“Coronary artery disease begins in childhood, so that by the teenage years, there is evidence that plaques that will stay with us for life are formed in most people,” said Fisher, who is former editor of the American Heart Association journal, ATVB. The traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease are high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history, diabetes, smoking, being post-menopausal for women and being older than 45 for men, according to Fisher. Or it can be acute, resulting from a sudden rupture of a plaque and formation of a thrombus or blood clot. It may be chronic, narrowing of the coronary artery over time and limiting of the blood supply to part of the muscle. View an illustration of coronary arteries. With coronary artery disease, plaque first grows within the walls of the coronary arteries until the blood flow to the heart’s muscle is limited. Charney Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and also of the Marc and Ruti Bell Vascular Biology and Disease Program at the NYU School of Medicine. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., an American Heart Association volunteer who is the Leon H. However, coronary heart disease, or CHD, is actually a result of coronary artery disease, or CAD, said Edward A. The short answer is often no - health professionals frequently use the terms interchangeably. But what about coronary artery disease? Is there a difference? National Hypertension Control InitiativeĬoronary heart disease is a common term for the buildup of plaque in the heart’s arteries that could lead to heart attack.Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine.Pets and Your Health / Healthy Bond for Life.