The heart is the workhorse of our body it pumps out 5 liters of blood every minute every hour of every day that we live. When we demand more from it like during exercise or panic it responds and all it asks for in return is nourishment. The source of nourishment for our heart is oxygen rich blood that is supplied to it by the two main coronary arteries namely left and right.
Coronary artery disease is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries caused by atherosclerosis known to the common man as “clogging” of the arteries. It is the buildup of cholesterol and fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries that restricts blood flow to the heart. This can be in the form of a circumferential block or a plaque on a single wall which is big enough to obstruct the flow of blood. It is these plaques that can be dangerous and cause sudden death.
Without adequate blood, the heart becomes starved of oxygen and vital nutrients. When the blood supply does not meet the demand chest pain or angina happens. When one or more of the coronary arteries are completely blocked, a heart attack or myocardial infarct may occur.
Your coronary arteries are shaped like hollow tubes through which blood can flow freely. The walls of the coronary arteries are normally smooth and elastic. Any damage to the inner lining of the arteries will trigger a defensive healing response from our body. The process of healing makes our vessels stickier and the reparative cells,proteins and fats form a “Plaque”. The plaque can be soft or hard if calcium is added to it, these ca rupture and cause life threatening heart attacks or remain fixed to the wall and cause angina which worsens with increasing blocks.
Coronary artery disease starts when you are very young. Before your teen years, the blood vessel walls begin to show streaks of fat. As you get older, the fat builds up, causing slight injury to your blood vessel walls. It is for this reason preventive cardiologist recommends early lifestyle changes and prevention of childhood obesity.
In growing metropolitan cities world over traffic snarls are the norm and it is a blessing to know the side lanes to avoid getting stuck in one. In years gone by our ancestors did a lot of manual work and were less technology dependent. This made them open up the smaller connecting arteries or side lanes. Collateral circulation is the development of new blood vessels that reroute blood around the blockage. The current generation communicates wireless and manual work is restricted to a few. Exercise is obsolete for the majority and hence collateral circulation or side lanes of the heart are all closed. This lack of collateral circulation puts the young patients at risk of losing a large portion of the heart muscle in an attack. The only mode of opening these channels is exercise and 30 minutes a day is sufficient to keep the cardiologist at bay.
