Coronary Artery Disease

Long-term outcomes in patients with advanced coronary artery disease are better than expected

Death rates associated with patients with refractory angina, or chronic chest pain, are lower than previously considered; therefore, physicians should focus on relieving the chest pain symptoms and improving the quality of ...

Cardiology created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Job stress, unhealthy lifestyle increase risk of coronary artery disease

People with job stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than people who have job stress but lead healthy lifestyles, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). ...

Cardiology created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Estrogen levels tied to risk for sudden cardiac death in study

(HealthDay)—Higher levels of the hormone estrogen are associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death in men and women, a new study suggests.

Cardiology created May 11, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Type 1 diabetes and heart disease linked by inflammatory protein

Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes appears to increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with high blood sugar, partly by stimulating the production of calprotectin, a protein that sparks ...

Inflammatory disorders created May 07, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

When less is more: New protocol limits use of SPECT MPI

A new stress test protocol that investigates reducing the use of perfusion imaging in low risk patients undergoing SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging for possible angina symptoms was found to be diagnostically safe, revealed ...

Cardiology created May 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Antidepressants may hasten bypass recovery, study finds

(HealthDay)—Depression is relatively common in patients who undergo heart bypass surgery, and a new study finds that short-term use of antidepressants may aid patients' recovery.

Surgery created May 01, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Risk of depression influenced by quality of relationships, research says

The mantra that quality is more important than quantity is true when considering how social relationships influence depression, say U-M researchers in a new study.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Metabolic disorders predict the hardening of the arterial walls already in childhood

Metabolic disorders, such as excess abdominal fat, raised blood pressure, higher levels of insulin, glucose and triglycerides and lower levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol can be found in children as young as 6 to 8 ...

Cardiology created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Factors weighing in on long-term diabetes survival studied

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Diabetes created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Is medical therapy a better and safer choice than angioplasty

The decision to perform an invasive procedure to open clogged arteries in the heart instead of first trying medication and lifestyle changes may not reduce a patient's risk of death or of a major cardiac ...

Cardiology created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fish oil cuts heart risk for middle-aged overweight men

(Medical Xpress)—A daily dose of fish oil may be good for a healthier heart in overweight, middle-aged men, according to researchers at The University of Western Australia.

Health created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Heart surgery increases death risk for cancer survivors who had radiation

Cancer survivors who had chest radiation are nearly twice as likely to die in the years after having major heart surgery as similar patients who didn't have radiation, according to research in the American Heart Association ...

Cardiology created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Low risk with normal coronary arteries, nonobstructive CAD

(HealthDay)—Patients who experience acute chest pain, and have nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), as determined by coronary computed tomographic angiography, have similarly benign outcomes as ...

Cardiology created Apr 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Court overturns $482M patent decision against J&J

(AP)—A federal appeals court says that a Johnson & Johnson heart stent does not infringe a patent held by a doctor and inventor, overturning a $482 million decision against the company.

Other created Apr 04, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Baldness linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease

Male pattern baldness is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only if it's on the top/crown of the head, rather than at the front, finds an analysis of published evidence in the online journal BMJ Op ...

Cardiology created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Coronary artery disease (CAD; also atherosclerotic heart disease) is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease (CHD). Although CAD is the most common cause of CHD, it is not the only one.

CAD is the leading cause of death worldwide. While the symptoms and signs of coronary artery disease are noted in the advanced state of disease, most individuals with coronary artery disease show no evidence of disease for decades as the disease progresses before the first onset of symptoms, often a "sudden" heart attack, finally arises. After decades of progression, some of these atheromatous plaques may rupture and (along with the activation of the blood clotting system) start limiting blood flow to the heart muscle. The disease is the most common cause of sudden death, and is also the most common reason for death of men and women over 20 years of age. According to present trends in the United States, half of healthy 40-year-old males will develop CAD in the future, and one in three healthy 40-year-old women. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Northern Ireland is the country with the most occurrences of CAD. By contrast, the Maasai of Africa have almost no heart disease.

As the degree of coronary artery disease progresses, there may be near-complete obstruction of the lumen of the coronary artery, severely restricting the flow of oxygen-carrying blood to the myocardium. Individuals with this degree of coronary artery disease typically have suffered from one or more myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), and may have signs and symptoms of chronic coronary ischemia, including symptoms of angina at rest and flash pulmonary edema.

A distinction should be made between myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction. Ischemia means that the amount of blood supplied to the tissue is inadequate to supply the needs of the tissue. When the myocardium becomes ischemic, it does not function optimally. When large areas of the myocardium becomes ischemic, there can be impairment in the relaxation and contraction of the myocardium. If the blood flow to the tissue is improved, myocardial ischemia can be reversed. Infarction means that the tissue has undergone irreversible death due to lack of sufficient oxygen-rich blood.

An individual may develop a rupture of an atheromatous plaque at any stage of the spectrum of coronary artery disease. The acute rupture of a plaque may lead to an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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