Q. What is coronary disease?

The Coronary disease, or the coronary insufficiency, is a disease in which there is total or partial obstruction of one or more of the arteries that irrigate the heart musculature that is obstruction of the coronary arteries. The disease is formed by gradual and slow formation of atheroma plaques inside the coronaries. The fatty plaques block the flow of blood and grow, a process known as the atherosclerosis (do not confuse with arteriosclerosis which is the hardening of the arteries generally cause by chronic high blood pressure).

The major risk factors for coronary disease are tobacco smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia (high level of bad cholesterol and low level of good cholesterol), stress, alcoholism and sedentary lifestyle.

The Coronary disease may present in two manners, as myocardial or as angina pectoris infarction. If an arterial obstruction is not complete and extensive the patient often feels chest pain (angina pectoris), mainly when performing physical exercise or in any situation when the heart needs more oxygen and If the obstruction of one or more coronaries is complete or blood can't irrigate some regions of the heart muscle (myocardium) the infarction occurs and the muscle cells of the affected area die.