To begin with the treatments of coronary artery disease, lifestyle modifications are a must-

· Stop smoking.
· Eat heart friendly foods, eat healthy.
· Exercise is a must. Just walking also helps.
· Do not allow yourself to be overweight or obese.
· Eliminate stress from your life.

If heart disease exists in your genes, you must start practicing these lifestyle remedies right away.

Drugs are unanimously used for treating coronary artery disease and some of the most widely used drugs are:

· Aspirin: Aspirin acts as a blood thinner and is usually recommended by doctors. These drugs usually help in reducing the tendency of frequent blood clotting that can help in preventing the obstruction of the coronary arteries. If a patient has suffered from a heart attack earlier on, Aspirin can help in preventing further attacks. However, Aspirin might not be suitable for all patients and proper guidance is a must before using the drug.
· Cholesterol-modifying drugs: These drugs help in decreasing the kevel of cholesterol in our blood and particularly the low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol, which is the bad one. By decreasing the levels, these drugs actually help in preventing the deposit of the primary materials in our coronary arteries. If the doctor prescribes drugs to boost the high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol, it can also be very helpful.
· Nitroglycerin: This medicine is available in the form of tablets, patches and sprays and can be used for reducing chest pain caused due to the opening up of the coronary arteries and reducing the heart’s blood demand.
· Beta blockers: These drugs are used for slowing the heart rate and also decreasing the blood pressure that in turn decreases the heart’s oxygen requirement. If the patient has already suffered from a heart attack in the past, beta blockers can reduce the chances of having any further attacks.
· Calcium channel blockers: These drugs help in relaxing the muscles surrounding the coronary arteries and also help in opening the vessels up, thus increasing the flow of blood to the heart. These medications further help in regulating the blood pressure levels.
· Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: These medications help in decreasing the blood pressure levels and might as well help in preventing the progression of the coronary artery disease. These drugs also help in reducing the chances of heart attacks in patients who have already had an attack.

When these medications fail to improve the patient’s condition, more aggressive methods of treatment become essential, such as surgeries. The surgical procedures include:

· Angioplasty and Percutaneous coronary revascularization.
· Coronary artery bypass surgery.

Palpitations are also very common amongst patients suffering from coronary heart disease. Heart palpitations are usually caused due to irregular or usually harder heartbeats than normal. However, it must be noted that heart palpitations must not be linked with coronary heart diseases every time. Palpitations are very common when one is tensed or afraid or when one has exercised. These are certain occasions where you need not worry. Nevertheless, you can always get yourself checked if the palpitations last longer than usual.

Heart failure is likely to occur with patients suffering from coronary heart disease. The heart tends to become very weak to properly pump blood throughout the body, thus causing fluid to develop in our lungs and making it very difficult for us to breathe. Heart failure can be further categorized into two types: acute heart failure (that happens suddenly) and chronic heart failure (that occurs gradually, over a considerable period of time).

Once the coronary arteries are narrowed, they fail to supply ample amount of oxygenated blood to the heart, and more so when the heart is being harder than usual. Initially, this restricted flow of blood might not cause the symptom of coronary artery disease to manifest. But when the fatty deposits tend to get accumulated in the coronary arteries for a considerable period of time, it causes coronary heart diseases.

Some of the common symptoms of coronary artery disease include:

§ Frequent Chest Pain: Chest pain or angina is very common in patients suffering from coronary artery disease. A feeling of pressure or severe tightness is experienced in the chest. This pain is usually triggered by physical or some mental stress. The pain is likely to subside after stopping the activity. Some people might as well experience this sharp pain in the arm, back or even in the abdomen.
§ Breathlessness: If the heart fails to pump ample amount of blood to satisfy the body’s basic needs, breathlessness is quite likely.
§ Heart attack: If the coronary artery is completely blocked, you might have a heart attack. The prominent symptoms of heart attack are pain in the arm or shoulder and breathlessness and perspiration. Women are more likely to experience these symptoms of heart attack than men and might as well suffer from jaw pain and/or back pain. However, heart attack might sometimes occur without showing any evident signs or symptoms.
§ Palpitations are also common.
§ Dizziness or light-headedness, followed by fainting.
§ Irregular heartbeat.
§ Exertion or weakness.

The symptoms of coronary artery disease are quite common and are easily identified as well. However, there are certain diagnostic processes involved in identifying the severity of the condition.

} Echocardiogram: An echocardiogram is carried out with the use of sound waves that produce certain images of the heart. During the process of echocardiogram, the doctor can easily determine if all the parts of the wall of your heart are contributing to the process of pumping in normal manner or not. Any abnormality or weakness of any part would be noted. If some parts are weak and do not move properly, it might indicate previous heart attack. Also this might as well be an indication of coronary artery disease or other such conditions.

} Coronary catheterization: To have a clear view of the flow of blood through the heart, the doctor injects medicated dye into arteries intravenously. This process is known as angiogram. This dye used is injected into the patient’s arteries through flexible tube, called catheter. This whole process is known as coronary catheterization. The dye would help in outlining narrow spots or blockages on X-ray images.

} Stress test: If the signs and symptoms of the disease affect the patient frequently during exercise or any such movement, the doctor might ask the patient to walk on the treadmill during the ECG. This is the process of exercise stress test. In some cases however, certain medications might as well be used instead of exercises. Stress test can also be done with the use of an echocardiogram. Also nuclear stress test is helpful in measuring the flow of blood to the heart muscles both at rest as well as during rest.

} CT scan: Computerized tomography or CT scan is an effective too for diagnosing heart disease. The technology involves the use of electron beam computerized tomography or EBCT or CT coronary angiogram that allows the doctor to have a clear view of the arteries. EBCT can also help in detecting the calcium deposits that can make the coronary arteries narrower.

} MRI or Magnetic resonance angiogram: This procedure involves the use of MRI technology, usually combined with injected contrast dye, to detect the rest of blockages.  However, this method of detection might not reveal the details clearly.

Numerous researches have been conducted for understanding the probable reasons that cause coronary heart disease. This disease is usually triggered by thickening of the coronary arterial walls and is often known as atherosclerosis. But what causes the thickening of the arterial wall is an issue that needs to be addressed.  There are certain causes that lead to the thickening of the arterial walls and these causes can be easily controlled, modified and even treated if required. But there are certain factors that cannot be controlled. Let us have a look at some of those causes of coronary heart disease:

4 Hereditary Factors: Hereditary factors can actually contribute to the development of coronary heart disease. This clearly means that a person having a past family history of coronary diseases is also likely to have the disease. Hereditary factors can actually increase the chance of the development of the disease. This is a proven fact and that’s why people say that coronary heart disease runs in the blood.
4 Age: With age, the chances of developing coronary disease also increase. This has been proved by various studies. It has been proved in theories that approximately 83% of aged people die due to coronary heart disease.
4 Sex: yet another important factor. Several studies and researches have proved that coronary heart disease is more prevalent in men than in women and men are at a greater risk as well. Men are likely to have coronary heart disease at the very earlier stages in life. However, the percentage of women dying due to coronary heart disease post-menopause is also very high, but not as high as the percentage of men.

These are the factors that you probably cannot alter. These factors, if present, can definitely lead to the development of coronary heart disease. However, there are some other contributing causes of coronary heart disease that can be altered or modified by us for our betterment. Let us have a look at some of those causes:

4 Cholesterol Levels: As the cholesterol level in the body rises, the chance of developing coronary heart disease also increases. Higher level of cholesterol means higher blood pressure levels as well and this further leads to the development of coronary heart disease. Also, an abnormal level of cholesterol can cause obesity, which is another primary factor that contributes to the development of coronary heart disease.
4 Smoking: Cigarette smoking is injurious to health and it is even harmful for our heart. It is one of the most potential contributing factors. It is also allegedly said that smokers are likely to die suddenly due to cardiac arrest and they are vulnerable to cardiac disorders than non-smokers.
4 Lack of Activity: Over time, our life has become inactive, and this is one such factor that causes coronary heart disease. Exercising regularly, staying active and developing healthy lifestyle habits can help in preventing any sort of disease from affecting you.