Coronary heart disease (CHD) or Coronary Artery Disease

What is Heart Disease?

Coronary heart disease is the main form of heart disease. It is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart. Often referred to simply as heart disease, it is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and rheumatic heart disease.

Not only is coronary artery disease (CAD) the most common type of heart disease, but it is also the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women.

CAD occurs when the coronary arteries (those that supply blood to the heart muscle) get hard and narrow, due to buildup of a hard material called plaque on their inner walls. Plaque is the end result of too much LDL (low-density cholesterol) in the body.

American Heart Association. Statistics You Need to Know. Dallas, Tex: American Heart Association; 2005
This substantiates the claim that more than half of all Americans with chronic diseases don’t follow their physician’s medication and lifestyle guidance. Heart disease and stroke can often be prevented, but these diseases remain the number 1 and number 3 killers of Americans, and the demand for treatments continues to grow. From 1979 to 2002, the number of cardiovascular operations and procedures increased 470%. The failure of patients to follow medical advice unquestionably contributes to this problem.