“You have coronary heart disease.” When your doctor says those words to you or to someone you love, it’s frightening and confusing. You probably have dozens of questions: What is coronary heart disease? Do I need to change my lifestyle?
Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease (CAD) or ischemic heart disease, is a form of heart disease that’s caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries that feed the heart. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with CHD, it may help to know that you are not alone. In fact, CHD is the most common form of heart disease, affecting at least 12 million Americans. It is the single largest killer of both men and women in the United States, responsible for nearly a half million deaths each year, or about 1 out of every 5 deaths. CHD causes nearly all heart attacks (myocardial infarctions). Every 29 seconds, an American suffers a coronary event (a heart attack or fatal CHD), and every minute one of us will die from one. The american Heart Association estimates that this year alone, more than a million Americans will suffer from a new or recurrent coronary event, and nearly 40 percent of those will die from it. » Read more: What Is Coronary Heart Disease
