Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is chronic disease of the heart’s arteries. It may cause predictable exertional angina or no symptoms, but still raises future heart-attack risk.
Key takeaways
- Exertional chest pressure or breathlessness can suggest CAD, but other cardiac, lung and digestive conditions may feel similar.
- Assessment considers symptoms, ECG, cardiovascular risk and selective anatomical or functional testing.
- Medicines used for angina relief and those used to reduce future events have different purposes; not every person needs the same combination.
Catalogue matches do not diagnose CAD, set treatment targets or provide a plan for acute chest pain.
What does stable CAD mean?
“Stable” describes a chronic pattern, not a harmless condition. Plaque burden, heart function, diabetes, kidney disease and previous events influence risk. A sudden symptom change may reflect plaque disruption and is no longer a stable presentation.
What does long-term care address?
Care may target smoking, activity, blood pressure, cholesterol, clot risk and angina. An ACE inhibitor such as perindopril has roles in selected patients but requires blood-pressure, kidney and potassium monitoring. See heart and blood pressure.
When to seek urgent care
Call emergency services for new chest pressure, pain at rest, a worsening established pattern, severe breathlessness, fainting, sweating or nausea, or discomfort that does not settle promptly.