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Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease, is a condition that affects arteries that deliver blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart.
CHD occurs when plaque builds up on the inside wall of your coronary arteries. (Plaque is made up of cholesterol and other substances in your bloodstream.) Plaque buildup causes the inside the artery to narrow, reducing the space for blood to flow through. With decreased blood flow, your heart muscle does not get enough oxygen-rich blood. Poor blood flow can "starve" the heart muscle and lead to chest pain, which doctors call "angina." Angina is characterized by a sensation of pain, burning, pressure or other type of discomfort, which is generally felt in the chest and may radiate to the left arm, neck or jaw.
Angina may be the first sign that CHD is present. For this reason, chest pain should never be ignored, even when it seems to come and go. Other, less fortunate people with CHD may get no warning that they have the disease, until they have a heart attack.
When a heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs, the heart's supply of oxygen is completely cut off by a blood clot, resulting in permanent tissue death for part of the heart.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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