Technical Explanation of CHD

Coronary heart disease is a complex development of symptoms derived from comorbidities originating from early childhood through late adult life. It is generally accepted in the clinical community that CHD initiates with coronary arterial damage and degradation. Factors such as smoking, high concentrations of fat and cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure all contribute to a buildup of plaque within the arterial vessel walls.

Given time, this plaque calcifies and narrows the diameter of the vessels, reducing flow of oxygenated blood to the heart. This restriction of accessible hemoglobin can cause coronary angina, producing radiating chest pain. However, if the calcifications rupture, the hardened plaque can break off from the interior connective tissue leaving an exposed site of damage within the arterial wall. Blood platelets travel to this location and form blood clots to contain the damage, further narrowing the arterial diameter, ergo reducing oxygenated blood supply to the viscera and body wall. If the blood clot thickens to a severe state, it can cause complete coronary artery blockage, which is what causes a heart attack.

A frequent predictor of CHD is diabetes, which is brought on by chronic inflammation in which the body is overworking its immune system, constantly sending out active cytokines and white blood cells to disruptive environmental stimuli. The release of interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha assist in the inflammatory response, and induce production of acute phase reactants such as fibrinogen, sialic acid, and C-reactive protein. If the harmful stimuli persist (in this case increased blood pressure and cholesterol frequently due to moderate-high obesity), this acute phase will develop into a chronic reaction in which immune response to trauma remains elevated. This then induces plaque buildup as previously mentioned, and can provoke angina, heart attack, or stroke (all inclusive comorbidities of coronary heart disease).

References

Low-grade Inflammation — Description. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.wwu.edu/depts/healthyliving/PE511info/infection/description.html

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease? (2016, June 22). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/signs