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Medical Help for Coronary Heart Disease

Physicians who suspect coronary heart disease in their patients will focus on lifestyle changes, medication and surgery to help individuals recover from a condition that deprives the heart of blood and oxygen.

  1. Significance

    • Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. It is also regularly referred to as coronary artery disease (CAD), a condition brought on by atherosclerosis, a "hardening of the arteries."

    Identification

    • Medical help for coronary heart disease begins with diagnosis. Electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests, blood scans, angiograms, coronary catheterization, and CT scans or MRIs may be ordered.

    Prevention/Solution

    • "High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, tobacco, and secondhand smoke are risk factors associated with heart disease," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Increased exercise and avoidance of foods high in fat, cholesterol and sodium is crucial.

    Medication

    • Medications like ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure, antiplatelet drugs or aspirin to thin the blood, beta blockers to relax arteries, and statins to lower cholesterol all offer medical help for coronary heart disease.

    Surgery

    • Should these initial efforts fail to produce positive results, medical procedures like angioplasty, stenting and heart bypass will be undertaken. "Angioplasty can improve blood flow to your heart, relieve chest pain, and possibly prevent a heart attack," says the U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. "Sometimes a small mesh tube called a stent is placed in the artery to keep it open."

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