Coronary artery disease occurs when plaque builds up in your coronary arteries. The buildup narrows your arteries, making it harder for your heart to get the blood flow and oxygen it needs. Plaque can also break off and form a clot that blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart.

When your blood pressure is high, it puts stress on your blood vessels and arteries. Over time, untreated high blood pressure can damage your heart muscle.

Too much cholesterol in your bloodstream can build up on the walls of the coronary arteries. The arteries then narrow, cutting off essential blood and oxygen to your heart.

Using tobacco products can damage your heart, raise blood pressure, and reduce the amount of oxygen that travels through your blood.

A diet that is high in saturated fat and sodium can increase your risk of heart attack. Saturated fat can raise cholesterol and lead to plaque buildup in the arteries. Too much sodium can pull water into your blood, adding pressure to your arteries.

Being sedentary increases your risk of other conditions — such as obesity and diabetes — which greatly increase your risk of heart disease.

Diabetes can double your risk for heart disease. It can damage blood vessels and cause a heart attack or heart failure.

You may receive aspirin and nitroglycerin in the ambulance or at the emergency room. These can improve blood flow and reduce chest pain. At the hospital, you might receive thrombolytic medicines to help break up blood clots.

PCI is a nonsurgical procedure, but it is performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory. Doctors use this procedure (also called cardiac angioplasty) to open blocked arteries and improve blood flow to your heart.

Your doctor may use a stent — a small, mesh tube — to help open your arteries. They can insert the stent into the affected artery during a PCI procedure.

CABG is also sometimes called heart bypass surgery. It’s used to repair blocked coronary arteries to prevent or treat a heart attack. During the procedure, the surgeon uses healthy arteries from another part of your body to create a new path around the blocked areas of your heart, bypassing the blockages.

Keeping your blood pressure down — using medication or lifestyle changes — is the number one way to prevent heart disease and heart attacks.

High cholesterol increases your risk of plaque forming in your arteries and blocking blood flow to your heart.

Maintaining a healthy weight puts less stress on your heart. It also reduces your risk of related conditions, including diabetes.

A diet that contains plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats is good for your heart. Limit your intake of saturated fats, red meat, sodium, added sugars and alcohol. This helps reduce your cholesterol and control your blood pressure.

Physical activity strengthens your heart and improves blood flow. It also helps lower blood pressure, prevent weight gain and lower cholesterol.

Sleep gives your heart a break from its everyday workload. Try to get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to protect your heart health.

Smoking cigarettes can significantly increase your risk for heart disease. If you smoke, quitting will decrease your risk for heart disease.