When coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, oxygen-rich blood is not able to reach the heart, which, over time, can cause angina, shortness of breath or even a heart attack. Plaque, which is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances, narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow. Coronary artery disease develops when coronary arteries become damaged or diseased.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes can help prevent or slow the progression of coronary artery disease as a result of a blocked coronary artery. If you smoke, it is recommended that you quit. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and damages the linings, forcing the heart to work harder and increasing the risk for a heart attack. Also keep blood pressure and diabetes under control by frequently checking blood pressure and by keeping tight blood glucose control. Exercise can help manage weight, diabetes and blood pressure. Reducing stress and maintaining a healthy weight is an important step in helping to reduce the risk for coronary artery disease.
Diet Modification
Following a heart-healthy eating plan helps reduce high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and maintain a healthy weight. A heart-healthy diet is plentiful in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Fish is also an important part of the heart-healthy diet and should be incorporated into the diet at least twice a week.
Medicines
Medicines may be necessary to treat a blocked coronary artery if lifestyle changes are not enough to control symptoms. Cholesterol-modifying medications are used to decrease the amount of cholesterol in the blood, particularly low-density lipoprotein. Medications such as statins, niacin, fibrates and bile acid sequestrates can also be used to help increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein in the blood. Aspirin may be used as a blood thinner to help prevent obstruction of the coronary arteries. Beta blockers will slow the heart down and decrease the demand for oxygen by the heart. Nitroglycerin tables are used to open up coronary arteries and reduce the heart's demand for blood. Angiotensin-converting enzymes, or ACE, inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, or ARBs, are used to decrease blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers can be used to relax the muscles that surround the coronary arteries and help vessels to open.
Procedures
Sometimes more aggressive measures are needed to treat a blocked coronary artery. An angioplasty and stent placement -- or percutaneous coronary revascularization -- is a procedure in which a catheter is inserted into the narrowed part of the artery and a wire with a deflated balloon is passed through the catheter and inflated to compress deposits against the artery walls. Coronary artery bypass surgery or coronary artery bypass grafting can also be performed by using a vessel from another part of the body to allow blood to flow around the blocked coronary artery.
Alternative Medicine
Omega -3 fatty acids in the form of fish, fish oil, flaxseed, flaxseed oil and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, canola oil, soybeans and soybean oil, can help reduce inflammation in the body and lower blood pressure and may reduce the risk of having a heart attack.
