What is Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary arteries supply blood to your heart.
Under normal conditions, these arteries dilate
(open up) and constrict (narrow) in response
to your heart's needs. Coronary artery disease
(CAD) usually develops slowly, over a period
of years, as the arteries become permanently
narrowed with plaque in
a process known as artherosclerosis.
Plaque is a fatty substance made up of fat, cholesterol,
inflammatory cells, and mineral deposits.
When blood flow is restricted, the heart muscle
doesn't get enough oxygen, causing a condition
called coronary
ischemia, which may in turn cause chest tightness
or pain, known medically as angina
pectoris.
When a blood clot -- called a thrombus --
forms on the surface of arterial plaque, blood
flow can stop suddenly, rather than gradually,
causing a myocardial
infarction, better known as a heart attack.
Heart attack symptoms include severe chest pain,
which may be accompanied by shortness of breath,
nausea or a sense of impending doom that either
won't go away or comes and goes.
Reviewed by: Howard
C. Herrmann, MD
Last updated: November 2005
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