Heart Disease

The UK has one of the highest rates of death from heart disease in the world - one British adult dies from the disease every three minutes - and stroke is the country's third biggest killer, claiming 70,000 lives each year. Many CAD patients have symptoms such as chest pain (angina) and fatigue. Other patients have no warning signs at all.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic disease in which the coronary arteries are hardened and narrowed (atherosclerosis). The coronary arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart. When they are diseased, the heart is at risk of not receiving the oxygen-rich blood that it needs in order to function.

CAD develops gradually. First, fatty plaque narrows the coronary arteries. Next, the plaque calcifies, causing the arteries to become harder and stiffer. Untreated, CAD usually continues to worsen and can eventually lead to a heart attack or even cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating.

Heart attacks occur when blood flow is blocked, often by a blood clot, while strokes are caused either by blocked or burst blood vessels in the brain. A range of other conditions, including heart failure, when blood is not pumped properly around the body, and congenital heart defects can also cause long term problems, and even death, for sufferers.