Coronary Heart Disease (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Coronary Heart Disease Overview
- Coronary Heart Disease Causes
- Coronary Heart Disease Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Coronary Heart Disease Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Multimedia
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
Coronary Heart Disease Causes
Coronary heart disease is caused by any problem with the coronary arteries that keeps the heart from getting enough oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood. The most common cause by far is atherosclerosis. Lack of sufficient blood is called ischemia, so coronary heart disease is sometimes called ischemic heart disease.
The cause of coronary heart disease is related to multiple risk factors. The following are the most common:
- Heredity: Coronary
heart disease runs in the family.
- High cholesterol: Levels of cholesterol in the blood are above healthy levels. This usually involves high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good
cholesterol.
- Tobacco abuse: This includes not only smoking any form of tobacco (cigarettes, cigars, pipes), but also chewing tobacco.
- Obesity
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Diabetes
- Lack of regular exercise
- High-fat diet
- Emotional stress
- Type A personality (impatient, aggressive, competitive)
Next: Coronary Heart Disease Symptoms »
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Hypertensive Heart Disease »
Uncontrolled and prolonged elevation of blood pressure (BP) can lead to a variety of changes in the myocardial structure, coronary vasculature, and conduction system of the heart.
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