Heart Disease:Coronary Artery Disease

What You Need to Know

Video: Perspectives on Coronary Artery Disease
  • Heart Disease Denial Doctor-Patient Video
    Chest Pain
    "Close to being dead"
    ( 1:00 )
    Watch Video
  • Heart Disease Thinking Every Day Doctor-Patient Video
    His Heart Almost Stopped
    "I almost didn't wake up"
    ( 1:20 )
    Watch Video
  • Heart Disease Coronary Artery Disease Doctor-Patient Video
    Admit That You're a Heart Patient
    "It wasn't easy to say"
    ( :56 )
    Watch Video
  • Heart Disease Choose Best Cardiologist Doctor-Patient Video
    How to Choose a Cardiologist
    "See how they listen"
    ( :58 )
    Watch Video

5 Tips for Finding the Best Cardiologist for You

He or she doesn't have to have the best bedside manner, but the ability to listen is vital
Most patients see a cardiologist for the first time after a referral from an internist or general practitioner. It can be unsettling even to realize you need a heart specialist. The process of switching cardiologists after a bad experience, or looking for one on your own, can be even more intimidating...  Read More

Women's Experience Living With Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

"I didn't know I was at risk"
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, and in some years even more women die from CAD than men. Yet many women don't realize they're at risk...  Read More

Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease Are Often Ignored or Overlooked

Shortness of breath, pain...read why even your doctor may not pay attention
For several years before her heart attack, Tammy Estep, 50, of Buffalo, N.Y., tried to ignore the warning signs from her heart. "I'd get really short of breath, and I'd have pressure in the center of my chest and numbness in my arm," she says. "My heart would race and jump around. There were times when I could look at my chest and see my heartbeat. I knew what was happening, but I tried to deny it..."  Read More

How Cholesterol Affects Your Heart's Health

Too much is bad, and so is too little. Here's what you need to know about fats in your blood
When most people hear "cholesterol" they think "evil." Like most things in life, the reality is more complex; cholesterol can be very bad and very good. On its own, cholesterol is a crucial body component...  Read More

Coronary Artery Disease: How Patients Can Take Back Their Lives

Coronary artery disease (CAD) can sneak up on you. You may learn you have it after months of experiencing symptoms such as chest pain, jaw pain, fatigue, or even heartburn. Or you may find out you have CAD after surviving a heart attack. Either way, once you've got it, you have to learn how to live with it, because while CAD is treatable, there is no cure...  Read More
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Dr. Stephen Sinatra on Women, Stress, and Heart Disease

Dr. Stephen Sinatra
Dr. Stephen Sinatra
Cardiologist, University of Connecticut
Q: Public health organizations have been hammering home their "Red Dress" campaign and the idea that heart disease is the number-one killer of women. Is it really possible that women still underestimate their risk?

A: I strongly believe that women underestimate their risk. Women really fear breast cancer. Even in 2008, that's still their number-one concern. I think that fear of breast cancer is overwhelming for a woman. The problem is that women still don't get it. They feel that heart disease is a male-oriented disease. Read More