Final answer:
Hypertension and cigarette smoking are significant risk factors for coronary artery disease because they increase the heart's workload and oxygen demand. Managing these risks through lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and controlling blood pressure can help prevent disease progression.
Step-by-step explanation:
Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease
Two significant risk factors for coronary artery disease that can increase the workload of the heart and elevate myocardial oxygen demand are hypertension and cigarette smoking. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, forces the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body, which can cause damage to arterial walls and promote the development of fatty plaques, leading to atherosclerosis. Cigarette smoking introduces chemicals into the body that can cause direct damage to the interior of arteries, increase blood pressure, and reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, further straining the heart.
Other factors that contribute to an increased risk of coronary artery disease include obesity, diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity, and elevated blood lipids such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Adopting healthy behaviors such as regularly exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure and cholesterol through diet or medication can help to prevent or slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Whereas one cannot change factors like age or family history of cardiovascular disease, the focus should be on the modifiable factors.