One of the complications of high cholesterol is coronary artery disease (CAD). When fatty deposits buildup inside the coronary arteries, it prevents the arteries from bringing blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. This buildup causes the arteries to harden or become damaged - this hardening process is called atherosclerosis.
Unfortunately, your first sign of CAD may be a heart attack or symptoms of angina (chest pains). That's why it is important to get tested. If your doctor suspects that you may have this heart disease, he or she may order a coronary angiography, which is a procedure that produces X-ray movies that show the state of your coronary arteries.
Being diagnosed with coronary artery disease does not have to be a devastating experience. There are risk factors that you can control which can delay damage to your arteries, such as eating a healthier diet, exercising, quitting smoking if you smoke, getting your cholesterol levels checked regularly, and heart disease medications. Controlling these risk factors remains the key to preventing illness and death from CAD.
If the damage is more serious, your doctor might recommend coronary artery bypass surgery, which involves removing damaged arteries and grafting healthier blood vessels to replace them in order to restore function to the heart.