Heart disease is the term that describes what happens when a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries blocks or interrupts your heart's blood supply.
Over time, the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. We call this process atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits atheroma.
Atherosclerosis can be caused by lifestyle factors, such as:
- smoking
- regularly drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
You're also more at risk of getting atherosclerosis if you have conditions like:
- high cholesterol
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- diabetes
