Contact for Patients

Coronary artery disease (CAD)

Coronary artery disease results from a gradual narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart muscle.

To supply the body with blood, the heart itself must be well supplied with oxygen-rich blood. The heart’s dedicated blood supply is delivered via the coronary arteries.

Over the course of our lives, harmful cholesterol, calcium deposits and other substances (plaques) may accumulate on the inside of the vessels and cause them to narrow (stenosis). This results in a decreased blood supply to the heart muscle that may cause chest discomfort called angina. If this worsens, the coronary arteries can even become completely clogged and trigger a heart attack. This condition, known as coronary artery disease (CAD), is one of the most common causes of death.
 

Symptoms of CAD

CAD does not exhibit symptoms for a long time and often progresses unnoticed. Many times, stenoses only become noticeable when the heart has an increased demand for oxygen, for example during exercise.

A patient with coronary artery disease (CAD) may experience symptoms that include:

• Angina pectoris (more commonly known as simply angina), which is often only experienced during exercise. It typically manifests itself as a strong feeling of tightness, pressure, squeezing in the chest or chest pain. The pain often radiates to the arms, the jaw, the back, the shoulders, the neck or the abdomen—and is therefore not always directly associated with the heart. These “attacks” are temporary and often last only a few seconds or minutes.
• Noticeable cardiac rhythm disturbances, such as extra or missed beats
• Weak, irregular pulse
• Shortness of breath
• Blueness around the lips
• Swelling caused by excess fluid in the body (edema)
• Nausea and vomiting

Because CAD is a chronic cardiac disease, the risk of life-threatening cardiac rhythm disturbances, heart attacks or congestive heart failure rises significantly with time.