Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that
supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
• Coronary heart disease is usually caused by a
condition called atherosclerosis, which occurs
when fatty material and a substance called
plaque build up on the walls of your arteries.
This causes them to get narrow. As the coronary
arteries narrow, blood flow to the heart can slow
down or stop. This can cause chest pain (stable
angina), shortness of breath, heart attack, and
• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading
cause of death
• In atherosclerosis, fat and cholesterol
in your blood builds up on an artery
wall, forming a plaque or atheroma.
The plaque can prevent the heart
muscle from getting the blood supply
(and therefore oxygen) that it needs. If
you have atherosclerosis, physical
exertion or emotional stress can bring
on chest pain called angina (see What
can coronary heart disease cause).
• Because of the reduced blood flow and
the rough edges of the plaque, a blood
clot sometimes forms. This can block
the artery. Or the plaque may rupture,
which also causes the blood to clot.
This is called atherothrombosis.
• Atherothrombosis stops an area of the
heart muscle receiving blood and
oxygen, leading to permanent damage.
This is called a myocardial infarction
(MI), or heart attack. If a lot of your
heart muscle is damaged your heart
may stop beating regularly, or stop
beating at all. This is fatal (see What
can coronary heart disease cause).
• Bad genes (heredity) can increase your risk. You are more likely to develop
the condition if someone in your family has had a history of heart disease --
especially if they had it before age 50. Your risk for CHD goes up the older
• Diabetes is a strong risk factor for heart disease.
• High blood pressure increases your risk of coronary artery disease and
• Abnormal cholesterol levels: your LDL ("bad") cholesterol should be as low
as possible, and your HDL ("good") cholesterol should be as high as
• Metabolic syndrome refers to high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure,
excess body fat around the waist, and increased insulin levels. People with
this group of problems have an increased chance of getting heart disease.
• Smokers have a much higher risk of heart disease than nonsmokers.
• Chronic kidney disease can increase your risk.
• Already having atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries in another part
of your body (examples are stroke and abdominal aortic aneurysm)
increases your risk of having coronary heart disease.
• Other risk factors including alcohol abuse, not getting enough exercise, and
excessive amounts of stress.
• Chest pain or discomfort (angina) is the most common
symptom. You feel this pain when the heart is not getting
enough blood or oxygen. How bad the pain is varies
from person to person.
• It may feel heavy or like someone is squeezing your
heart. You feel it under your breast bone (sternum), but
also in your neck, arms, stomach, or upper back.
• The pain usually occurs with activity or emotion, and
goes away with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin.
• Other symptoms include shortness of breath and fatigue
with activity (exertion).
• Many tests help diagnose CHD. Usually, your doctor will order more
than one test before making a definite diagnosis.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Exercise stress test
• Nuclear scan
• Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) to look for calcium in
the lining of the arteries -- the more calcium, the higher your chance
• CT angiography -- a noninvasive way to perform coronary
• Magnetic resonance angiography
• Coronary angiography/arteriography -- an invasive procedure
designed to evaluate the heart arteries under x-ray
• Avoid or reduce stress as best as you can.
• Don't smoke.
• Eat well-balanced meals that are low in fat and cholesterol and
include several daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
• Get regular exercise. If your weight is considered normal, get at
least 30 minutes of exercise every day. If you are overweight or
obese, experts say you should get 60 - 90 minutes of exercise every
• Keep your blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg if you have diabetes
or chronic kidney disease, and below 140/90 otherwise
• Keep your cholesterol and blood sugar under control.
• Moderate amounts of alcohol (one glass a day for women, two for
men) may reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems. However,
drinking larger amounts does more harm than good.
• Angina is a type of
caused by poor blood
flow through the blood
vessels) of the heart
• After having a heart attack, or if you develop angina, you will usually
be prescribed heart medicines to help stop your heart disease
getting worse or to prevent further heart attacks. Some examples
are listed below. Always read the patient information that comes with
your medicine, and follow your doctor's advice.
• Aspirin. Taking a small (75 mg) daily dose of aspirin makes your
blood less likely to form clots in your coronary arteries and reduces
your risk of having a heart attack.
• Statins. These drugs help to lower your cholesterol levels and so
slow down the process of atherosclerosis.
• Beta-blockers. These drugs slow your heart rate and reduce the
pumping power of the heart. This reduces your heart's demand for
oxygen. Beta-blockers also widen blood vessels helping to lower
• ACE inhibitors. These drugs are often used in people with heart
failure or after a heart attack. They lower your blood pressure.
• Angioplasty (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention or
PCI). In this operation a collapsed balloon is threaded through the
blood vessels until it reaches the arteries of the heart. The balloon is
inflated to widen the narrowed coronary artery. A stent (flexible
mesh tube) is sometimes inserted to help keep the artery open
afterwards. The stent sometimes releases a drug that helps to keep
the blood vessel open. You should be able to go home the day after
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). In this operation, the surgeon
takes a piece of blood vessel from your leg or chest and uses it to
bypass the narrowed coronary arteries. The bypass provides the
heart with more blood. This is open-heart surgery and requires a
longer stay in hospital.
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