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coronary artery disease.
how quickly does coronary artery disease develop? Do heart attacks occur without coronary artery disease?? im 24 and worry so much about my heart. i do have generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. i was running 12 miles a week and lifting weights but i am afraid to now. i have a poor diet and use tobacco dip a can a day keep one dip in for about 15 min.
So I should basically acknowledge that it's my anxiety at this time. Make some changes and keep exercising
You mention you have a poor diet, and use a shovel-load of tobacco, mainlining it. You have quit exercising. You have immediately added three heavy risk factors for cardiac artery disease. It's apparent you are quite concerned, and that adds stress, a fourth risk factor. I disagree with Cindy that you have adopted a healthy lifestyle.
Time goes by quickly, and I'd first and foremost give up the nicotine, it's simply a heart killer. When you dip, instantly your arteries inflame, and in time that will weaken them. If cholesterol is present under the artery lining, it eventually will break out and a clot will occur. Think of your artery as a copper pipe. Bend a copper pipe a few times, it breaks. That's what stress and nicotine do to your arteries.
I'd reverse your risk factors by exercising, stopping the dipping habit, and start a heart-healthy diet. It's not easy. I smoked, never dipped, but watched a lot of fellow folk in the trades quit dipping.
I had a lifestyle like yours and it eventually caught up with me and resulted in more cardiac issues than I ever expected or certainly wanted. The good news is that you can reverse the behaviors that have you worried.
Time goes by quickly, and I'd first and foremost give up the nicotine, it's simply a heart killer. When you dip, instantly your arteries inflame, and in time that will weaken them. If cholesterol is present under the artery lining, it eventually will break out and a clot will occur. Think of your artery as a copper pipe. Bend a copper pipe a few times, it breaks. That's what stress and nicotine do to your arteries.
I'd reverse your risk factors by exercising, stopping the dipping habit, and start a heart-healthy diet. It's not easy. I smoked, never dipped, but watched a lot of fellow folk in the trades quit dipping.
I had a lifestyle like yours and it eventually caught up with me and resulted in more cardiac issues than I ever expected or certainly wanted. The good news is that you can reverse the behaviors that have you worried.
That was a great post and pretty explanatory Ed.....wasn't there a movie called of Mice and Men?
"It can take decades for CAD to develop"
Yes it CAN take decades, it may never happen at all. However, I don't believe they really know how quickly it can develop, the range is extensive. It's just a matter of a few chemical processes given the right conditions and it's away. Chemical reactions of that nature are not generally a slow thing. They can get it to form very fast in lab mice, just a few days, and I'm sure it's possible for this to occur in humans too. I look at it this way....
Plaque probably forms very quickly, but it would probably take years before it becomes obstructive enough for you to have any symptoms to warrant investigation. I should think most people have plaque to some degree, but don't know it's there. If and when it reaches a substantial size to cause symptoms, many years would have likely passed. I had an angiogram at the start of 2007 and my left coronary artery had a total blockage at the top. There were probably 6 small pieces of plaque down the rest of the vessel which were nothing to worry about, just a thin coating on the wall. A further angiogram in Aug 2007 revealed a dramatic change. Virtually the whole vessel was coated now with a thin layer of plaque. Nothing that would have yet given symptoms, but the chemical processes were happening fast, just 8 months and the vessel was covered inside.
A key to stopping plaque forming (according to latest research on mice) is to lower your free radical levels, these cause damage to molecules and start the oxidation process. There are lots of chemicals in fresh fruit and vegetables to help combat these free radicals, keeping everything more in balance. Anti oxidants on mice in labs with VERY high fat levels in the blood showed no plaque forming. Increasing oxidants in another batch of mice caused coronary death quite quickly.
Yes it CAN take decades, it may never happen at all. However, I don't believe they really know how quickly it can develop, the range is extensive. It's just a matter of a few chemical processes given the right conditions and it's away. Chemical reactions of that nature are not generally a slow thing. They can get it to form very fast in lab mice, just a few days, and I'm sure it's possible for this to occur in humans too. I look at it this way....
Plaque probably forms very quickly, but it would probably take years before it becomes obstructive enough for you to have any symptoms to warrant investigation. I should think most people have plaque to some degree, but don't know it's there. If and when it reaches a substantial size to cause symptoms, many years would have likely passed. I had an angiogram at the start of 2007 and my left coronary artery had a total blockage at the top. There were probably 6 small pieces of plaque down the rest of the vessel which were nothing to worry about, just a thin coating on the wall. A further angiogram in Aug 2007 revealed a dramatic change. Virtually the whole vessel was coated now with a thin layer of plaque. Nothing that would have yet given symptoms, but the chemical processes were happening fast, just 8 months and the vessel was covered inside.
A key to stopping plaque forming (according to latest research on mice) is to lower your free radical levels, these cause damage to molecules and start the oxidation process. There are lots of chemicals in fresh fruit and vegetables to help combat these free radicals, keeping everything more in balance. Anti oxidants on mice in labs with VERY high fat levels in the blood showed no plaque forming. Increasing oxidants in another batch of mice caused coronary death quite quickly.
First off congrats on keeping up such a healthy lifestyle...that puts you heads above the rest. At age 24 i personally would say not to worry about CAD at your age. It can take decades for CAD to develop and much of it has to do with lifestyle, eating habits, blood pressure and physical conditioning of the body. And yes a heart attack can occur without CAD....a heart attack is caused by a blockage of one of the arteries leading into the heart and can be caused by CAD, clots, dilation, etc. but the chances of you having a heart attack at age 24...you'd probably have a better chance of winning the lottery unless there were extenuating circumstances that would be more physical impact related. You need to relax, enjoy your life, keep on running and if you are worried about CAD be proactive about what you eat.....congrats on the exercise program and i would say at 24 no worries unless something pops up .......................
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