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Coronary Heart Disease
What is it?
Coronary heart disease (CHD), also termed coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease, is the most common form of heart disease and the most common cause of death in the United States. According to a report from the American Heart Association, in 2008 the estimated indirect and direct costs associated with CHD is projected to be $156.4 billion dollars.
The coronary arteries are large blood vessels in the surface of the heart that deliver blood to the heart muscle. Fatty plaques can build up in the arteries and block blood flow--a process called atherosclerosis. If the arteries become blocked, the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen, bringing ontriggering a variety of symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath, as well as heart muscle damage and even death.
The main mechanisms
of angina (chest pain) are conditions that either decrease the supply of blood, or increase
the demand for blood. Decreased supply is most commonly due to atherosclerosis
(a build up of fatty deposits), or spasms in the arteries, which can limit the
space through which blood flows to the heart.
An increase in demand takes place during exercise or exertion. The heart beats faster to supply the muscles and other organs with more oxygen in response to the increased demand. Chronic stable angina results when this increased demand for blood
exceeds the supply to the coronary arteries. This can also occur during periods
of stress, or extreme temperatures. Although spasms of the coronary arteries are
the main cause of Prinzmetal's angina, approximately two thirds of people with
this type of angina also have atherosclerosis in at least one vessel. Coronary heart
disease can manifest itself as:
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What is it?
