure to get good quality sleep.
Hence, there is no excuse to place blame for risk factors being the reasons behind coronary artery disease since only 20% of the non-modifiable risk factors such as older age and family history of heart diseases cannot be changed. Patients must understand the importance of controlling the 80% of the modifiable risk factors because they do have the power to do so.
A person suspected with coronary artery disease should get treated by a doctor immediately. Symptoms such as chest pain, light-headedness, nausea, pain or discomfort of the arms and shoulders and breathing difficulty should be signs of coronary artery disease. Furthermore, these also might be signs of a possible heart attack. Thus, symptoms of coronary artery disease should not be taken lightly. Getting treatment can help reduce the risk for a heart failure because coronary artery disease itself will lead to weak heart muscles if it is left untreated and possibly heart failure as the latter.
It can be concluded that risk factors can be a clue if a person is susceptible to coronary artery disease. Having risk factors does not directly mean a person will have to accept their fate of developing the disease. Instead, they should take extra steps to ensure the risk remains low.
