How quickly does a blockage grow?

[GoldfishPond]

Hi, I have viewed my Consultant Cardiologist report (via NHS App) and note that it describes my disease as "fairly moderate in the distal LAD) it later goes on to describe '17% in terms of obstruction'. So my question in general is this. Is there any rule of thumb around how current obstruction grow. Do they stay the same, or add 2% per year (for example). I guess they never just melt away. The reason I'm asking is because I can't find the answer anywhere and It's a question I should have asked, but didn't.Thanks in advance

[Blackcatsooty]

welcome on board Goldfish

Those of us with stenosis on the aortic valve has annual monitoring an d the annual results classified as mild then moderate then severe. In my case I went as mild for 5 years then from moderate to severe in one year. Then the operation was needed.

Might give you a clue ?

Sooty

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

This depends on your age lifestyle, exposure to pollution, stress, whether you take statins and your genetics.

My husband had his 1st stent in 2011 to open up a 99% blockage of his left anterior descending artery.

He has just had a second stent to again open up a 99% blockage in his LAD which was next to his orginal stent.

I don't think there is an definitive answer. The only symptom my husband had was slight chest tightness and being breathless.

[Happyrosie]

my husband had three stents in 2003, revised in 2007. He’s 81 now and has had a little chest pain on exertion so had a heart scan. All normal.

I ensure his diet is good, he exercises.

So I’d say from now on it’s down to you taking the medication as prescribed and making sure your diet and lifestyle as as best as can be.

[VickyHK72]

this is a really interesting question and one I have also pondered. Diagnosed in early 2021, I have a mild atheroma in my LAD. Just typing that used to give me cold sweats but I am more positive these days 😊

I did press my cardiologist about how often I should have a repeat CT angiogram (he basically discharged me and said he didn’t need to see me again unless I had symptoms, which I didn’t have any at diagnosis) and he initially said every 10 years but at that point I was incredibly anxious and upset about my health so after lots of further questions from me he said ‘every 5 years’ but I think that was because I went in and on at him!! When I gave my next CT angiogram I will be highly anxious but also interested to see what has changed. I take statins and have a terrible family history.

[LadyZ13]

Also curious about this - I had 25%-49% LAD blockage picked up on a CT at the age of 38 and they put me on statins immediately. I was fit and healthy and there's no family history of heart disease that I know of - just a little genetic raised cholesterol on my dad's side. I don't know if this will slow down the disease / by now much or halt it or even reverse it as some studies have suggested this might be possible. In the meantime all I can do is eat well and exercise plenty. Interested to hear of others' experiences!

[Qualipop]

I sincerely hope it depends completely on your lifestyle. 5 years ago I had a heart attack and two stents. I had to go back for another angiogram because they had seen two more blockages but didn't know how bad they were. Turned out the blockages were in the LAD and were 64% blocked but blood was flowing freely so they were not stented. I feel as if I'm living with a ticking time bomb not knowing whether they've got worse and all I can do is keep taking the tablets and keep my lifestyle as good as possible. I had thought that an echo scan would show if they'd got worse but discovered it only shows the heart muscle, not the arteries so as far as I can tell, the only way to check those blockages is another angiogram which I'm investigating now because all tests for breathlessness have failed to show a reason.

[Bunkular in reply to Qualipop]

An MRI detected that I have multiple partial blockages in my coronary arteries.

[Qualipop in reply to Bunkular]

That might be a way for me to see if mine has got worse. To prevent them getting worse it's statins, diet and exercise. It's taken them the length of your life to get as they are now. Change whatever needs changing and take the tablets and they shouldn't get much worse. There was a really interesting programme on TV yesterday that showed how food can affect our hearts, arteries and BP. One of the men reduced h is cholesterol massively just by diet.

[Segovia123 in reply to Qualipop]

I have recently moved to a plant based diet, no meat, no fish, no oil, no dairy. It's a challenge but an easy one when you get the hang of it. Strangely my back pain has completely disappeared, a bit of Googling suggests high protein diets can increase inflammation. I can't take anti-inflammatory medicines due to my HBP. So, moving to a plant based diet is a win-win situation. I also feel better, I am less tired and generally excited experimenting with my new healthy meals.