Cardiovascular Disease - Diagnoses and Treatment - Minisite

Assessing Blood Flow

Coronary artery disease (CAD)- clogged coronary arteries - can cause angina when blood flow is restricted, or heart attack when flow is severely reduced or completely blocked. If CAD is suspected, the most common initial tests to be given are electrocardiograms (EKGs), chest X-rays, blood tests, and "stress tests". If initial tests confirm the presence of heart disease, then additional tests may be performed. These could include coronary angiograms, echocardiograms, PET scans, and myocardial perfusion scans. Read more

Restoring Blood Flow

If symptoms of atherosclerosis are severe or if a life-threatening blockage is present, aggressive measures may be taken to open up clogged vessels. In addition to angioplasty and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, endarterectomy may be performed or thrombolytic therapy given. In endarterectomy, plaques are surgically removed from the walls of the affected artery using a scalpel. Thrombolytic therapy attempts to break up the clot by inserting a clot-dissolving drug into the artery at the point where it is blocked. Read more

Prevention: Lose Weight

For many years fat cells were though to be biologically inactive, but it turns out that fat is far from inert. Fat cells secrete numerous chemicals that have been implicated in diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and other disorders and diseases, including some forms of cancer. Obese people have enormous fat cells, which are more metabolically active than normal-size fat cells and more likely to churn out harmful substances. "Apples," people who carry their fat in the abdomen, are more likely to have diabetes and heart disease than "pears," people who deposit weight on the hips and thighs. Read more

Live Well

To keep your blood vessels healthy and clear, prevention is the best medicine. Eat a diet low in saturated fats and high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. If you smoke, quit, and if you don't smoke, don't start. Have regular checkups and keep track of your cholesterol levels and blood pressure readings. Manage chronic conditions, like diabetes, that can damage blood vessels and cause heart disease if uncontrolled. Staying active is key: your body was made to move. Exercise not only reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, it also reduces stress and helps prevent many other diseases, including cancer. Read more