Learn More About Coronary Artery Disease
What is coronary artery disease (heart disease)?
Heart disease occurs when the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen rich blood flowing freely to your heart, brain, legs, and every part of your body. Fatty deposits (cholesterol) build up in the arteries over time, making them blocked, or narrowed and rough. When this happens, blood can no longer flow through easily.
When the heart muscle does not get enough blood and oxygen, angina symptoms such as pain in the chest, arm, or neck area may occur. If an artery becomes completely blocked, part of the heart muscle begins to die from lack of oxygen. This is a heart attack.
What are the risk factors you can't control for heart disease?
- age
- gender
- family history
What are the risk factors you can control for heart disease?
- cigarette and tobacco smoking
- physical inactivity
- obesity
- stress
- high blood pressure
- high blood cholesterol
- diabetes
Blood Pressure Guidelines
| Normal blood pressure: | Less than 120/80 |
| Prehypertension blood pressure: | 120-139/80-89 |
| Hypertension Stage 1: | 140-159/90-99 |
| Hypertension Stage 2: | Greater than 160/100 |
Participate and Take Control
If you have heart disease, there are healthy choices you can make on a daily basis to help manage your condition. Learn to identify and act on the risk factors you can control for heart disease. Help is available for BCBSNM members — call toll-free 1-866-252-8106 for more information about our disease management programs.
Tools and Information
Some of the information below is available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. If you need Acrobat Reader, download it free of charge from Adobe's site.
- Cardiovascular Disease flier (PDF 33K)
- High Blood Pressure flier (PDF 36K)
- Know Your Numbers card to record your blood pressure readings (PDF 473K)
- Coronary artery disease information via the Personal Health Manager: BCBSNM members can log in to Blue Access for Members to access extensive information on coronary artery disease.
- Coronary artery disease information on other health-related Web sites*:
*We do our best to ensure that the information on the other health-related Web sites listed above is useful, but can't be responsible for the content of those sites or any information you may take from them (please read our legal disclaimer). When you click on a choice above, it will open in a new window so that you can explore that site without having to leave here. When you are through visiting the other site, you can close that window and return to the BCBSNM site.
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