HELPING PEOPLE WITH HEART PROBLEMS
Coronary artery disease develops when major blood vessels that provide blood, oxygen and nutrients to your heart become damaged or contract disease. Often, cholesterol deposited as fatty plaque in your arteries and inflammation cause coronary artery disease. Plaque accumulation narrows your coronary arteries, which decreases blood flow to your heart. Eventually, this can cause chest pain, shortness of breath or other symptoms. Complete blockage can cause a heart attack.
What causes coronary artery disease?
Coronary artery disease often develops slowly over decades, and many people don’t notice any problems until they have a significant blockage or heart attack. There is much you can do to prevent and treat coronary artery disease. A healthy lifestyle can make a big difference.
Coronary artery disease usually begins with damage or injury to the inner layer of a coronary artery. This can even occur in childhood. The factors leading to this damage include:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes or insulin resistance
- Sedentary lifestyle
Once you damage the inner wall of an artery, fatty deposits tend to accumulate at the injury site. This is a condition known as atherosclerosis. If the plaque ruptures, blood cells will clump at the site to repair the artery. This clump can block the artery and lead to a heart attack.
How can you prevent coronary artery disease?
Adopting good lifestyle habits can help ease coronary artery disease and prevent it from developing in the first place. A healthy lifestyle can help keep your arteries strong and clear of plaques. For better heart health, you can:
- Quit smoking
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
- Stay physically active
- Eat a low-fat, low-salt diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Lose weight or keep a healthy weight
- Reduce and manage stress
While coronary artery disease is common and quite treatable, Dr. Irobunda and his team also treat other common heart-related medical conditions. These include but are not limited to:
- Valvular heart disease
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Congenital heart disease
- Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol, triglycerides, fat lipids in the blood)
- Pericardial Diseases
It’s never too soon nor too late to have your heart health checked. For more information, call 212.305.1467.
