Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when adequate blood supply to the heart is cut off, resulting in damage to heart tissue. A blood clot in a coronary artery can cut off the blood supply to part of the heart, causing a heart attack. Heart attacks often occur when your coronary arteries are already narrowed by coronary artery disease.
Angina
Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart doesn’t get enough blood and oxygen as a result of plaque build-up. Angina usually lasts for just a few minutes and often occurs with exercise or exertion.
Hypertension/High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, causes excess pressure on arterial walls by the blood as it’s pumped by the heart. This excess pressure eventually damages your arteries. Common causes of high blood pressure are being overweight and too much salt in the diet.
Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs. The blood backs up in the veins and begins to seep into surrounding tissues. Congestive heart failure occurs when excess fluid starts to leak into the lungs, causing breathing difficulties, fatigue and weakness.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in fats in the bloodstream and in the cells. It helps to form cell membranes and serves several other important functions. However, because it cannot be dissolved in the blood, high cholesterol can contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries.
HDL
High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is the so-called “good” cholesterol because it helps to clear excess cholesterol from the arteries. The higher this number is, the better.
LDL
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol because it contributes to the buildup of deposits on artery walls. Most of the cholesterol in your blood is in the form of LDL. Dietary cholesterol found in food raises LDL cholesterol.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are composed of fatty acids and glycerol. Although different than cholesterol, they circulate in your blood. They are found in your diet and produced in your liver. When you eat a meal, your triglyceride (and glucose) levels increase significantly.
ACE Inhibitors
ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors interfere with the formation of a hormone (angiotensin II) that can constrict blood vessels. ACE inhibitors help lower blood pressure and reduce the workload on the heart, which lowers the chances of a heart attack.
Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers slow the heart rate, allowing more complete filling of the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart). They also help open or widen blood vessels in the body, which makes them especially useful in some people with certain forms of heart failure who may also have high blood pressure.
Statins
Stains are cholesterol-lowering medications aimed at lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol, lowering tryglycerides, and reducing other risk factors for heart disease.
Blood Thinners
Blood thinners are anticoagulant medications that prevent clots from forming in the blood. Blood clots can move to other parts of the body and can cause a heart attack.
Nitrates
Nitrates, which are often given in pill form under the tongue, dilate (open up) the arteries to the heart, increasing blood flow, relieving angina (chest pain), and reducing the heart’s workload.
Balloon Angioplasty
Cardiologists thread a catheter with a tiny balloon at its end through the groin or wrist to the narrowed coronary artery. Using X-rays, doctors guide the balloon to the blockage. The balloon is then inflated, compressing plaque (fatty deposits) against the artery wall to enlarge the vessel’s diameter and improve blood flow. Increasingly, stainless steel stents are placed in the artery to prevent re-narrowing.
Cardiac Catheterization
This is a diagnostic procedure similar to balloon angioplasty. A catheter is inserted through the groin until it reaches the coronary arteries. Dye is injected into the blood stream and blood flow is observed under X-ray imaging. The procedure identifies areas of narrowing and blockage in vessels that serve the heart.
Cardiac Calcium Scoring
Also called heart scans, cardiac calcium scoring is a type of CT scan that detects areas of hardening (calcification or plaque) in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Plaque deposits revealed with this form of imaging indicate the presence of coronary artery disease. The results of this test can prompt further evaluation and early treatment of heart disease.