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Heart Health

Types of Heart Disease

Hardening of the arteries is atherosclerosis. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood and oxygen to muscles in your body. When fatty material, like cholesterol and triglycerides, builds up on the the inside of arterial walls, the artery becomes narrow and hard.

A narrow, hardened artery cannot carry as much blood. Diminished blood flow causes a decrease in the amount of oxygen to the muscles. Depending on the area of the body, hardening of the arteries may cause chest pain, shortness of breath, leg pain, and even heart attacks and strokes.

Hardening of the arteries in the heart is coronary artery disease; in the legs, peripheral vascular disease; and in the brain, carotid artery disease.