Physiology of Coronary Artery Disease

A multitude of risk factors combine with the physiological tendencies of coronary artery disease (CAD) to initiate an illness which worsens with age.

Identification

• CAD is brought on by the accumulation of cholesterol deposits along the inner layer of the coronary arteries. These fatty deposits may develop in childhood and continue to thicken and enlarge throughout the life span, according to The University of Virginia Health System.

Significance

• The buildup that accumulates in the arteries is called plaque. As this growth continues, it narrows and blocks coronary arteries, culminating in the condition known as atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries."

Effects

• The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is thought to begin with an injury to the vascular system that encourages growth of protective plaque. "The initial injury can be mechanical (sheer stress), biochemical (e.g., lipoproteins, tobacco), and possibly infectious (e.g., viruses, Chlamydia)," write Eric Awtry, Arjun V. Gururaj, and Melanie Maytin in the book "Blueprints in Cardiology".

Risk Factors

• Advanced age, sex (male), family history of CAD, race, smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, stress, and lack of exercise are all contributing factors in the physiology of coronary artery disease.

Result

• Plaque may break away and completely obstruct either coronary or carotid arteries, resulting in heart attack or stroke. "The shoulder region is the site where most plaques lose their integrity or rupture," according to The Cleveland Clinic.