Your heart is an intense physical valve that pumps 11,000 litres of blood throughout your body every day. However, the heart requires a constant flow of blood to function effectively. The heart receives this blood through three tubes known as coronary arteries.

Coronary artery disease occurs when the coronary arteries become blocked owing to cholesterol deposition (also known as atherosclerosis) within the arteries. The heart becomes depleted of oxygen and the nutrients it need to function correctly if it does not receive appropriate blood supply. Angina is a type of chest pain caused by this. A heart attack can occur when the blood supply to a segment of the heart muscle is unexpectedly cut off.

A person suffering from a heart attack will experience abrupt onset severe chest discomfort, which must be treated as soon as possible.

Who are the people who are impacted by coronary artery disease?

The most common cause of death is coronary artery disease. If you are diabetic, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, have a family member with, are stressed, or live a sedentary lifestyle, your risk of coronary artery disease increases.

How can you know if you have coronary artery disease?

It is a classic symptom of heart disease if the patient has chest discomfort or dyspnea when exerting themselves. We can proceed to further testing if there is a suspicion

•  ECG: This is a straightforward test that can aid in the diagnosis of a heart attack. In patients with stable angina, however, the ECG can be normal.
•  Echo and Doppler: This is an ultrasonography of the heart, and if one part of the heart beats mostly on Echo, it indicates coronary artery disease.
•  Stress Test (Treadmill test/ Stress echo/ Stress MPI): This test determines how the heart responds to stress, and if the results are abnormal, further testing such as coronary angiography is required to confirm the diagnosis.
•  CT coronary angiography: This is a non-invasive technique that looks like a CT scan and allows us to see all three arteries as well as any blockages. It is, however, less precise than traditional coronary angiography and is not effective in emergency conditions.
•  Coronary angiography: This is an invasive technique in which the heart is imaged using medical imaging (X-ray technology). This test produces an image of all three coronary arteries, as well as any constriction within them and their branches.

What is the best way to treat coronary artery disease?

We should help to maintain risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia once a diagnosis has been determined. We have several alternatives for treating the disease:

•  Anti-anginal drugs: These medicines treat individuals with stable anginal discomfort by reducing anginal pain.
•  Coronary Angioplasty: This is a non – invasive procedure that opens clogged coronary arteries without the need for open-heart surgery. It is frequently followed by the placement of a stent.
•  Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Also known as open-heart surgery, this procedure is performed when drugs alone are ineffective and coronary angioplasty is unable to remove all obstructions.