Heart disease refers to a number of conditions that affect the heart. In the U.S., coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease.
- Coronary artery disease can lead to chest pain and heart attack and is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. It occurs when one or more of the major arteries on the surface of the heart become narrow or blocked, reducing blood flow that supplies the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood.
- Coronary artery disease may also be effected by other conditions you have, such as diabetes or kidney failure.
How severe CAD happens –
here are some facts about coronary artery disease:
- Plaque builds up in the arteries of your heart (plaque = mix of fat + cholesterol + calcium + other substances in the blood)
- Over time the plaque gets hard and builds up in one or several arteries
- The built up plaque causes the arteries to narrow (this narrowing is called atherosclerosis and is one of the causes of coronary heart disease)
- Narrow arteries make it hard for oxygen-rich blood to reach the heart
- Plaque has built up and narrowed in more than one of the vessels of your heart. Symptoms may have gotten worse over time, and your cardiologist introduces other treatment options in addition to medicine.
You may have both:
complex coronary artery disease + congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure may be a symptom of severe CAD, or your severe CAD may cause congestive heart failure.