coronary artery disease definition of coronary artery disease in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

coronary artery disease, condition that results when the coronary arteries are narrowed or occluded, most commonly by atherosclerotic deposits of fibrous and fatty tissue. Coronary artery disease is the most common underlying cause of cardiovascular disability and death. Men are affected about four times as frequently as women; before the age of 40 the ratio is eight to one. Other predisposing factors are lack of blood supply; spasms in the coronary vessels, which cause and/or are caused by hypertension; diabetes; high cholesterol levels; adverse physical reactions to mental stress; and heavy cigarette smoking. The primary symptom is angina pectoris angina pectoris (ănjī`nə pĕk`tərĭs)
..... Click the link for more information. , a pain that radiates in the upper left quadrant of the body due to the lack of oxygen reaching the heart. A myocardial infarction myocardial infarction or heart attack is usually caused by a blockage in one of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. The blockage typically occurs when a blood clot (see thrombosis ) lodges in an area already narrowed by arteriosclerosis ; other
..... Click the link for more information. (heart attack) is precipitated when the interior passage of an artery, usually already narrowed by atherosclerosis (see arteriosclerosis arteriosclerosis (ärtĭr'ēōsklərō`sis)
..... Click the link for more information. ), is completely blocked by thrombosis thrombosis (thrŏmbō`sĭs), obstruction of an artery or vein by a blood clot (thrombus).
..... Click the link for more information. (blood clot) or arterial plaque.

Nitroglycerin, beta-blockers beta-blocker or beta-adrenergic blocking agent (bā`tə ăd'rənûr`jĭk)
..... Click the link for more information. , and calcium-channel blockers calcium-channel blocker, any of a class of drugs used in treating hypertension , angina pectoris , and certain arrhythmias . They prevent the calcium ions needed for muscle contraction from entering the cells of smooth and cardiac muscle.
..... Click the link for more information. are often used for control of angina. Aspirin, with its ability to inhibit blood clots, cholesterol-lowering drugs (e.g., simvastatin), and estrogen replacement in postmenopausal women all appear to have a protective effect against eventual heart attack. If the buildup of plaque has progressed, an invasive or surgical procedure is often necessary, although a combination of a strict low-fat diet, stress management, and exercise has been found to reverse the disease. The most common procedure is angioplasty balloon angioplasty or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, a treatment of coronary artery disease . In balloon angioplasty a balloon-tipped catheter is inserted through the skin into a blood vessel and maneuvered to the clogged portion of the artery.
..... Click the link for more information. with a balloon catheter. The use of the balloon catheter often can be complicated by cracks or weakening of the walls of the vessels and may lead to rapid reclogging of the vessel. Another procedure is coronary artery bypass surgery, which splices veins or internal mammary arteries to the affected coronary artery in order to bypass the atherosclerotic blockage and supply blood to the heart muscle. A cold laser may be used to remove atherosclerotic plaques with bursts of ultraviolet light. It does little damage to the arteries and leaves the walls of the vessels smooth, without the burning and scarring created by hot lasers. Mechanical cutting devices, called atherotomes, are sometimes to ream atherosclerotic plaque material from the vessel in a procedure called atherectomy.