Atherosclerosis may express no symptoms for many years for some individuals with this condition. The disease can initialize as early as the teenage/adolescent years, but the correlating symptoms or health issues typically do not become apparent until later in adulthood when the impairment of the arteries have noticeably worsened. Specific risk factors which includes smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus can aggravate atherosclerosis and promote the earlier appearance of symptoms. Complications may manifest markedly in individuals who have a family history of developing atherosclerosis at a fairly young age.
Coronary atherosclerosis or as it is also deemed coronary artery disease relates to atherosclerosis that exists within the arteries of the heart that may result in the hardening and constriction of these arteries. Diseases that are triggered by the lowered blood supply to the cardiac muscle from coronary atherosclerosis are identified as coronary heart diseases or CHD. Coronary heart diseases will cover heart attacks, heart failure as a result of the degeneration of the heart muscle, cardiac arrest, chest pain or angina, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Sometimes, the surface of cholesterol plaque in the coronary artery may burst and influence the creation of a blood clot. The clot will lessen the flow of blood coming into the artery and incite an almost immediate heart attack. The specific reason for the spontaneous rupture that becomes a clot has not yet been established. Some possible factors will typically include cigarette smoking or other types of nicotine exposure, hypertension, elevated LDL cholesterol levels, higher than normal levels of blood catecholamines (adrenaline), among other associated risk factors.

Heart muscle will progressively die during the course of a heart attack. This muscle death will be unchangeable, if the blood flow is not restored promptly.

Despite the fact that heart attacks may become apparent at any time of day, most heart attacks will occur between the hours of 4:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. This is assumed to be as a result of the higher blood levels of adrenaline exiting the adrenal glands at this specific period of the morning. The increasing adrenaline levels are usually accompanied by the disintegration of cholesterol plaques.
About 50% of patients who have had heart attacks develop some warning signs which include angina from exertion or when resting, before they are afflicted with a heart attack.

These symptoms may not be very affecting, thus will not be considered life threatening by the individual who has some of these symptoms before developing a heart attack. Consequently, it is vital to obtain medical attention for any of the following symptoms that may signal a heart condition including chest pain most commonly angina pectoris, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness or fatigue, jaw pain and upper back pain. The prompt treatment of a heart attack will largely improve the outcome.