Drug Treatment of CVD

It involves the following groups of medications:

1. 1. Antibiotics for inflammatory diseases of the heart;
      
      
   2. Nitrates – they widen blood vessels including coronary arteries of the heart. And that improves the blood flow to the cardiac muscle and stops the attack of angina;
      
      
   3. Beta blockers – they are used for the treatment of angina, arterial hypertension, heart rhythm disorders and heart failure. The mechanism of their action is associated with a decrease in heart rate and arteriole spasms due to their influence on the muscular layer of the arteriole walls which reduces the load on the heart and improves blood circulation in it as well as reduces the manifestations of heart failure. But these drugs are potentially dangerous because of a number of side effects; therefore, today they are not among the first-choice drugs for the treatment of hypertension. However, many patients take these medications for a long period of time and show favorable tolerability;
      
      
   4. ACE inhibitors – these preparations affect the system of arterial pressure regulation and are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease as well as heart failure. This group of medicines is currently the most commonly used as the first –choice drugs in hypertension therapy;
      
      
   5. Diuretics – these drugs are often used for the treatment of heart failure and hypertension. There are various types of diuretics, and their main mechanism of action is associated with the excretion of excess fluid and sodium from the body;
      
      
   6. Anticoagulants – they prevent blood from clotting in arteries by reducing the aggregation of thrombocytes. And that in its turn helps improve the blood flow in the narrowed coronary arteries and reduces the risk of thrombosis of the artery that supplies the area of infarction with blood. These medicines are also used after heart surgeries;
      
      
   7. Statins and fibrates – these drugs are used to reduce blood cholesterol level. High cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. When there is a decrease of blood cholesterol, the risk of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction is significantly reduced;
      
      
   8. Antiarrhythmic agents – they are used to suppress a heart rhythm disturbance, reduce or inhibit its recurrence and control its severity;
      
      
   9. Vasodilators – these medicines cause blood vessels to widen or relax and by this reduce the resistance in these vessels. They lower blood pressure and allow blood to pass more easily through the body, thus, improving the symptoms;
      
      
   10. Calcium channel blockers – there are various groups of calcium channel blockers and they have different mechanisms of action. The drugs belonging to one group relax and dilate blood vessels, that’s why they are often used for the treatment of angina, hypertension and heart failure, whereas the drugs from other groups slow down the heart rate and have antiarrhythmic properties which make it possible to use them in the treatment of arrhythmias;
       
       
   11. Clot-busting drugs – they dissolve clots in blood vessels. The dissolution of the blood clots promotes restoration of the adequate blood flow in the affected vessel as well as elimination of the signs of stroke (numbness, speech disorder and hemiparesis).

For each patient the drugs that treat cardiovascular diseases are administered individually and are chosen on the basis of their necessity in each particular case. In order to understand what drugs to use for the treatment, patient should be thoroughly examined. And it is particularly important to detect any pathologies of other organs, especially kidneys and liver, as every drug breaks up into ingredient and is excreted through these organs.

Blind administration of treatment without regard to the concomitant diseases may lead to its ineffectiveness and, worst of all, may do harm to the patient.