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)