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CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: AN OVERVIEW AND EVALUATION

Coronary artery disease generally refers to the buildup of cholesterol in the inside layers of the arteries (Parmar, 2003). This buildup slowly narrows the flow of blood through the vessel, and the muscle it supplies then does not get enough blood. The plaque weakens the wall of the arteries. A crack may develop in the plaque and a blood clot may form --- this is the mechanism of most heart attacks that people experience. The totality of the disease process is called "arteriosclerosis", or more commonly "hardening of the arteries".

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (2004) reports that Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in America. It is estimated that about 12.6 million Americans currently suffer from CAD and that about 1.1. million yearly experience a heart attack related to CAD; of these people, about 515,000 die. The incidence of CAD is lower in Asian countries, particularly Japan, where diets are low in saturated fat and cholesterol (Hori, Hayano, Monou, Kimura, Tsuboi, Kamiya & Kobayashi, 2003).

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the nature of CAD, delineated and discussing its causes, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment. The paper ends with the formulation of conclusions about CAD based on the reviewed material.

Kaminsky, Whaley and Brubaker (2002) report that CAD occurs, to at least some degree, as a function of genetics and aging with the lifetime risk of developing the problem after age 40 years being about 49 percent for males and 32 percent for females. However, there are several factors that can either inhibit the process or accelerate it. According to the authors, the factors that increase risk for the development of CAD include: smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle.

Clearly, some of the factors that place a person at risk are uncontroll...

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CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:06, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702716.html