Coronary artery disease causes chest pain and is the result of plaque buildup inside the blood vessels. Using your knowledge of the structures and functions of the heart and circulatory system,
explain why this plaque buildup may lead to chest pain.

When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, ischemia (inadequate blood supply) of the heart muscle can develop causing serious injury. The most common cause of myocardial ischemia is coronary artery disease. The main complications of this disease are angina pectoris and heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Explanation:

When the coronary arteries are unable to provide the freshly oxygenated blood that the heart needs to perform its function correctly, it is called coronary disease or ischemic heart disease. Therefore, ischemic heart disease is the condition that causes a lack of blood supply to the heart. Coronary artery disease is characterized by the accumulation of fatty deposits in the cells that line the wall of a coronary artery, thus obstructing the flow of blood. Fatty deposits (called atheromas or plaques) form gradually and develop irregularly in the large trunks of the two main coronary arteries, which surround the heart and supply it with blood; this gradual process is known as atherosclerosis. Atheromas cause a thickening that narrows the arteries. This thickening of the coronary arteries causes narrowing that affects, to a greater or lesser degree, blood flow to the heart, with effects ranging from angina pectoris (pain or discomfort in the chest that occurs when the heart does not receive the sufficient blood supply) to an acute myocardial infarction.