Coronary Heart Disease and Angina

Coronary heart disease is the UK's single biggest killer. It's a condition caused by the build up of fatty material (atheroma) in the walls of the arteries. When this happens it's called atherosclerosis.

This causes problems for our body as it makes it harder for blood to flow through the arteries and deliver oxygen to the muscles and heart. If the heart fails to get enough oxygen it can cause chest pain, which is called angina.

If a blockage occurs in the coronary artery (the artery that delivers blood to the heart) then the heart cannot receive enough oxygen and this causes a heart attack.

What is angina?

Angina is often caused by coronary heart disease (CHD) which is a narrowing of the arteries. In turn this reduces the flow of blood to the heart.