Coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is when your coronary arteries (the arteries that supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood) become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material within their walls.

This condition is called atherosclerosis and the fatty material is called atheroma.

• Atherosclerosis

  
  In time, your arteries may become so narrow that they cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to your heart. The pain and discomfort you may feel as a result is called angina.
• If a piece of atheroma breaks off it may cause a blood clot (blockage) to form.
• If it blocks your coronary artery and cuts off the supply of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle, your heart may become permanently damaged . This is known as a heart attack.

What increases my risk of CHD?

A risk factor is something that that increases your likelihood of getting a disease.  There are several risk factors for CHD. The main ones are:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Being physically inactive
• Being overweight or obese
• Family history of heart disease
• Ethnic background
• Sex - men are more likely to develop CHD at an earlier age than women.
• Age - the older you are, the more likely you are to develop CHD.

How you deal with stress, the amount of alcohol you drink, and your income may also increase your risk of developing CHD.

The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to develop CHD.  Even though you can’t change all your risk factors, there is plenty you can do to reduce your risk and help to protect your heart.

What can I do if I'm worried about developing CHD?

You can have a free health check to assess your risk of CHD if:

• You’re between 40 and 74 years old and live in England
• You’re between 40 and 64 and live in Scotland
• You live in Northern Ireland (where this is known as a cardiac risk factor assessment)

Free health checks to assess your risk of CHD are not currently offered in Wales, but you can still discuss any concerns with your GP or another healthcare professional.

The health check usually takes place at your GP surgery.  Your healthcare professional will check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and talk to you about your lifestyle. Based on the results, they will give you practical advice about keeping your heart healthy.

You can find out more about health checks in our booklet Keep your heart healthy.

I've got a heart problem already, is there any treatment?

Your doctor will discuss treatment options with you, depending on the type of heart problem that you have. These may vary from taking medication, to having surgery or a medical procedure.Even if you already have a heart condition it’s still really important protect your heart by living a healthy lifestyle.

I'm a woman, am I at risk?

Some people think that coronary heart disease only affects men, but it affects women as well.

As a woman, it’s vital to know how heart disease can affect you. The good news is, in many cases, it can be prevented. For more information see our women and heart disease page, or download or order our Women and heart disease booklet.

What next?

• Find out more about free NHS health checks at the NHS Choices website
• Download or order the Keep your heart healthy booklet, or Living to prevent heart disease or Risking it DVDs.
• Join the Heart Matters service or our online community
• Find out more about heart attack, angina and women and heart disease.
• Find out more about the support you can get through our Heart support groups by watching our Heart support group video.

Discuss heart disease online