coronary heart disease

noun

|Updated on: 29 Jun 2018

Definition of coronary heart disease

: a condition and especially one caused by atherosclerosis that reduces blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart and typically results in chest pain or heart damage — called also coronary artery disease

See coronary heart disease defined for kids

Recent Examples of coronary heart disease from the Web

Consuming high amounts of artificial trans fat increases your risk of coronary heart disease.

— shauna downs, Philly.com, "FDA's new ban on trans fats could prevent 20,000 heart attacks annually," 13 June 2018
The Million Women Study conducted in Britain demonstrated a direct link between the development of coronary heart disease and an increase in waist circumference over a 20-year period.

— New York Times, "The Dangers of Belly Fat," 11 June 2018
Twin studies give us statistics on the genetic risks of diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer.

— ruth o. selig, Washington Post, "Years ago when my twin got breast cancer I took drastic action and am grateful I did," 28 May 2018
What came to be known as the North Karelia project led to a 63 percent decline in deaths from coronary heart disease for men between the ages of 30 and 64.

— marlon graf, STAT, "Chronic diseases are taxing our health care system and our economy," 31 May 2018
Indeed, loneliness and social isolation has been linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

— NBC News, "Americans are lonelier than ever — but 'Gen Z' may be the loneliest," 14 May 2018
For people with coronary heart disease, losing weight will not prolong life, a new study reports, but increasing physical activity will.

— nicholas bakalar, New York Times, "For Heart Disease Patients, Think Exercise, Not Weight Loss," 5 Mar. 2018
Wettstein’s study found that exposure to wildfire smoke correlates with more hospital visits for coronary heart disease, irregular heart rhythm, heart failure, pulmonary embolism and stroke.

— kurtis alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "California wildfires linked to heart problems, study shows," 11 Apr. 2018
For men and women at a high genetic risk for heart disease, high fitness levels was linked to a 49% lower risk for coronary heart disease and a 60% lower risk for atrial fibrillation.

— alexandra sifferlin, Time, "Exercise Could Lower Your Chances of Getting Heart Disease Even if You’re Genetically at Risk," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coronary heart disease.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of coronary heart disease

1949

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

coronary heart disease

noun

variants: or coronary artery disease also coronary disease

medical Definition of coronary heart disease

: a condition and especially one caused by atherosclerosis that reduces the blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle and typically results in chest pain or heart damage

High blood cholesterol … is an important risk factor for coronary heart disease—the leading cause of death in the United States.
—The Journal of the American Medical Association, 22 Sept. 1993

The fatty acids called triglycerides significantly contribute to the progression of coronary artery disease, researchers have found.
—The New York Times, 19 July 1994

… exercise testing is a safe and relatively simple way to quantitate cardiovascular performance and detect coronary disease when interpreted in conjunction with other clinical findings.
—Terry Jopke, The Physician and Sports Medicine, March 1981