Frequently Asked Questions for Patients & Family

Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease (CHD) or ischemic heart disease (IHD), happens when the arteries supplying blood to your heart become narrowed due to plaque buildup. This restricts oxygen delivery to the heart and raises the risk of chest pain, heart attack, and sudden cardiac death¹.

CAD isn’t curable, but it is manageable. With the right mix of lifestyle changes, medications, and preventive care, people can slow the disease down and cut their risk of serious events like heart attacks².

Yes, if your parents had early-onset CAD, your own risk can be two to three times higher, making family history a risk factor³.

CAD and stroke share many of the same risk factors: high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and more⁴. Having coronary artery disease increases your likelihood of an ischemic stroke, the most common type⁵.

After you have been screened positive for coronary artery disease, doctors use several tools to diagnose coronary artery disease, depending on the situation:

• Physical stress tests
• Coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS)
• CT angiography (CCTA)
• Invasive coronary angiography (ICA)
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Echocardiogram (Echo)
• Nuclear imaging such as SPECT and PET 

These help assess how well blood is flowing and how blocked your arteries might be.

When coronary artery disease restricts blood flow over time, the heart muscle may become weak and less able to pump efficiently. This gradual decline in heart function can lead to heart failure¹˒⁶.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is often referred to as coronary heart disease (CHD) or ischemic heart disease (IHD). These terms are frequently used interchangeably to describe conditions resulting from reduced blood flow to the heart due to plaque buildup in the coronary arteries¹˒². However, strictly speaking, CAD is a specific form of CHD/IHD, as it refers to atherosclerotic narrowing of the coronary arteries, whereas CHD and IHD may encompass a broader spectrum of ischemic cardiac conditions.

CAD is most often diagnosed in adulthood, typically in middle age or later, either when symptoms like chest pain occur or during routine health checks that reveal underlying risk factors⁶.

The root cause of coronary artery disease, called atherosclerosis, can begin silently in childhood or adolescence. This plaque buildup progresses slowly over time, often without symptoms until later in life⁶.

CAD affects the coronary arteries, which are the blood vessels that wrap around the heart and deliver oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. When these arteries narrow, heart function can be compromised⁶.

Anyone can develop CAD, but certain risk factors raise the likelihood. These include:

• age (especially over 40)
• high blood pressure
• smoking
• diabetes
• being overweight
• family history of heart disease⁶

Coronary artery disease management often begins with your general practitioner (GP) or family doctor, but may involve heart specialists such as cardiologists. Diagnostic clinics and specialized heart centers may also help guide treatment depending on the condition’s severity.

CAD develops due to a combination of factors that damage artery walls, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and unhealthy lifestyle habits¹. This leads to inflammation and plaque buildup, which narrows the arteries over time.

Atherosclerosis is the process where plaque builds up inside arteries throughout the body. Coronary artery disease is a specific type of atherosclerosis that affects the coronary arteries¹˒⁶, those that supply blood to the heart. In short, CAD is the result of atherosclerosis targeting the heart.

Menopause, particularly early menopause before age 45, can significantly increase a woman’s risk of developing CAD. Estrogen helps protect the heart by supporting healthy blood vessels and cholesterol levels. When estrogen levels decline during menopause, this protective effect is lost, which may accelerate atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries).

Women may also present with atypical or non-specific coronary artery disease symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, or nausea, rather than classic chest pain. Because these symptoms are often overlooked or misattributed to other causes, diagnosis may be delayed, highlighting the importance of early screening and open discussion of heart health during and after menopause.