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Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, which supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. This plaque narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle, a condition called atherosclerosis. It increases the likelihood that blood clots will form in your arteries, which can partially or completely block blood flow.
Please click here for more detailed information about sudden coronary artery disease.
Symptoms
Some people who have CAD have no signs or symptoms, called silent CAD. It may not be diagnosed until a person shows signs and symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia. When symptoms are present, they may include chest pain (angina) and shortness of breath.
Diagnosis
To diagnose coronary artery disease, your physician will conduct a physical exam, ask about your symptoms, and solicit information about your risk factors such as family history of CAD or other heart disease. Your physician may order or perform one or more of the following assessments:
Treatment
Treatments for CAD include lifestyle changes, medication therapy, medical procedures (angioplasty and stenting), surgical procedures (coronary artery bypass graft) and cardiac rehabilitation. The main goals of treatment are to reduce pain and discomfort, reduce the frequency of pain, and to prevent or lower the risk of heart attack and death by treating the underlying heart condition.
The Heart Center at Providence offers a variety of resources to diagnose and treat patients with coronary artery disease:
Physicians
Need current list of relevant physicians.
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