Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as coronary heart disease, is the leading cause of mortality in both men and women in the United States today. It has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that CAD accounted for nearly 616,000 deaths in 2011 and was responsible for 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. in the same year. 1 Coronary artery disease is a progressive disease where the major arterial vessels supplying the heart become occluded and sclerotic due to the buildup of plaque in the inner walls of the artery through a process called atherosclerosis. 2 CAD eventually leads to heart failure and a myocardial infarction (MI).
The heart is supplied with blood from its own vascular system through coronary artery circulation. The left main coronary artery and right coronary artery are the main branches arising from the aorta supplying the left and right sides of the heart respectively.3 The plaque buildup from the disease causes a blockage of blood supply through these major arteries, causing irreversible tissue damage.
Three distinct layers of tissue make up the arterial walls: intima, media, and adventitia. Each layer has an important role in the regulation of blood flow throughout the body. The outermost layer of the arterial wall is the adventitia. This is composed of connective tissue cells and elastic components. The middle layer, or media, contains contractile smooth muscle tissue. This layer enables the lumen to dilate or constrict for ease of blood flow during activity. Lastly, the innermost layer is the intima, which is composed of a single layer of endothelial cells. Because the intima is one cell layer thick, it is vulnerable to injury from shear stress. Healthy endothelial cells he...
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...tension. An increase in blood pressure causes the heart to work harder to pump blood. This causes injury to the intimal layer of the artery, thus increasing the chances of atherosclerosis. 4
Lastly, physical inactivity increases the likelihood of developing CAD as well. Being physically inactive significantly increases the chances of developing hypertension, obesity, and type II diabetes. Inactivity leads to poor autonomic control of the body. Therefore, the body’s sympathetic drive is increased, which significantly increases blood pressure eventually causing damage to the arterial walls. Poor insulin sensitivity is developed as well, initiating the onset of type II diabetes. Ultimately, inactivity causes obesity. Obesity alone can lead to coronary artery disease because the heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body due to excess weight.
Coronary artery disease is a heart disease characterized by narrow arteries and restricted blood flow in arteries and is the major cause of morbidity and mortality globally.[1] According to WHO estimation, 6.8% in men and 5.3% in women are affected globally.[2-4] Cardiovascular disease account for 29% of all deaths in Canada; of all the cardiovascular death, 54% and 23% was due to ischemic heart disease and heart attack, respectively. The total costs for heart disease and stroke were more than $20.9 billion every year. [5,6] With more than 1 artery impacted, multivessel coronary artery disease is more complex and more likely accompanied by other comorbidities including diabetes or high blood pressure; multivessel coronary artery disease usually is more difficult to deal with, has worse prognosis and cost more compared with single coronary artery disease. [7]
O’Rourke [13] describes the pulse wave shape as: “A sharp upstroke, straight rise to the first systolic peak, and near-exponential pressure decay in the late diastole.” Arteries are compliant structures, which buffer the pressure change resulting from the pumping action of the heart. The arteries function by expanding and absorbing energy during systole (contraction of the cardiac muscle) and release this energy by recoiling during diastole (relaxation of the cardiac muscle). This function produces a smooth pulse wave comprising a sharp rise and gradual decay of the wave as seen in Figure 5. As the arteries age, they become less compliant and do not buffer the pressure change to the full extent. This results in an increase in systolic pressure and a decrease in diastolic pressure.
•Tunica Media - the middle layer of the walls of arteries and veins. It is composed of smooth muscle and elastic fibres. This layer is thicker in arteries than in veins. Its function is to help in the increasing and decreasing in calibre of the artery.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of multifactorial chronic heart disease. It is a consequence of plaque buildup in coronary arteries. The arterial blood vessels, which begin out smooth and elastic become narrow and rigid, curtailing blood flow resulting in deprived of oxygen and nutrients to the heart [1].
Like any other organs in our body, the heart needs a supply of blood and oxygen, and coronary arteries supply them. There are two main coronary arteries, the left coronary artery, and the right coronary artery. They branch off the main artery of the body, the aorta. The right coronary artery circles the right side and goes to the back of the heart....
1) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)/Coronary Heart Disease (CHD): In the United States, CAD accounts for one death every minute making it a leading cause of death (Kones, 2011). Individuals at risk for CAD include those with modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Non-modifiable risk factors for CAD include: age, race, family history. Modifiable risk factors include: hypertension, obesity, smoking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and minimal to no physical exercise. If untreated, CAD can lead to heart failure (Kones, 2011). Individuals with CAD may present to their primary care providers with symptoms such as: angina, shortness of breath, indigestion/heartburn, and dyspnea on exertion. Individuals develop CAD when plaque obstructs the coronary arteries
Our heart is encircled by blood vessels. These blood vessels are called coronary arteries. They originate in the aorta and supply the heart muscle with oxygen rich blood. Coronary arteries consist of Right Coronary Artery, that branches into Marginal RCA and Posterior Descending Artery, and Left Main Coronary Artery, which branches into Left Circumflex, Marginal LCA and Left Anterior Descending Artery.
Hyperlipidemia or increased cholesterol builds up causing narrowing in the arteries, which reduces oxygen rich blood flow to the heart and tissues, also increasing the risk for myocardial infarction. Obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, and therefore increasing
Coronary heart disease is defined by the hardening of the epicardial coronary arteries. The buildup of plaque in the arteries slowly narrows the coronary artery lumen. In order to better understand the physiology of the disease, it is important to first know the basic anatomy of the human heart. The aorta, located in the superior region of the heart, branches off into two main coronary blood vessels, otherwise known as arteries. The arteries are located on the left and right side of the heart and span its surface. They subsequently branch off into smaller arteries which supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart (Texas Heart Institute, 2013). Therefore, the narrowing of these arteries due to plaque buildup significantly impairs blood flow throughout the heart.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. 13 million people are affected by this disease. CHD is also called Hardening of the Arteries, CAD. CHD is cause by the build-up of plaque in the arteries that connect to the heart. The build-up is caused by fat materials and other substances that form plaque. The plaque builds-up on the wall of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries are responsible of the blood flow and oxygen that gets to the heart. The build-up of the fat materials causes the arteries to get narrow, this results in the blood flow and oxygen to the heart to slow down or even stop.
Through the examination, it was evident that the tissues within the heart varied significantly in thickness and size. We were able to insert our fingers through the blood vessels. By doing so, we were able to identify whether the vessel was an artery or vein. The artery of the heart was much thicker and bigger than the veins, this was because the arteries were responsible for transferring oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body, which requires great strength. The heart itself created pressure differences that helped blood to flow from high to low pressure. The artery pumped blood at high pressure so that it could travel to all the body parts. The thick walls of the arteries were needed to withstand the high pressure coming from the heart. The blood returned to the heart through veins, and because of the lower pressure, the walls of the veins were
Coronary Artery disease is when plaque builds up in the arteries around the heart, which can cause a heart attack. Coronary Artery disease is also one of the leading causes of death of in the United States. Many different medical places are trying to come up with a resolution to this disease, however there are only temporary fixes. The United States is spending a major amount of money to try and find a solution. There are many different symptoms include chest pressure or pain, shortness of breath, pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder, pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back, and feeling weak, light headed, or nauseous. There are several ways to prevent Coronary Artery disease such as not smoking, or to have more exercise in a person lifestyle. Anything healthy a person can do will help prevent Coronary Artery disease, not only will the person feel better but their body will thank them later. Coronary Artery disease is a very serious disease that should be taken very seriously, millions of Americans are affected every year.
In United States, according to American Heart Association, Cardiovascular disease also called Heart Disease is number one cause of death in United States. There are different types of heart disease and one of them is Coronary Heart disease or Coronary Artery Disease/CAD. Coronary Artery disease or CAD is the most common type of heart disease for both men and women. It is unannounced and can be a silent killer. CAD is mostly can be from damaged or diseased arteries. Some conditions, habits, or traits may increase the risk of CAD and the more problem shows, th...
This is a high risk factor because physical activity has many positive effects on the body, such as helping to prevent insulin resistance, it helps build heart muscles, lowers systolic pressure, and it gets the blood going. Low potassium and low calcium intake increase blood pressure because both potassium and calcium play a role in regulating blood pressure. So without the two, blood pressure is not regulated properly. These things over time can accumulate to the formation of Primary hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be caused by and previous disease that a patient that can lead them to develop high blood pressure. Disease such as those that affects the any body systems that helps with the regulations of blood pressure. To two most common diseases that can affect blood pressure is kidney disease and congenital heart defect. The kidney has a big role when it comes to regulating blood pressure and salt levels. If the kidneys aren’t able to function properly, it the regulation of salt to be done incorrectly and the blood will not be filtered. This will lead to the blood carrying a lot of extra substance with it that aren’t in use while adding new substances that is needed