Coronary Artery disease- can it be reversed.

Coronary Artery disease – can it be reversed?

Coronary artery disease is not a curable condition but the disease is preventable and by controlling the established risk factors the progression of the disease can be halted. Coronary artery bypass graft operation and balloon angioplasty and medical therapy can improve the quality of life and prolong survival. Even a severely diseased person can live long in a reasonably stable state with proper treatment. It has been established that the disease progression can be prevented by avoiding the risk factors and by drug treatment but whether the disease can be reversed is questionable. The issue of reversion of atherosclerosis is controversial. Gut there are some evidences that the disease is somehow reversible.

It is believed that cholesterol lowering drugs may reverse the coronary blockage. In one study using the cholesterol lowering drugs niacin and colestipol showed anatomical regression of the disease in the treated group. A total of 16.2% of patients in the treated group had anatomical regression compared to 3.6% in the placebo (no drug) group. Quantitative coronary angiography also showed regression of blockage with treatment. In follow up study it was documented that disease reversed in the treatment group but progressed in the non treatment group. The authors concluded that reduction of LDL can induce lesion regression in coronary artery disease.

Nowadays there are much cholesterol lowering drugs like gemfibrozil, simvastatin, pravastatin etc in the market. It is believed that they are able to reverse the atherosclerosis. But this view must be judged cautiously. Reversion of coronary artery disease is mostly a theoretical possibility. So prevention will be a better choice.