Coronary heart disease

The main symptoms of coronary heart disease are:

• chest pain (angina)
• shortness of breath
• pain in your neck, shoulders, jaw or arms
• feeling faint
• feeling sick (nausea)

But not everyone has the same symptoms and some people may not have any before coronary heart disease is diagnosed.

Coronary heart disease is the term that describes what happens when your heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.

Over time, the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits are called atheroma.

Atherosclerosis can be caused by lifestyle factors, such as smoking and regularly drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

You're also more at risk of getting atherosclerosis if you have conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes.

Coronary heart disease cannot be cured but treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the chances of problems such as heart attacks.

Treatment can include:

• lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and stopping smoking
• medicines
• angioplasty – where balloons and stents are used to treat narrow heart arteries
• surgery

You can reduce your risk of getting coronary heart disease by making some simple lifestyle changes.

These include:

• eating a healthy, balanced diet
• being physically active
• giving up smoking
• controlling blood cholesterol and sugar levels

Keeping your heart healthy will also have other health benefits, such as helping reduce your risk of stroke and dementia.

Coronary heart disease does not always have obvious symptoms. In some people, it can cause chest pain (angina) or serious problems like heart attacks.

The main treatments for coronary heart disease are healthy lifestyle changes and medicines. Some people may need surgery.

Coronary heart disease is caused by a build-up of fatty substances in the blood vessels supplying the heart. It's often linked to an unhealthy diet.

You can reduce your risk of getting coronary heart disease by making simple lifestyle changes, such as being active and having a healthy diet.

If you've been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, making simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of having further episodes.

For example, stopping smoking after a heart attack quickly reduces your risk of having a heart attack in the future to near that of a non-smoker.

Other lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and doing regular exercise, will also reduce your future risk of heart disease.