Coronary Heart Disease. The arteries are the cylinders that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As part of the getting old process, the arteries become less flexible and their diameter may narrow. For instance, a clot may form in a narrowed artery and block it. The muscle of the heart has four most important coronary arteries nourishing it. These arteries are likely to harden atherosclerosis. As the arteries become diseased their volume is reduced and the heart muscle may become weaker. This chronic problem may lead to angina, central chest pain on effort or heart failure. Sometimes a blood clot forms blocking a coronary artery, coronary thrombosis. The heart muscle suddenly deprived of oxygen is the site of the typical acute central chest pain. A severe heart attack is one of the commonest causes of death. An exciting recent development has been marked that coronary artery disease may have a transmittable cause. One study has shown that men who had received antibiotics for infections were later less likely to have coronary problems. Impedance or blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood to the heart usually due to atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries. Abbreviated CAD.
