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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffAcute coronary syndrome may develop slowly over time by the building up of plaques in the arteries in your heart. These plaques, made up of fatty deposits, cause the arteries to narrow and make it more difficult for blood to flow through them. This buildup of plaques is known as atherosclerosis. Eventually, this buildup means that your heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body, causing chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.
Another medical term closely related to acute coronary syndrome is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease refers to the damage to your heart arteries from atherosclerosis.
If one of the plaques in your coronary arteries ruptures, it can cause a heart attack. In fact, many instances of coronary artery syndrome develop after a plaque ruptures. A blood clot will form on the site of the rupture, blocking the flow of blood through that artery.
- Kumar A, et al. Acute coronary syndromes: Diagnosis and management, part I. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2009;84:917.
- Acute coronary syndromes. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch073/ch073c.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2010.
- What is angina? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Angina/Angina_All.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2010.
- Risk factors and coronary heart disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/print_presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726. Accessed Sept. 7, 2010.
- Scirica BM. Acute coronary syndrome: Emerging tools for diagnosis and risk assessment. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;55:1403.
- Lifestyle changes. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/PreventionTreatmentofHeartAttack/Lifestyle-Changes_UCM_303934_Article.jsp. Accessed Sept. 7, 2010.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 22, 2010.
- Anderson CF (expert opinion) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 8, 2010.
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