What tests are done for coronary heart disease?

Written by Gong Hao
Cardiology
Updated on September 23, 2024
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The diagnostic tests for coronary heart disease include: electrocardiogram, exercise stress test, Holter monitoring, nuclear myocardial imaging, echocardiography, hematologic tests, multi-slice spiral CT, as well as coronary angiography and intravascular imaging, among others.

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Written by Gong Hao
Cardiology
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What is coronary heart disease?

What is coronary heart disease? Let's first explain two definitions: The first is the coronary artery: The coronary artery is the artery that supplies blood to the heart. The heart is shaped like an inverted, slightly flattened cone. If we compare the heart to a person's head, then the coronary arteries on the heart are like a crown situated on top of the head, almost encircling it, hence called "coronary." The second is arteriosclerosis: Lipids in the blood deposit on the inner lining of the arteries, accompanied by the proliferation of certain cells, such as smooth muscle cells and connective tissue, causing thickening of the arterial intima and formation of atheromatous plaques, making the artery walls harden and the lumen narrow. Coronary heart disease refers to heart diseases related to the coronary arteries. It typically refers to coronary arteriosclerosis, thus the definition of coronary heart disease is: the occurrence of arteriosclerosis in the coronary arteries, leading to narrowing or blockage of these vessels, which causes myocardial ischemia, hypoxia or necrosis, and consequently, heart disease.

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Written by Gong Hao
Cardiology
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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 Liu Yong
Cardiology
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Is premature beat related to coronary heart disease?

Firstly, there is no direct connection between coronary heart disease and premature contractions. If we must discuss whether ventricular premature beats are related to coronary heart disease, we should mainly consider patients with myocardial ischemia, especially those with active myocardial ischemia. In these cases, premature beats may be somewhat related to coronary heart disease, but these two conditions cannot be directly equated. Since the majority of premature contractions are unrelated to coronary heart disease, these two issues should not be confused or directly equated. It is common to see some elderly people with premature contractions on their ECGs and consider coronary heart disease, but this consideration is not entirely correct. Of course, the occurrence of real premature beats, especially frequent ventricular premature beats, also suggests the possibility of myocardial ischemia. However, a large number of people, even those with obvious real premature beats, do not have significant coronary insufficiency, thus there is no direct relationship between the two.

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Written by Chen Ya
Geriatrics
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How to provide emergency aid for a heart attack

Emergency treatment for a heart attack includes promptly transporting the patient to the emergency room. During this process, sublingual administration of quick-acting heart-saving pills or compound Danshen dripping pills, as well as nitroglycerin, can be used. Additionally, if conditions allow, blood pressure should be measured. If the blood pressure is very high, antihypertensive medication should be taken to control it. This serves as an initial emergency response until the patient can be assessed in the emergency room to determine the specific cause and type of heart attack, followed by targeted emergency treatment.