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Coronary artery disease is a serious and life-threatening condition that occurs when plaque builds up in your arteries. As plaque gradually builds up, it will start to block the flow of blood to your heart. When this happens, you are at risk for stroke, blood clots, high blood pressure, heart failure, and other serious complications.
Because of the serious nature of coronary artery disease, it is important to seek treatment as quickly as possible. Signs that you have coronary artery disease include high blood pressure, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and more. The goal of treating coronary artery disease is to increase blood flow by eliminating plaque buildup and to prevent it from happening again.
There are many different medications that can help treat coronary artery disease. The goal of medications is to increase blood flow to the heart by eliminating plaque, widening your arteries, and removing clots.
Anticoagulants, such as warfarin, can keep your blood from clotting and restricting flow to the heart, which is a common side effect of coronary artery disease.
If your arteries and veins are too narrow, resulting in high blood pressure, plaque buildup, and reduced blood flow, calcium channel blockers can restore them to normal size.
Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, are often the preferred medication to treat coronary artery disease. Nitrates enlarge your blood vessels to increase blood flow to the heart, reduce plaque buildup, and lower blood pressure.
Blood pressure medications, such as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, are helpful for lowering blood pressure. This is necessary because the higher your blood pressure is, the harder your heart has to work.
Therefore, by lowering the blood, you’re making it easier for your heart to pump blood throughout the body. While these medications won’t cure coronary artery disease, they can keep it from getting worse.
If your coronary artery disease is not yet life-threatening and is a recent discovery, there is a chance that aspirin is enough to treat it. Aspirin is an over-the-counter blood thinner that can increase blood flow to the heart, reduce plaque, and prevent clots that lead to serious coronary artery disease.
Like all medications, there are unwanted side effects to drugs that treat coronary heart disease. These side effects vary from medication to medication, but they typically include the following.
When medications are not enough to reverse the course of your coronary artery disease, you will require surgery. Currently, there are two procedures that have the most success in treating this condition.
An angioplasty and stent is the most common procedure to treat coronary artery disease. During the procedure, your doctor will insert a rod through your clogged arteries to remove plaque buildup. When the arteries are clear, they will proceed to insert a stent to keep the arteries wide open. This will prevent future blockages from occurring.
Much in the same way that cities build highways to travel around them, known as bypasses, a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is where your surgeon reroutes blood flow by implanting a new coronary artery to replace the old, damaged one. CABG will allow blood to flow around any blockages and get to the heart.
Coronary artery disease is a serious, life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment. While treatment can help mitigate the effects of coronary artery disease and prolong your life, there is currently no exact cure for the condition. Surgery and medications will certainly help, but coronary artery disease is a lifelong condition that will require ongoing treatment.