The heart is an important organ in the human body, often compared to the symbol of life. Its function is like a pump that never stops working. Adults generally have a heartbeat of 70-80 times per minute. With each contraction of the heart, oxygen-rich and nutrient-rich blood is pumped through the aorta and distributed throughout the body to meet its metabolic needs.
At the root of the aorta, two arteries branch out and gradually form a dense and complex vascular network covering the surface of the heart and extending into the myocardium. This network, resembling a hat worn on the heart, is called the coronary artery, which is the blood vessel that nourishes the heart.
Due to abnormal lipid metabolism, lipids in the blood deposit on the originally smooth arterial intima, forming scattered,porridge-like lipid accumulations, which are called atherosclerotic lesions. These plaques gradually increase in number, causing arterial narrowing, blood flow obstruction, and eventually leading to thrombosis. It’s like a wide road with cars parked on both sides or various stalls, making the road narrow, causing traffic congestion, and even possible “traffic jams”. The progression of arterial wall lesions can lead to ulceration of the plaques, even concurrent thrombosis, further blocking blood flow and causing ischemic necrosis of corresponding tissue cells.
When atherosclerotic lesions occur in coronary arteries, they can lead to myocardial ischemia or even necrosis, thereby causing coronary artery atherosclerotic heart disease. This type of heart disease is commonly referred to as “coronary heart disease” directly translated into English.
What are the symptoms of coronary heart disease?
The symptoms of coronary heart disease vary from person to person and can be diverse. Some patients may initially have no obvious symptoms, and even discover abnormal electrocardiograms during physical examinations, which is known as “silent coronary heart disease.” However, when the severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis increases, and the degree of stenosis exceeds 75%, it may seriously affect myocardial blood supply, causing angina.
Typical angina pectoris is characterized by a feeling of compression or tightness in the chest or heart area, and is radiated to the left shoulder, left arm, left hand, and even the upper abdomen. Some patients may experience chest pain in other parts of the body, such as headaches, toothaches, sore throats, leg pain, and even upper abdominal distension or discomfort, making it difficult to distinguish.
Older patients, especially those with diabetes, may only manifest chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other symptoms without chest pain, and even without obvious chest pain when experiencing acute myocardial infarction (painless myocardial infarction), often with shock as the main clinical manifestation. Some patients may experience shortness of breath, palpitations, sweating, dizziness, pallor, and even loss of consciousness during angina attacks. If the blood flow in the coronary artery is suddenly interrupted, the chest pain caused by acute myocardial infarction is more severe, lasts longer, and cannot be relieved by taking nitroglycerin.
In addition, some patients with coronary heart disease may not have chest pain, but only manifest various arrhythmias. Unless the diagnosis of coronary heart disease is confirmed by coronary angiography, it is speculative.