#2: A quick guide to coronary artery disease

This is a patient education focused blog. Below are the show notes from a podcast you can checkout on our homepage on coronary artery disease. 

Coronary artery disease impacts millions of north Americans and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The good news is with a little education, there is something you can do to help prevent developing the precursor to the heart attack.

What is it?

• Disease of the blood vessels in your heart
• Build up of fats along the vessels that feed your heart oxygen and nutrients
• Leads to blockage over time or sudden rupture that results in a downstream clog
• You end up not getting enough blood to your heart muscle, this leads to pain in your chest

What can I do to prevent heart disease?

• Start with the basics and get moving (exercise)
• Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes a day of walking (may I suggest you get a dog to walk - that's what we do)
• Start simple and work your way up, if you find 30mins to be too much work
• Focus on eating at home with your friends or family (better on your waste, wallet and soul)
• Canada has a new food guide, check it out! 
• If you have high blood pressure, take it seriously and work on managing it
• Do your best to control your diabetes
• Quit smoking - there is an ever growing number of options and incentives out there - Find out what your province can offer 
• Alcohol: A small amount of any type of alcohol (like 1 standard drink per day, 6 days a week) has shown a benefit for mortality alone due to heart attack (confusing hey?) - the long and short, it might help to have a little drink with dinner, but moderation is key

What should I talk to my healthcare provider about?

• Mention a family history of heart attack or sudden death (<45 if a male, and <55 if female)
• Ask about what your individual risk factors are
• Make sure you have your blood pressure checked at every visit
• Ask if it's time to have you fats (lipids) or sugars checked
• Ask about community resources (exercise or nutrition, or smoking cessation)
• Keep your vaccinations uptodate, this includes the flu vaccine (helps decrease the intensity and duration of the flu even in years when it is not as effective - a major stressor on your heart)

Helpful resources

• Heart disease Canada 
• Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada 
• Diabetes Canada 
• The new Canada food guide 
• Quit Smoking Canada 

References:
Wood AM, Kaptoge S, Butterworth AS, Willeit P, Warnakula S, Bolton T, et al. Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599 912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies. Lancet. 2018 Apr 14;391(10129):1513–23.

Ambrose JA, Singh M. Pathophysiology of coronary artery disease leading to acute coronary syndromes. F1000Prime Rep. 2015 Jan 14;7:08.

Libby P, Theroux P. Pathophysiology of coronary artery disease. Circulation. 2005 Jun 28;111(25):3481–8.

Grech ED. Pathophysiology and investigation of coronary artery disease. BMJ. 2003 May 10;326(7397):1027–30.

Hajar R. Coronary Heart Disease: From Mummies to 21st Century. Heart Views. 2017 Apr;18(2):68–74.

We use also use uptodate and essential evidence plus