Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure. You get this disease when the arteries that carry blood to your heart get clogged with fatty deposits. Doctors call this

 

 

 

 

 

atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is also called "hardening of the arteries." It happens when fatty material attaches to the inner wall of the arteries. Over time, cholesterol, fats and other blood components stick to the same area and the artery wall becomes thick and narrow, making it progressively more difficult for blood to flow through the affected vessels.

 

 

 

 

 

atherosclerosis.

The arteries that get clogged aren't the big ones that carry blood away from your heart and around your body. They are the smaller blood vessels on the surface of your heart that deliver oxygen and food to the heart muscle itself.

If your

 

 

 

 

 

coronary arteries
Coronary arteries are the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. If yours are blocked, you may have a pain in your chest (known as angina) or a heart attack because parts of the heart are not getting enough blood and oxygen.

 

 

 

 

 

coronary arteries are narrowed by fatty deposits, they won't be able to take enough blood to your heart. If your heart doesn't get enough blood, it can get damaged, and this can lead to chest pain. Doctors call this chest pain

 

 

 

 

 

angina
Angina is the name that doctors use for a pain in your chest that you get when your heart muscle isn't getting enough oxygen.

 

 

 

 

 

angina. Over time, if you keep having this kind of chest pain and heart damage, your heart can't work as well as it should. If you have bad coronary artery disease, you could have a heart attack.

A heart attack happens when at least one of your coronary arteries gets blocked and too little blood reaches your heart. Your heart doesn't get the oxygen and food it needs, and parts of your heart muscle start to die.

A heart attack is painful. It often causes a tight, crushing pain in the center of your chest. It can also leave a scar on your heart muscle. If enough of your heart is scarred, it can't pump as well as it should. This is why you get heart failure.

A large study of people with heart disease found that almost 1 in 5 people who had a heart attack developed heart failure within five years to six years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ho KK, Pinsky JL, Kannel WB, et al.
The epidemiology of heart failure: the Framingham Study.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 1993; 22: 6A-13A.

 

 

 

 

 

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We don't know exactly why fatty deposits build up in some people's arteries. But we do know that some things make it more likely you'll have coronary artery disease and a heart attack. Doctors call these things risk factors. The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to have a heart attack.

There are some risk factors you can't do anything about. But by stopping smoking and doing more exercise you can reduce your chances of getting coronary artery disease. Ask your doctor for help.

Risk factors include:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Gibbs CR, Davies MK, Lip GYH.
ABC of heart failure.
BMJ Books, Birmingham, UK; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

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To read more, see More about risk factors for coronary artery disease.

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