What to do when coronary heart disease occurs suddenly?

Written by Chen Ya
Geriatrics
Updated on December 07, 2024
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Coronary heart disease is the abbreviation for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. It refers to the narrowing or blockage of the coronary artery vessels due to arteriosclerotic lesions, causing myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, or necrosis, leading to heart disease. Its attacks are often related to seasonal changes, emotional excitement, increased physical activity, overeating, heavy smoking, and drinking. When sudden coronary heart disease occurs, the first step is to eliminate these triggering factors, such as immediately calming down when emotionally agitated, or immediately resting in bed if active. Rest should be the priority. If resting and removing triggers do not relieve symptoms, sublingual administration of nitrate and rapid-action heart-saving pills can be used; generally, these medications can relieve symptoms. If relief is still not obtained, it is advised to seek medical attention promptly nearby. In cases of sudden unbearable pain, a sense of impending death, and intense pain despite taking rapid-action heart-saving pills, it is advised to call emergency services (dial 120) immediately to compete for time to prevent acute myocardial infarction, where emergency surgery might be available.

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Written by Gong Hao
Cardiology
56sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of coronary heart disease?

The most typical manifestation of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris, but it can also present as chest tightness, chest pain, paroxysmal tachycardia, fatigue, decreased endurance, a feeling of throat constriction, numbness in the upper limbs, and even symptoms related to the digestive tract such as upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Many patients with coronary heart disease do not show obvious symptoms, and the onset might present as myocardial infarction or sudden death, which is very frightening. Therefore, if symptoms of coronary heart disease are noticed, it is crucial to seek medical treatment at a hospital as soon as possible. Middle-aged and elderly people should have regular physical examinations. Young people who stay up late, smoke, or are addicted to video games, among other bad habits, can also develop coronary heart disease, so it is important to be mindful of these behaviors.

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Written by Liu Ying
Cardiology
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How to recuperate from coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease refers to the atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which leads to heart disease. Individuals with coronary heart disease should first pay attention to lifestyle adjustments, such as quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, adopting a low-salt, low-fat diet, consuming less or no fatty meat and animal offal, avoiding staying up late, excessive fatigue, overexcitement, ensuring adequate rest, and balancing work with leisure, etc. Additionally, it's important to control the high-risk factors for coronary heart disease. For instance, patients with high blood pressure should manage their blood pressure; diabetes patients should control their blood sugar; patients with hyperlipidemia should manage their blood lipids, and so forth. After being diagnosed with coronary heart disease, one should develop a suitable treatment plan under the guidance of a specialist, and then have regular follow-up checks, etc.

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Written by Gong Hao
Cardiology
1min 18sec home-news-image

Can coronary heart disease be cured?

Can coronary heart disease be cured? Objectively speaking, the current treatment of coronary heart disease mainly focuses on controlling the progression of the disease, relieving symptoms, improving the quality of life, and improving the prognosis, but it cannot completely cure coronary heart disease. Firstly, the cause of coronary heart disease is the major blood vessels supplying the heart, the coronary arteries, undergoing atherosclerosis and narrowing, leading to insufficient blood supply to the heart, ultimately resulting in angina and heart failure. Therefore, the fundamental cause of coronary heart disease is the pathological changes in the coronary arteries, and the reasons and fundamental mechanisms causing these changes are not entirely clear, and are related to factors such as high blood lipids, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, age, smoking, family history, etc. Thus, the main treatment for coronary heart disease currently is to improve lifestyle, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, control blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids, and use aspirin or antiplatelet drugs to inhibit the aggregation of platelets and prevent thrombosis.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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How is coronary heart disease treated?

Coronary heart disease generally refers to a condition caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, leading to severe narrowing or complete blockage of the coronary arteries. The treatment of coronary heart disease mainly includes the following aspects: First, non-pharmacological treatment. For example, maintaining good lifestyle habits, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, controlling weight, and continuing exercise when the condition is stable. Second, pharmacological treatment. For instance, under the guidance of a doctor, standardized use of aspirin, statins, clopidogrel, and nitrate vasodilators. Third, surgical treatment. Treatment options for coronary heart disease include interventional cardiology as well as surgical coronary artery bypass grafting. (Note: The use of medications should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Chen Ya
Geriatrics
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What are the symptoms of coronary heart disease?

The symptoms of coronary heart disease primarily include typical symptoms such as pain in the precordial area triggered by physical activity or emotional excitement. The pain is often spasmodic or compressive, or it may feel like suffocation. The pain begins behind the sternum or in the precordial area and can radiate upwards to the left shoulder and arm, even reaching the little finger and ring finger. Rest or taking nitroglycerin can alleviate the pain. The radiation of the chest pain may also involve the neck, lower jaw, teeth, and abdomen. Chest pain can also occur during rest or at night, caused by coronary spasm, also known as variant angina. If the nature of the chest pain changes, such as newly occurring progressive chest pain, wherein the pain threshold gradually declines to the point that slight physical activity or emotional excitement, or even rest or deep sleep can trigger it. The pain gradually intensifies, becomes more frequent, and lasts longer. If removing the trigger or taking nitroglycerin does not relieve it, unstable angina is often suspected. Symptoms of coronary heart disease with angina can also be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, sweating, panic, nausea, and vomiting.