How Can Coronary Artery Disease Be Prevented or Delayed?

Preventing or delaying coronary artery disease (CAD) begins with knowing which risk factors you have and taking action. Remember, your chances of developing CAD increase with the number of risk factors you have.

Know your family history of health problems related to CAD. If you or someone in your family has CAD, be sure to tell your doctor. Make sure everyone in your family gets enough exercise and maintains a healthy body weight.

By controlling your risk factors with lifestyle changes and medicines, you may prevent or delay the development of CAD.

CAD can cause serious complications, but by following your doctor's advice and changing your habits, you can prevent or reduce the chance of:

• Dying suddenly from cardiac problems
• Having a heart attack and permanently damaging your heart muscle
• Damaging your heart because of reduced oxygen supply
• Having irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)

If you have any other health conditions, it is important that you follow your doctor's directions to treat those conditions. By staying as healthy as possible, you can lower your risk of developing CAD and its complications.