Coronary heart
disease
Introduction
In order to work
properly, your heart
needs a constant supply of
oxygen.
Oxygen is carried
in the blood,
which flows through the
heart’s
blood vessels (coronary
arteries) to the
heart
muscle. Coronary heart disease is the term used to describe what
happens when this supply is blocked or interrupted. This is caused
by a build up of fatty substances in the
arteries. If the
coronary arteries
become partially blocked, this can lead to chest pains called
angina.
If the
arteries become
completely blocked, this can lead to a
heart attack
(myocardial infarction).
There are
approximately 270,000
heart attacks every year in the UK (1) and an
estimated 2.1 million people have experienced
angina – a common
symptom of coronary heart disease.
Symptoms
Angina
is a symptom of coronary
heart disease.
Angina can be a
mild, uncomfortable feeling similar to
indigestion. In
severe cases, angina
causes a feeling of extreme pressure on the chest, breathlessness,
trapped air and belching.
Angina is usually triggered by physical exercise or
stressful situations.
If the
arteries become
completely blocked, a
heart attack happens (myocardial infarction).
Heart attacks
can cause permanent damage to the
heart muscle, and
can sometimes be fatal if they are not treated straight away.
Some people with
coronary heart
disease may have heart
palpitations.
This is when you become aware of your
heart beating
irregularly or harder than normal.
Heart
failure can occur in people with coronary
heart disease.
Heart
failure is when the heart
gradually gets too weak to pump
blood around the
body. This can mean fluid builds up in the
lungs, making it
increasingly difficult to breath. It can happen suddenly (acute
heart
failure) or over a period of time (chronic
heart
failure).
Causes
Coronary heart
disease happens when there is a build up of fatty deposits of
cholesterol
and waste substances in the walls of the
arteries. The
deposits form plaque, which clogs up the
arteries, making
them narrower and restricting
blood flow. This
is called arteriosclerosis.
Cholesterol
is a fatty substance made from the saturated fat that we eat. It is
essential for healthy cells but too much
cholesterol in the
blood can
lead to heart
disease.
Lipoproteins are
the packages that carry
cholesterol around the body in the
blood stream.
There are different types of lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins
(LDL) take cholesterol
from the liver
to the cells, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry excess
cholesterol
back to the liver.
LDL cholesterol
tends to build up on the walls of the
arteries
increasing your risk of
heart disease. If your level of LDL
cholesterol is too
high, the HDL will not be able to remove it sufficiently.
Thrombosis
(clotting of the blood
within an artery
or a vein)
can also cause the coronary
arteries to
narrow, increasing your chance of a
heart attack.
Coronary thrombosis happens when
blood turns from
liquid form to solid in one of the
heart’s atreries.
This creates a clot in one of the coronary
arteries and stops
blood
supply to the heart
muscle. Coronary thrombosis usually happens at the same place where
there is already arteriosclerosis.
Having high
blood pressure (hypertension)
puts a strain on the heart
and can lead to coronary
heart disease. Family history of
heart disease,
diabetes, obesity
and smoking all increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
Healthcentral 2005
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