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The treatment for CHD varies depending on the symptoms and how much the disease has progressed. The general treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, and sometimes surgery.
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Lifestyle changes may include:
- Losing weight
- A low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet to help reduce cholesterol
- Reducing sodium (salt) to keep high blood pressure under control
- Regular exercise
- Quitting smoking
Medications may include:
- Cholesterol-lowering medication
- Antiplatelet agents, such as aspirin, ticlopidine, or clopidogrel, to reduce the risk of blood clots
- Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors, such as abciximab, eptifibatide, or tirofiban, to reduce the risk of blood clots
- Antithrombin drugs, such as blood-thinners (low-molecular heparin, unfractionated heparin), to reduce the risk of blood clots
- Beta-blockers to decrease heart rate and reduce oxygen use by the heart
- Nitrates such as nitroglycerin to dilate the coronary arteries and improve blood supply to the heart
- Calcium-channel blockers to relax the coronary arteries and all arteries in the body, thus reducing the workload for the heart
- ACE inhibitors, diuretics, or other medications to lower blood pressure
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