Coronary artery disease develops over a period of time with plaque accumulation in the coronary arteries leading to blockages in the artery which ultimately results in heart muscles receiving less blood supply to heart muscles. Patient do not experience any complains of chest pain or dyspnea till blockage accumulation reaches 70-80% in the coronary artery. Heart attacks happens when the covering of the plaque ruptures. As the severity of the blockages increases the pressure on the inner walls of the arteries increases and chances of heart attack increases.
Blockages develop primarily due to error in diet. Eating fried food, cold food, eating non veg food, having skimmed milk, eating fruits daily etc. are primarily the diet one needs to follow. Yoga and daily walking for 30 minutes is necessary for keeping the body fit which in turn helps to avoid the heart attack. Stress management is one of the major important factor that patient needs to do in his daily life as stress in one of the major reasons that can precipitate heart attack. One should analyses the stress factors that affect his life and learn to manage them. Pranayama and meditation also helps in reducing the stress of the patient.
Patient should have complete knowledge of what are blockages and what are the factors that affect his health and what he can do to avoid risk factors and live a healthy life. Another important step patient is that medications should be taken on time. Certain medications help in keep blood thin and avoid blood aggregation and clot formation which in turn avoids heart attack. Patient should regularly get himself tested for lipid profiles, blood sugar levels etc. to ascertain his health level so that he can take preventive measures and avoid further complications. To know exact percentage of blockages one can undergo CT coronary angiography which is a non- invasive diagnostic test. Patient having heart blockages should avoid going bypass surgery as the complications are many when it comes to open heart surgery. Patient should opt for a more safer, non-invasive procedure called EECP which helps in establishing collateral circulation and improving the blood flow to the heart.