Also called: Also called: CAD, Coronary arteriosclerosis, Coronary atherosclerosis
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women.
CAD happens when the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle become hardened and narrowed. This is due to the buildup of cholesterol and other material, called plaque, on their inner walls. As the buildup grows, less blood can flow through the arteries. As a result, the heart muscle can't get the blood or oxygen it needs. This can lead to chest pain ( angina) or a heart attack. Most heart attacks happen when a blood clot suddenly cuts off the hearts' blood supply, causing permanent heart damage.
Over time, CAD can also weaken the heart muscle and contribute to heart failure and arrhythmias. Heart failure means the heart can't pump blood well to the rest of the body. Arrhythmias are changes in the normal beating rhythm of the heart.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
-
Coronary Artery Disease(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Cad/CAD_WhatIs.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dcisp/Diseases/cad/cad_what.html
-
Coronary Heart Disease: Reducing Your Risk(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/risk/239.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/heartdisease/risk/239.printerview.html
-
Heart Attack/Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3003499
Also available in Spanish https://www.americanheart.org/risk/locale/sp_US/?_requestid=1378054
- Coronary Artery Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/coronary-artery-disease/DS00064/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- JAMA Patient Page: Acute Coronary Syndromes(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/300/1/132.pdf
- Marathoners Show Higher-than-Expected Heart Risks(09/16/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69322.html
- Air Pollution Harms Patients After Heart Attack(09/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69075.html
- Heart Patients Benefit From Staying Active(09/05/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68946.html
- More News on Coronary Artery Disease http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_c.html#coronaryarterydisease
- Cardiac Catheterization(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cath/cath_what.html
- Cardiac MRI(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/mri/mri_whatis.html
- Coronary Angiogram and Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
- Coronary Angiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ca/ca_whatis.html
- Coronary Artery Disease - Symptoms(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/cad/cadsymptoms.aspx
- Coronary Calcium Scan(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cscan/cscan_whatis.html
-
Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
- Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_whatis.html
-
Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiography/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiographyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ekg/ekg_what.html
- Heart Disease: Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/heart-4.html
- Invasive Testing(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/services/tests/invasive/default.aspx
- Nuclear Heart Scan(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/nscan/nscan_whatis.html
- Stress Testing(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/stress/stress_whatis.html
- Drug-Eluting Stents(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/115/17/e426
-
MedlinePlus: Angioplasty(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/angioplasty.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/angioplasty.html
-
MedlinePlus: Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/coronaryarterybypasssurgery.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/coronaryarterybypasssurgery.html
- Stent(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/treatments/medicaldevices/stent.html
- Device Identifies Fatty Deposits in Coronary Arteries(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/arteries050108.html
- hs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hscrp/test.html
- Lipoprotein Subfraction Testing(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/lipoprotein_subfractions/test.html
-
MedlinePlus: Heart Diseases--Prevention(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseasesprevention.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/heartdiseasesprevention.html
- Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726
- Integrative Medicine and Heart Disease(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/coronary_artery_disease/hic_integrative_medicine_and_heart_disease.aspx
- Questions and Answers about Chelation Therapy(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3000843
- Arteriosclerosis/Atherosclerosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/DS00525/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Atherosclerosis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Atherosclerosis/Atherosclerosis_WhatIs.html
- Cardiac Ischemia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cardiac-ischemia/HQ01646/METHOD=print
- Coronary Microvascular Disease (MVD)(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cmd/cmd_whatis.html
- Can Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Take Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs?(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/117/17/e322
-
Heart Attack/Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3003499
Also available in Spanish https://www.americanheart.org/risk/locale/sp_US/?_requestid=1378054
- Coronary Angiogram and Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
-
Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
-
Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiography/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiographyspanish/htm/index.htm
- "Sighted" Heart Surgery from the Hybrid OR/Cath Lab(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=193
- Cardiac Catheterization with Angioplasty and Stent Placement(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/14/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM-400x300/stm_1994/rnh.cfm?id=573
- Cardiac Catheterization with Angioplasty and Stent Placement(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 5/16/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=526
- Minimally Invasive Heart Procedure: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 12/18/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/she_2039/rnh.cfm?id=674
- Coronary Arteries(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/coroanat.cfm
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Coronary Artery Disease(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Coronary+Artery+Disease%22
- Learn More about Chelation Therapy and the Study(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/chelation/chelationstudy.htm
- Can Heart and Blood Vessel Disease Be Inherited?(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4610
- Genetics Home Reference: Tangier disease(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=tangierdisease
- Genetics Home Reference: Werner syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=wernersyndrome
- Air Pollution Can Hinder Heart's Electrical Functioning(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=510
- Alaskan Eskimos' High Rates of Artery Plaque Could Be from High Smoking Rates, Other Unhealthy Habits(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=463
- Coronary Heart Disease Patients Live Longer, But Not Always Happier, Lives(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=465
- High-Normal Blood Pressure in Young Adults as a Risk for Atherosclerosis Later in Life(American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/149/2/I-47
- Article: The relationship between obesity and atherosclerotic progression and prognosis among... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18702964&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: By the way, doctor. What can you tell me about... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18700292&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: What can I do to lower my lipoprotein(a) level? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18697235&tool=MedlinePlus
- Coronary Artery Disease -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term= (coronary+artery+disease[majr]+OR+coronary+occlusion[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Coronary thrombosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=coronary+thrombosis[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+systematic[sb]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(case+reports[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+letter[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
-
Cardiovascular Glossary(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss/
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss_Esp/Glossary_sp.cfm
- American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis in Children(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4499
-
MedlinePlus: Heart Disease in Women(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseaseinwomen.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/heartdiseaseinwomen.html
- Angina - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/angina.html
- Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/coronaryarterybypasssurgery.html
- Heart Attack - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartattack.html
- Heart Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseases.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Coronary Artery Disease is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
Coronary Artery Disease - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/coronaryarterydisease.html