The heart muscle itself is fed by the coronary arteries, and coronary heart disease causes fatty buildup of plaque within the coronary arteries, a process called atherosclerosis. Narrowing of the coronary arteries prevents the heart muscle from receiving necessary oxygen-rich blood. When the heart does not receive the needed oxygen, it is unable to perform its job and a variety of different effects occur. According to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute, coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease, and the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.
Angina
Angina pectoris occurs when the heart does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood. It is characterized by chest pain felt just behind the breast bone or slightly to the left of it, according to the National Institutes of Health. It may also feel like tightness, heaviness, squeezing, heavy pressure or crushing pain and may spread to the arm, shoulder or jaw. There are several different types of angina, with stable angina being the most common, which usually occurs when the heart is working harder than usual. According to the American Heart Association, about 8.9 million Americans have angina pectoris.
Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle is completely blocked causing a portion of the heart tissue to die. A heart attack can lead to death if enough of the heart is damaged, and it is unable to supply the rest of the body with blood flow. According to the American Heart Association, 1.2 million people have a first or recurrent heart attack leading to about 450,000 deaths each year. Most heart attacks begin slowly with mild chest pain, causing many people to wait before seeking treatment. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes, shortness of breath, nausea and lightheadedness, and pain felt in the arms, back, neck or jaw. Anyone experiencing chest pain, with or without other symptoms, should seek immediate medical help.
Sudden Cardiac Death
Many people who experience a heart attack will die abruptly from it, but this is not the same thing as sudden cardiac death (SCD). SCD happens when the heart quits beating very abruptly, completely shutting down the blood supply, and causes death within a matter of minutes. According to the American Heart Association, the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest and death is a heart attack that causes ventricular fibrillation, an irregular beating or quivering of the heart chambers. This can cause the heart to suddenly stop beating altogether. The American Heart Association goes on to say that death in the case of sudden cardiac arrest may be prevented through immediate CPR and the use of a defibrillator.
