Condition Guide

Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease)

Name: Heart Disease: Types, Blood Tests & Risk Factors
Creator: Suman Konda
Published: 2026-07-05

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Understanding your cardiac blood tests, cholesterol, troponin, BNP, and blood glucose, is your first step to protecting your heart.

Written by Suman Konda, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist · Based on peer-reviewed sources · Editorial policy · Not medical advice

Last updated: 01 August 2026 · How we check our content

What is heart disease?

Heart disease is an umbrella term for conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. The most common form is coronary artery disease (CAD): where fatty deposits (plaques) build up inside the coronary arteries over decades, narrowing them and reducing blood flow to the heart muscle. This process, called atherosclerosis, begins as early as the teenage years and progresses silently for decades before causing symptoms. CAD can cause stable angina (chest pain on exertion), unstable angina (at rest), or complete artery blockage causing a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Blood tests for cardiac risk assessment

Test	Optimal	Notes
Total Cholesterol	<200 mg/dL	Borderline high: 200–239; High: ≥240
LDL Cholesterol	<100 mg/dL (lower if high risk)	The primary statin target; <70 if very high risk
HDL Cholesterol	>60 mg/dL (men >40; women >50)	Protective: low HDL = higher risk
Triglycerides	<150 mg/dL	Raised by refined carbs, alcohol, diabetes
Fasting blood glucose	70–100 mg/dL	Diabetes doubles cardiovascular risk
HbA1c	<5.7%	Long-term glucose control
hs-CRP	<1.0 mg/L (low risk)	High sensitivity CRP for vascular inflammation
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]	<30 mg/dL	Genetic risk factor; not lowered by statins

Heart attack warning signs

Call emergency services immediately if you experience:

Crushing, squeezing or pressure in the chest lasting >15 minutes
Pain spreading to the left arm, jaw, neck or upper back
Chest pain with sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
Sudden breathlessness without chest pain (common in women and diabetics)
Feeling faint or losing consciousness with any of the above

Cardiac risk factors you can control

High LDL cholesterol: target <100 mg/dL (<70 if very high risk)
High blood pressure: target <130/80 mmHg
Type 2 diabetes: HbA1c <7%
Smoking: doubles heart attack risk; quitting reduces risk within 1 year
Obesity, especially abdominal fat
Physical inactivity: around 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is associated with a substantially lower rate of cardiac events
Chronic stress and poor sleep

Prevention: medications that protect the heart

Medication	Who benefits
Statins (atorvastatin, rosuvastatin)	Anyone with established heart disease; those with >10% 10-year risk
Aspirin (low dose)	Secondary prevention only: those who have had a heart attack or stent
ACE inhibitors / ARBs	Heart failure, post-MI, hypertension, diabetes with proteinuria
Beta-blockers	Post-MI, heart failure, arrhythmias
SGLT2 inhibitors (empagliflozin, dapagliflozin)	Diabetes with heart disease: proven cardiac mortality benefit

Questions to ask your doctor

What is my 10-year cardiovascular risk (ASCVD score)?
Should I start a statin?
Do I need a stress test or calcium scoring CT scan?
What is my Lp(a) level?
Should I take aspirin?

References

The clinical information on this page is drawn from peer-reviewed sources indexed by the US National Library of Medicine. Links go to the source so you can read it yourself.

Coronary Artery Disease. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. NCBI Bookshelf NBK564304