Coronary Heart Disease: Overview

Transcript

Coronary heart disease is also known as coronary artery disease, which is essentially build up of plaque in the arteries of the heart, limiting blood flow to the muscle of the heart. It is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, neck, arm, or jaw pain, and fatigue and lethargy. In women, the symptoms are often atypical. Treatments include lifestyle changes, diet, exercise, weight loss, blood pressure, cholesterol control, medications that control symptoms such as angina. And then treatments also include invasive procedures such as angiograms, angioplasty, and / or bypass surgery. Sometimes, when the disease is far advanced and the damage is extensive in the heart muscle, transplant may become necessary.