27 Dec Causes and Risk Factors of Coronary Heart Disease
What are the causes of coronary heart disease? This is a condition where a fatty deposits and cell proliferation build up in the arteries supplying the heart muscle and is often called “coronary artery disease”. This is the most common form of heart problems. The question is who are at risk in having this disease? What are the predisposing factors?
Coronary artery disease is much more common in older people and in males, but however, women tend to be older and sicker when they are first treated for a heart attack. What causes coronary artery disease? It occurs when some of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle become narrowed with fatty deposits which are also called as plaque. This plaque is composed of cholesterol and fats that is built up on the inner wall of the coronary arteries. If the arteries become narrowed the heart is not fully supplied with the oxygen and the other nutrients in needs. If it happens completely heart attack may occurs. The other contributing factors like diet, smoking and stress make a big difference in whether or not a person will develop heart disease.
Increasing age is one of the major risks of coronary artery disease. About 80% of the people are dying because of coronary heart disease most of them are age 65 or older. Hereditary is also a factor, if children with parents who have heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. Another thing is being a cigarette and tobacco smoker. Smokers’ risk of developing heart disease is twice that of non smokers. High blood pressure increases the workload of the heart causing it to enlarge and weaken over time. As the blood cholesterol increase, a person is more at risk in having coronary heart disease.
How can we diagnose coronary Artery disease?
The only certain way to diagnose and measure the extent of coronary artery disease is through the use of coronary angiography. If the doctor suspects a person of having the coronary heart disease, the procedure will be ordered. When the damage occurs, the body will start a healing process. Excess fatty tissues release compounds that promote this process. This healing causes plaque to build up where the arteries are damaged. This build up of plaque in the coronary arteries may start in childhood. Overtime, plaque can narrow or completely block some of your coronary arteries. This reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. Knowing the causes of coronary heart disease is very important; it will serve as the guidelines in having a healthy lifestyle. Early detection is very important. Seeking the advice of the doctor is the best thing that we can do to avoid one of the causes of heart attacks.
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