Causes of coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It affects more than 20 million adults in the U.S. It’s also the leading cause of death nationwide.

But there’s good news: coronary artery disease is largely preventable. By understanding the causes of coronary artery disease, you can effectively lower your risk of developing it. At Aurora Health Care, our cardiologists offer full-spectrum care to prevent or treat coronary artery disease.

What is coronary artery disease?

Coronary artery disease is a narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Learn more about the types of coronary artery disease.

What is the most common cause of coronary artery disease?

Most often, atherosclerosis causes coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis occurs when a waxy substance called plaque builds up in your coronary arteries. Over time, the plaque buildup narrows your coronary arteries and restricts blood flow.

What types of lifestyles cause coronary artery disease?

How fast plaque builds up comes down to multiple factors. Your lifestyle – how you eat, exercise and even manage stress – all affect your risk of developing coronary artery disease.

What foods cause coronary artery disease?

Some specific foods have been directly linked to plaque buildup and heart damage, including:

• Saturated fats, a type of fat that’s often solid at room temperature
• Trans fats, fats made from liquid oils, such as shortening or margarine
• Sodium, which may be in the form of table salt or in processed foods
• Sugar, including desserts, ready-to-eat cereals, juices, sodas or sports drinks

Obesity and physical inactivity

Obesity is defined as excess body fat. Carrying extra weight can put more stress on your blood vessels, causing your heart to work even harder to pump blood through your body. Additionally, obesity is linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, all major risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Staying physically active is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight. It also increases your cardiovascular health. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week, such as walking, biking or swimming.

Smoking, alcohol and drug use

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. And it’s a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease. Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, making your heart work harder to pump blood. Studies have also shown that using e-cigarettes, or vaping, increases your risk of coronary artery disease, a heart attack and depression.

Alcohol and drugs also damage your heart. Both can weaken your heart muscle and may contribute to heart rhythm problems.

Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two drinks daily if you’re male and one drink daily if you’re female. Avoid all illicit drug use. Speak with your health care provider if you need help to quit smoking, drinking or using drugs.

Can stress alone cause coronary artery disease?

Stress tends to worsen a lot of things – including your heart health. While stress alone isn’t a root cause of coronary artery disease, chronic stress can increase your overall risk. Stress raises your adrenaline, which, combined with coronary artery disease, can lead to heart damage.

What conditions cause coronary artery disease?

Several conditions can increase your risk of coronary artery disease. Fortunately, many people can manage these conditions through lifestyle changes. Or your health care provider may prescribe medications.

High blood pressure and high cholesterol

Almost half of all Americans have one of the three main risk factors for coronary artery disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking.

High blood pressure is frequently called “the silent killer” because it often doesn’t cause any symptoms. But in the long-term, increased blood pressure can weaken your arteries and reduce blood flow to your heart.

Your liver naturally produces all the cholesterol you need, but many of us consume extra cholesterol in food. As cholesterol increases in your bloodstream, it builds up in your arteries as fatty deposits called plaque. This plaque buildup is the most common cause of coronary artery disease.

Diabetes and insulin resistance

In diabetes, your body either doesn’t use insulin correctly or doesn’t make enough of it. Insulin is the hormone that helps your body convert sugar (glucose) into energy. When you have diabetes, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Over time, this damages your blood vessels and nerves leading to your heart.

Untreated sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is often associated with heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure and heart failure. You may think of sleep apnea as a snoring condition, but it’s much more than that.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when your upper airway has trouble staying open. This leads to temporary pauses in breathing while you’re asleep. Each time your airflow stops, your body sends out stress hormones. Over time, these stress hormones contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes and, eventually, coronary artery disease.

What are the uncontrollable risk factors for coronary artery disease?

There are some risk factors for coronary artery disease that you can’t control. If you have uncontrollable risk factors, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop coronary artery disease. But you may need regular tests that check for signs of coronary artery disease.

Family history

If you have a family member with heart disease or another heart condition, it increases your risk of coronary artery disease. Your risk is highest if one of your parents or siblings had a heart attack before age 50.

Age and gender

Heart disease risk increases with age. Males have a higher overall risk of coronary artery disease. In females, risk significantly increases after menopause. You’re more likely to develop coronary artery disease after age 65, especially if you also have other risk factors.

How can I reduce my risk of developing coronary artery disease?

Knowing your risk factors is the first step in coronary artery disease prevention. Speak with your health care provider about developing a plan to:

• Improve your lifestyle habits
• Manage your cholesterol and blood pressure
• Treat underlying conditions such as sleep apnea or diabetes

When to schedule a heart scan

If you have several risk factors for coronary artery disease, you may benefit from a heart scan. Heart scans are quick evaluations that check for plaque buildup and other signs of coronary artery disease.

Aurora Health Care offers simple, inexpensive heart scans to find out if you are at risk of developing heart disease – or if you already have it. This simple test could save your life.

Learn more about our $49 heart scans