Heart disease or in medical terms is called coronary heart disease is a condition that occurs when the main blood vessels that supply blood to the heart (coronary arteries) are damaged. Piles of cholesterol in the blood vessels and inflammation process is suspected to be the cause of this disease.
When there is a buildup of cholesterol (plaque), coronary blood vessels will narrow so that the flow of blood and oxygen supply to the heart will be hampered. Lack of blood flow will cause pain in the chest (angina) and shortness of breath, until a moment of total obstruction in blood flow to the heart or the so-called heart attack.
Coronary heart disease is one of the highest causes of death in the world. The World Heart Federation estimates the death rate from coronary heart disease in Southeast Asia to reach 1.8 million cases in 2014. In Indonesia alone in 2013 there were recorded at least 883,447 people diagnosed with coronary heart disease in Indonesia with the majority of patients aged 55-64 years. The death rate from heart disease was quite high, which is about 45 percent of all deaths in Indonesia.
Causes of Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease occurs when the blood supply to the heart through the coronary blood vessels is inhibited by fat. The accumulation of fat in the blood vessels is known as atherosclerosis and is a major cause of coronary heart disease.
In addition to reducing the blood supply to the heart, atherosclerosis can also cause the formation of blood clots. If this happens, the blood flow to the heart is totally blocked and a heart attack occurs. The factors that trigger atherosclerosis include high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure (hypertension).
Types and Complications of Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is divided into two types that are categorized by the level of blood flow inhibition, namely angina (sitting wind) and heart attack.
Untreated heart disease will lead to deadly complications. When not receiving enough blood supply to be too weak to pump blood, the heart's performance will decrease. Conditions like this can make the fluid accumulate in the lungs so that patients will have trouble breathing. This case is known as heart failure. These complications can occur suddenly or gradually.
Diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease
In the early stages, doctors will usually ask about symptoms, family health history, and your lifestyle. If you suspect you have heart disease, your doctor may recommend that you undergo multiple checks to confirm the diagnosis. For example blood tests, X-rays, electrocardiogram (EKG), coronary angiography, CT scan, or MRI scan.
Treatment For Coronary Heart Disease
If you have heart disease, you are strongly encouraged to change your lifestyle such as maintaining your diet, regular exercise, taking medication regularly and as directed by your doctor, and quitting smoking. Coronary heart disease can not be cured, but can be prevented from getting worse. The doctor will advise surgery steps to deal with the disease if necessary. The goal in the treatment of heart disease is to control symptoms and reduce the risk of fatal attacks such as heart attacks.
Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease
There are some simple precautions to avoid heart disease, namely:
