What Is Coronary Heart Disease?

| 08/07/2016 | 0 Comments More

atheroma-300x220The process of coronary heart disease begins when the coronary arteries become narrow by a gradual build up of fatty material within their walls.

This condition is called ‘atherosclerosis’ and the fatty material is called ‘atheroma’

In time the artery may become so narrow that it cannot deliver enough oxygen-containing blood to the heart muscle when its demands are high – such as when you are doing exercise.  This is angina.  The pain of angina is due to the heart muscle becoming short of oxygen.

Coronary heart disease can become more serious if a narrowed coronary artery becomes blocked by a blood clot.  This causes a heart attack.

High blood pressure puts an added strain on the heart and can make coronary heart disease worse.

 

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