The specifics of medical treatment ultimately depends on the specifics of the person and the clinical disease they have. The treatments tend to fall into a few categories:
- Medically treating underlying risk factors to slow CAD progression. For instance, statins can be used to lower cholesterol and prevent further heart damage
- Drugs for symptom relief. For example, nitroglycerin can be used in people with stable ischemic heart disease to reduce short-term chest pain. Drugs that work on the heart like beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers are often used to control pain and discomfort in the longer term, and also may help improve other outcomes in people who have established clinical disease[1]
- In severe cases, invasive procedures like coronary artery catheterizations with stenting, or surgeries such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are sometimes used
Medical treatments are ideally added on top of lifestyle changes that can help slow CAD progression. Things like quitting smoking and exercise can help a lot.
