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What is Coronary Hear Disease or CHD in Simple Terms ?
The heart is really just a pump made from muscle. Like any muscle in our body it needs oxygen to make it work. It gets its oxygen from its own blood supply which flows through our arteries.
If however these arteries start getting clogged up with cholesterol fat the supply of blood to the heart muscle is reduced, leaving it with an insufficient supply of oxygen which in turn causes pain. This occurs particularly when we exert ourselves and this type of pain occurring on exertion is called “Angina”. If however it happens when we are at rest this is a more serious situation called “Unstable Angina” which requires prompt treatment.
An actual heart attack happens when one of the arteries taking blood to the heart muscle becomes blocked. This is usually caused by a clot suddenly forming on a deposit of fat on the artery wall. If not treated promptly this can lead to the heart muscle being deprived of oxygen and may leave it damaged as a result.
Sometimes however this sudden shock to the heart can stop it working instantly, and this is called “Cardiac Arrest”. A heart attack can happen suddenly without any warning and without having experienced any previous symptoms. Therefore none of us can afford to be complacent and everyone should take regular ongoing exercise, eat healthily and lead a sensible, moderate but enjoyable lifestyle.
Happily there is excellent treatment available for heart disease these days. Most people survive their heart attack but they do need further rehabilitation to allow them to return to a fairly normal lifestyle.
This is formally described as Cardiac Rehabilitation.