Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a narrowing of the small blood
vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. CHD is also
called coronary artery disease. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is
the leading cause of death in the United States for men and
women. Coronary heart disease is caused by the buildup of plaque
in the arteries to your heart. This may also be called hardening
of the arteries. A risk factor for heart disease is something
that increases your chance of getting it. You cannot change some
risk factors for heart disease, but others you can change. See:
Heart disease - risk factors Symptoms may be very noticeable,
but sometimes you can have the disease and not have any
symptoms. This is especially true in the early stages of heart
disease. Chest pain or discomfort (angina) is the most common
symptom. You feel this pain when the heart is not getting enough
blood or oxygen. How bad the pain is varies from person to
person. Women, elderly people, and people with diabetes are more
likely to have sympto