The term coronary artery disease, or coronary heart disease, is used when too much plaque builds up along the walls of the arteries. This causes the arteries to harden and narrow, which leads to a condition called atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease is a risk factor in itself as it raises your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Coronary artery disease can exist without any signs or symptoms; prevention is the key. To help avoid serious illness, check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly, and if you have any coronary artery disease risk factors, take steps to control the ones you can.
Age, Gender and Genetics
Once you reach 40 if you are male or 45 if you are female, your risk for coronary artery disease rises. Men are more likely to have this condition than women. If you have family members with this disease, you are more prone to develop it yourself. Some people are even born predisposed, as their bodies may make too much cholesterol. However, even if you have some or all of these uncontrollable risk factors, it does not mean that you will automatically develop this condition. There are lifestyle choices and medications that can help to lower your risk and possibly prevent coronary artery disease altogether.
High Cholesterol Levels
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the more risk factors you have for coronary artery disease, the greater your chances of developing this condition. One of the primary controllable risk factors is too much cholesterol in the bloodstream. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is produced by your body and is found in food. Your body needs some cholesterol to function normally. However, if you have more cholesterol circulating in your blood than you need, the excess may begin to stick to your artery walls. This leads to a buildup of plaque and coronary artery disease. This situation restricts the amount of blood and oxygen that can get to the heart and brain. If your blood vessels are severely blocked, you can have a heart attack or stroke. The good news is that your blood cholesterol levels can be checked with a simple blood test. If they are high, you and your doctor can discuss treatment options to bring your levels down. Your doctor may suggest that you try to keep your total cholesterol levels under 150 mg/dL. She can also make recommendations for healthy levels of the different kinds of cholesterol and triglycerides.
High Blood Pressure and Smoking
Smoking can physically damage the walls of your arteries. If you have high blood pressure, it means that the blood is pushing against your artery walls with more force than normal. Your risk rises as your blood pressure becomes greater than 130/85 mmHg. The damage that smoking and high blood pressure cause can contribute to coronary artery disease.
Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome
If you are carrying excess weight, your risk for coronary artery disease goes up as well. This is especially true if you have other risk factors and a condition known as metabolic syndrome. The American Heart Association states that the term metabolic syndrome is used to describe someone who has several risk factors for heart disease. This includes not only being overweight, but also carrying extra weight in the abdominal area, high blood pressure, being inactive, and having high cholesterol and diabetes. Your risk goes up if you are male and your abdominal area is greater than 40 inches, or female and greater than 34 inches. The good news is that losing just a small amount of weight such as 10 lb. can lower your risk.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious illness. If your blood sugar, or blood glucose, level gets too high, a lot of damage can be done to the body. It can affect your eyesight, cause nerve damage to the point you need an amputation, and put you at a higher risk of coronary artery disease. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse reports that too much glucose in the blood can cause physical damage to the nerves that control the heart and can damage the blood vessels. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in those with diabetes. Once your fasting blood sugar level reaches 100 mg/dL or higher, your risk for coronary artery disease increases. Eating healthy, getting plenty of regular exercise and controlling your blood sugar level can help you to avoid complications.
